A century ago, a Black-owned team ruled basketball − today, no Black majority owners remain
Subject
Lacking Black-Owned NBA Franchises
Description
(THE CONVERSATION) For the first time in 20 years, the NBA began its season with no Black-owned franchises.
In fact, there’s been only one Black majority-owned team in league history.
In late 2002, the NBA awarded an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, to Black Entertainment Television co-founder Bob Johnson. Four years later, former NBA star Michael Jordan bought a minority stake in the franchise, and in 2010, he bought Johnson’s stake. However, Jordan sold his majority stake in the franchise in July 2023.
This lack of diversity in basketball team ownership is especially disappointing considering the rich history of Black ownership in sports, which began when the top leagues in the U.S. were still segregated.
Creator
Jared Bahir Browsh
Source
Publisher
SFGATE
File
You have read your 5 free records this month
Create a free account to keep reading. It takes a moment, and it helps us keep this archive growing.
- Unlimited recordsEvery story in the archive, with no monthly count.
- Your saved listKeep the records you want to return to in one place.
- The weekly digestNew stories from the United States and across the diaspora, by email if you want it.
Your free records start again on the first of the month. The Local History Index, collections, exhibits and research pages are always open.
About this record
This entry describes and links to someone else's work. Here is how it came into the archive and what we know about the original.
- How it arrived
- Entered by an editor
- Record last revised
- August 4, 2026
Know something about this record?
Corrections, names, dates, places, family and community context, or a link to another record. Everything is reviewed by an editor before it appears, and contributions stay separate from the archive's own description.
