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Half of NBA teams are now led by Black head coaches

Jun 6, 2022
But those studying the NBA say change has been slower among referees, athletic trainers and in the front offices.
Ime Udoka has led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first year as head coach of the team.
Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

The WNBA is bringing in more sponsors. Will that be enough of an assist for more viewers?

May 6, 2022
The league opens Friday with a record 38 sponsors.
A WNBA basketball.
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How the NBA jersey patch became a billboard for advertisers

Sep 24, 2021
Basketball teams have struck lucrative deals to feature company logos on players' uniforms.
Aaron Nesmith of the Boston Celtics guards Bol Bol of the Denver Nuggets during the 2021 NBA Summer League. The logo of Vistaprint, the Celtics' patch partner, is featured on Nesmith's jersey.
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What basketball can teach us about economic mobility

Mar 11, 2021
Ambitions to go pro are often "a metaphor for the elusiveness of the American dream," says "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James.
Success stories for Black athletes "can sometimes hide the fact that for the great majority of people in these communities, the hurdles are so huge that it makes it hard to succeed," "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James says.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

A conversation with "Hoop Dreams" basketball star, 3 decades later

Mar 11, 2021
William Gates, star of the 1994 documentary, on the economic challenges college athletes face today.
"Hoop Dreams" documents over five years the lives of two high school basketball players from families struggling economically in Chicago as they work toward pro careers.
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The economics of the NBA "bubble"

Jul 15, 2020
What the Disney World bubble is costing the NBA in its effort to keep players safe — and why it's probably money well spent.
Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Kobe Bryant's legacy as an athlete and a venture capitalist

Jan 27, 2020
"He was really diverse in this first few moments of retirement," says Kenneth Shropshire of Arizona State University.
Kobe Bryant smiles at halftime as both his #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center on Dec. 18, 2017, in Los Angeles.
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One small step for the WNBA, one giant leap for women's sports

Jan 27, 2020
As athletes demand equal pay, a salary hike in women's basketball is promising
Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun plays in Game 3 of the WNBA finals in 2019.
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