Top Scores In Diversity For NBA

ORLANDO - As the 2011 Racial and Gender Report Card shows, the National Basketball Association had the best grade among the men’s leagues for race and gender as it has for two decades. The NBA remains the industry leader on issues related to racial and gender hiring practices.

The NBA had an A+ for race and an A- for gender for a combined A.

Based on the total points used in the weighted scales, the NBA earned its highest combined grade ever at 92.2, up from its previous high of 91.5 in 2010.

The NBA grade for race was 95.3, which was up significantly from the 2010 Report when it was 93.8. The combined total and the total for race were both higher than for any other men’s sport in the history of the Racial and Gender Report Card. The NBA again received men’s pro sports’ only A for a combined grade for race and gender.

In last year’s report, the NBA had an A for race, an A- for gender and a combined A.

Richard Lapchick, the director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) and primary author of the report, said, “Throughout the history of the Racial and Gender Report Card, the NBA has consistently been the leader on diversity issues in sport. NBA Commissioner David Stern has been at the forefront, and the League Office data and the NBA Diversity Initiatives show this. Thirty-six percent of the professional positions in the League Office are held by people of color while women held 42 percent of the professional positions. Thirty-three percent of the coaches and 26 percent of the GMs are people of color. All these categories are higher than in any other men’s professional league.”

Using data from the 2010-11 season, TIDES conducted an analysis of racial breakdowns of the players and coaches. In addition, the Report includes a racial and gender breakdown of management in the NBA League Office and, at the team level, top management, senior administration, professional administration, physicians, head trainers, broadcasters and referees.

The previous Report examined data from the 2009-10 season. The listing of owners, head coaches, team presidents and general managers of color for the 2011

Report Card is updated through May 1, 2011. All numerical data and the grades reflect information published in official team literature at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season.

The 2011 Report also has the extensive list of NBA diversity initiatives which are in Appendix II. Tables for the Report are included in Appendix I. The co-authors of the report are Francisco Aristeguieta, Wayne Clark, Christina Cloud, Anna Florzak, Demetrius Frazier, Michael Kuhn, Tavia Record and Matthew Vinson.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida publishes the Racial and Gender Report Card to indicate areas of improvement, stagnation and regression in the racial and gender composition of professional and college sports personnel and to contribute to the improvement of integration in front office and college athletics department positions. Each year, the NBA has made progress in almost all categories examined for both race and gender.