Sunday Shootaround

NEW ORLEANS — It was impossible to miss the billboards. They were everywhere, staring down from the tallest buildings and keeping a close watch over NBA All-Star Weekend. The message they delivered by way of Nike was simple — that of equality — but the implications were vast and far-reaching.

That we were here and not in Charlotte stood as verifiable proof that the NBA has chosen to take a stand on a social issue. The league had pulled out of North Carolina following the state’s passage of HB2, a discriminatory statute that commissioner Adam Silver said ran counter to the NBA’s values of inclusion and tolerance.

That the league’s most visible corporate sponsor had chosen to reinforce that message at this moment in history, was well, it was something. One can look at the messaging as bold, just as it can be viewed through the cynical prism of playing to their customers’ base.

“Equality is not just athletes,” said LeBron James, who was featured prominently in the campaign. “It’s about the whole human race, every religion, everybody just figuring out how we can all be equal. I think it’s a very, very powerful thing, and I was happy to be part of that.”

It was powerful in the sense that everything right now is political, even affirming the right to exist on a level playing field. Yet its power was tempered by its messenger in that it was just another form of marketing and All-Star Weekend is nothing if not awash in corporate campaigns and branded events. That its recipients were likely to be appreciative of the message made it just another bubble, albeit a bubble with a platform that has not been shy about expressing itself.

“For a long time athletes stayed out of the political sphere out of fear of losing customers,” said Steve Kerr who is coaching the Western Conference All-Stars. “I think it’s refreshing to have athletes who are putting their social agenda, their social beliefs ahead of marketing issues. I think that’s powerful.”

That’s precisely where the NBA finds itself, balancing a line between social values that it says are at the heart of its industry and the reality that it is a multi-billion dollar cooperative bankrolled by huge sums of television dollars and the uber-wealthy. Not every player is a progressive humanist and not every owner is a Randian disciple, but it’s still an awkward fit for a pro sports league to present itself as an altruistic institution that also happens to be in the business of making as much money as possible.

Can it be both?

“I think we’re all conscious of it,” said James Jones, who serves on the NBPA’s Executive Committee. “That’s a part of being in this industry. We are entertainment. Our actions do have ramifications, but that’s the beauty of this league. When guys make a stand, when they say something, they put their money where their mouth is and they understand that.

“At all times we’re about inclusion and respect and autonomy because that’s what makes us so graceful on the court. Our individualism. We’re supportive of our players and we would never suppress or try to deny guys the opportunity to be authentic because we all know being authentic in our business is what sells.”

It’s easy to be cynical. Just as a handful of players and coaches have made their opinions known about a wide variety of social issues in the weeks and months leading up to All-Star Weekend, many who were here wanted nothing to do with it.

“At the end of the day, people are going to say what they want to say,” said Anthony Davis, who was also part of the marketing campaign. “No sports without politics. No politics, no sports. So it kind of goes hand in hand. I don’t really get into it. I stay in my lane and do sports and just go from there.”

If you came here expecting to find a political rally you were instead treated to an impromptu meeting of the flat earth society. That made for a good joke, but if Kyrie Irving was trying to make a larger point on the nature of truth-telling and fact gathering it was lost in translation somewhere along the centrifugal drift.

It is far tougher to be bold. From Kyle Lowry’s blunt talk about the travel ban to Steph Curry taking a shot at one of his endorsers, players and coaches have been among the most vocal opponents of the current administration and its policies. Lowry may be earthy and Curry may be a tad corny, but both offered authentic expressions of dissatisfaction.

In many instances the coaches have gone further. Kerr, as well as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, have offered blunt commentaries on a wide range of social and political issues. Even sly jokes about losing streaks and slumps as alternative facts can feel subversive.

“Everybody has a role to play,” Kerr said. “If you’re are a big part of society, if you’re exposed, if you’re in the news, then you play a role. Free speech is one of the principals our country is founded on. I think there’s a responsibility that goes with that if you see injustice. The NBA’s been great in terms of understanding that responsibility and taking action such as moving the All-Star Game from Charlotte to New Orleans.”

Apart from the talking points and the fire quotes, that action represents the truest approximation of the NBA’s willingness to take a stand on principle. The limits of that approach have yet to be resolved, but there are other laws in other states that may provide further litmus tests.

“We’re not involved directly with legislatures,” Silver said in response to a question about similar measures under discussion in Texas. “In terms of laws in other jurisdictions, it’s something we continue to monitor very closely. You know, I’m not ready to draw bright lines. Clearly, though, the laws of the state, ordinances, and cities are a factor we look at in deciding where to play our All-Star Games.”

On the travel ban, Silver came out more forcefully than he had previously. Again there were pragmatic reasons for Silver’s opposition — the NBA does business globally — as well as humanitarian concerns for players who may be affected. There are also deeper philosophical differences that run right into the perception the league has for itself and its game.

“So, government restrictions on travel, I am concerned about,” Silver said. “It goes against the fundamental values and the fundamental ingredients of what make for a great NBA, and that is the very best in the world coming here.”

There have been smaller gestures in terms of community service that are no less important, if not on such a public scale. Those efforts have long been a part of the league’s outreach even if they receive only a smattering of our collective attention. There is also the very real viability of free speech, which is no small consideration in these charged times. It was not lost on anyone here that quote transcriptions provided by the league did not censor political questions as the NFL did during the Super Bowl.

“Our players don’t lose their rights when they become members of the league,” said Michele Roberts, the executive director of the NBPA. “We view the role of the [players’ association] as making sure that there is no effort to infringe their rights, to express themselves when they deem appropriate. The good news is there have been no efforts to suppress expression and I don’t anticipate that there will be. If there is we’ll be ready to push back. I’ll make this point, as well. These are incredibly volatile political times and I firmly anticipate that there will be additional comments made by players.”

The NBA, then, is what you make of it. It’s entertainment for the masses. It’s competition that is packaged and sold in the finest capitalistic traditions. It’s a truly American sporting enterprise that has been exported to the world and brought back more than its share of global dividends and rewards. It’s one of the true bastions of free speech in a world crying out for authentic voices. It’s can be bold and cynical, progressive and retrograde. If you like tragicomic feuds and bizarro conspiracy theories, it’s here for that, as well.

This is the NBA in 2017. It has long had ambitions to exist on a grander stage than the confines of the court itself. It finds itself there now, trying to make sense of a world that is not flat. Its problems are the league’s problems and they will not be solved by marketing and branding slogans, no matter how well intentioned. It may be asking too much of a sports league to offer anything more than a diversion, but it has chosen to play that role, far more than the other American sports. It may even be good for business.