NBA addresses front-office diversity hiring at owners meeting

NEW YORK – Paying close attention to the NBA’s front-office diversity in basketball operations, league commissioner Adam Silver included a presentation from NBA chief diversity and inclusion officer Oris Stuart at this week’s board of governors meeting in New York, Silver told Paste BN Sports.

Silver said Stuart’s presentation to owners focused on the benefits of diversity in the front office, a topic that has generated interest and concern.

There was no proposal for an NFL-like Rooney Rule, Silver told Paste BN Sports. The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority for a head-coaching or high-level front-office job.

The NBA is creating a Basketball Operations Associates Program for former players and others interested in a front-office career.

Comcast SportNet Chicago reported in February that since 2010, 30 positions for president of basketball operations or general manager have been filled, and six were African-American. Four were hired that summer, and just New Orleans’ Dell Demps, Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers and Toronto’s Masai Ujiri make the final decision, according to the report.

Front-office executive Scott Perry, who has been with then-Seattle with Sam Presti and the Detroit Pistons as an assistant GM for Joe Dumars, is the assistant GM for the Orlando Magic but has not been interviewed for a GM or president of basketball operations position.

Oklahoma City assistant GM Troy Weaver has been interviewed before and is mentioned often as a candidate for jobs. But to be fair, he is coveted in Oklahoma City and paid like a GM. New York Knicks director of player personnel Mark Hughes and Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston are interested in leading a team’s front-office operations.

Milwaukee director of scouting Billy McKinney and Utah vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin – longtime front-office executives – have never been GMs or president of basketball ops.

There is a strong list of African-American assistant GMs and player personnel guys who could be candidates in the future aside from the previously mentioned names: Detroit’s Brian Wright, Cleveland’s Koby Altman, Washington’s Marc Eversley and Brooklyn’s Trajan Langdon among others.

Silver said he was proud of the NBA’s track record, and the NBA received an A+ for racial hiring practices from Richard Lapchick in his most recent racial and gender report card for the NBA. The league has received an A+ or A in racial hiring every year since 2004.

Silver also said the NBA just didn’t want to check a box when it came to interviews. But Stuart stressed the importance of diverse hires.

At a previous board of governors meeting, American Express CEO Ken Chenault discussed the importance of diversity and why it makes for a better business when a company is more inclusive. It opens a company to a larger pool of candidates and different perspectives and ideas.