NBA PLAYERS ELECT “INCLUSIVE” CEO
USATODAY published one of those rare articles looking at how members want their unions run. In short, the players tossed out a paternalistic, territorial and secretive leader who listened only to a small, but powerful minority of players. In his place, they elected a woman in the hope “that the combination of her intellect and her lack of a basketball background will spawn a welcome mix of humble effectiveness that makes for a more inclusive process.” Louis Amundson, a player, described the decision this way. “The idea was that it was the complete opposite of Billy. Before with Billy, the top players would kind of just dictate what they wanted, and then Billy would kind of dictate what he wanted, and then everybody else would kind of just fall in line. Now you have somebody who’s maybe not used to being in this sports realm, it’ll become more even, more (democratic).” But our favorite story line came from the selectee herself, “It’s a new day. It’s not a one-person, Superman, ‘I’ve got this.’ It’s going to be a team.” This is a must read article for anyone concerned with leading modern unions at the national level.