NBPA makes history; names woman as executive director

Roberts is first woman to lead the NBPA

 

The National Basketball Players Association made history on Monday when it elected Michele Roberts as its new executive director.

The Washington, D.C., based trial lawyer became the first woman to lead a male professional sports league union in North America, gaining 32 of a possible 36 votes among executive committee members and player representatives.

A member of the litigation group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meaghter & Flom, Roberts, who is African-American, defeated two other finalists, tech industry CEO Dean Garfield and Dallas Mavericks CEO Terdema Ussery.

“Let’s be clear: I’m sure there were people that noticed I was a girl,” Roberts told reporters. “Having said that, I frankly wanted to address that question up front whenever I spoke with any of the members of the executive committee and the union. My sense was, the only thing people cared about was my resolve.”

“It shows how open-minded our players are,” NBPA president Chris Paul said. “With any of the candidates, it wasn’t about race or gender. It was about who was going to be the best person in that position.”