Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns has been named the 2023-24 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion. Towns becomes the first Timberwolves player and fourth recipient of the award since its inception in 2021. The annual award honors a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and upholding the league’s values of equality, respect and inclusion.
The NBA is partnering with SCBC, which promotes the benefits of second chance employment to people with criminal records.
Around the NBA
Against the backdrop of rising hate crimes in the U.S., Coalition Board members Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics Guard), Micky Arison (Miami Heat Managing General Partner), and J.B. Bickerstaff (Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach) pen a compelling op-ed for USA Today arguing for the power of sports to unite and heal, reaffirming the NBA’s commitment to social…[ More ]
The Pistons, the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, Safe & Just Michigan, the City of Detroit, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, Project Clean Slate, the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and other resource groups provided support to more than 150 formerly incarcerated individuals. The event served as an opportunity for a fresh…[ More ]
New Orleans Pelicans guard has formed a partnership with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR).
About the Coalition
Executive Director, James Cadogan, talks with his law school Alma Mater on his journey to the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.
NBPA president CJ McCollum and Social Justice Coalition executive director James Cadogan discuss the NBA’s approach to Election Day 2022.
“Let me be clear: Public safety and criminal justice reform are not mutually exclusive. They go hand in hand.”
The number of innocent Americans in prison is disturbing and Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers shares why he is teaming up with The Innocence Project to help right this wrong.
In partnership with the Utah Jazz, Clean Slate Utah and Rasa, members of the NBA family, government and community leaders will gather for conversation around the impact of Utah’s Clean Slate legislation and provide individuals the opportunity to apply to get records cleared in accordance with HB 431 on-site
Detroit Pistons Head Coach and National Basketball Social Justice Coalition Board member, Dwane Casey, speaks to the importance of voting in 2022 Election.
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Jammel Cutler writes in the Village Voice about how the NBA and its stars are working to promote voter engagement this coming election day.
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The league has arranged this year’s schedule around election day, for the first time ever, in an effort to increase voter participation.
About the Coalition
Executive Director James Cadogan joins Bakari Sellers to discuss the scope of the Coalition’s mission and more
As the fight for voting rights stalls in Congress, the NBA Social Justice Coalition continues its call for lawmakers to act urgently to protect the right to vote.
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One year in, the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition has endured disappointment but remains committed to the fight against racial inequality.
About the Coalition
The National Basketball Social Justice Coalition is establishing more of its presence and core issues with a video published to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday. The coalition was established as a partnership by the NBA, NBA Players Association and NBA Coaches Association (NBCA) in November 2020…
About the Coalition
Appointed as the first executive director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition back in April, Cadogan is tasked with driving the group’s strategic vision and day-to-day operations, as the NBA works collaboratively to address racial inequality and advance social justice causes by raising awareness, educating citizens and advocating for policy change in multiple areas…
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The men’s basketball teams from Howard and Morgan State will play a showcase game during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland as the NBA seeks to expand its support of historically Black colleges and universities…
California is one of the few states without a process to prevent law enforcement officers who were fired for serious infractions such as excessive use of force or lying on a report from leaving one department and joining another…
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As NBA rookies, second-year players, journeymen – and even 2008 second overall draft pick Michael Beasley – competed by day in the Las Vegas Summer League this week, at night the first-year players were in the conference rooms of UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center learning the ropes of being successful in the NBA…
The National Basketball Social Justice Coalition is fighting to end racial and social inequality. The group, which is composed of players, owners and staffers, has advocated for policy changes regarding criminal justice, policing and justice reform, by reaching out to lawmakers in Congress and state and local legislatures…
About the Coalition
Whether it’s on the court or in their own communities, NBA players across the league have become politically engaged and organized for action like never before…
About the Coalition
Cadogan is helping lead the charge in a league where 75% of the players are Black and represent 29 major cities across the country. I was excited to sit down with Cadogan to hear his vision as to how he intends to build a 21st-century justice initiative…
I am the executive director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, which leads the NBA family’s advocacy work. But, in 2014, I was managing the policy portfolio of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice when Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was shot and killed by a police officer…
With pressure to change policing in America following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., sounded the alarm Wednesday warning that “time is running out…”
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its players have an undeniable level of cultural influence, and they’re becoming increasingly intentional in the ways they use it for positive impact…
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Former Syracuse star and current Portland Trail Blazer Carmelo Anthony was the recipient of the first Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, the NBA announced on Tuesday…
Growing up in England, James Cadogan didn’t see many people who looked like him. But one day in 1992, turned on the television to see the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He saw Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and the rest of the Dream Team dominating the world in basketball…
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After the frenetic protests of the 2020 playoff bubble, superstars wrestle with turning activism into Washington lobbying—and the fraught politics of the national anthem…
On the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, the NBA and its Social Justice Coalition are urging the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act…
On the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, the NBA, the NBA and WNBA players’ unions and a player-backed voter rights group have escalated their calls for the passage of the law enforcement bill that bears Floyd’s name…
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition released a statement Monday night calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as a way to honor the memory of Floyd and “others who have been victims of police brutality…”
The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association on Tuesday released a joint statement praising the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd…