Michele Roberts’ impact on the NBA is one that will be felt for years to come. Roberts has single-handedly changed the game into a player-centric one which was long awaited and necessary. With the NBA season kicking off last week, there was no way Michele Roberts wasn’t going to be featured as this week’s spotlight.
1. She Didn’t Start Off in The NBA
Most people who get involved with a major sports league work their way up, but Roberts decided to take a different route. After graduating from Wesleyan University with her BA and then from Boalt Hall School of Law with her J.D., Roberts was a public defender for eight years. Afer that, she became the chief of the trial division and then went on to become a well-known trial lawyer. Eventually, she would make her way to the NBA in 2014 and become the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association. As a fan of the New York Knicks, this job has to be a dream come true (most days!) for Roberts.
2. She Is A Huge Pioneer For Professional Sports
Roberts might have only had her job with the NBA for two years, but she has already paved the way for much more. She became the first woman ever to head a players’ union in any of the four major sports leagues. The significance of that is amazing in itself, but Roberts has previously discussed how excited and moved she was by the public’s response.
In an interview with The Undefeated, Roberts spoke about receiving positive notes and letters from women,
When I sought the job, I was obviously aware being a woman was of some significance…But it did not occur to me that getting the job would be received the way it has been received. It’s wonderful getting letters and emails from young women of color, or otherwise, who talk about how impressed and motivated they are about my having the job.
She might not have been expecting such a positive reaction from the public, but she has opened many doors for women not just in the sports world.
3. She’s Not Afraid To Speak Out
Roberts is unique because she is extremely straightforward and isn’t afraid to discuss issues that need to be fixed in the NBA publicly. She has talked openly about paying the players more and focusing less on paying the owners because they don’t really need it saying, “They’ve done a great job promoting the notion that the owners make all the investments and take all of the risks and barely make a dollar … One of the things that I have on my list, that I will absolutely not go to my grave until I correct, is responding to that narrative.” Usually, NBA executives would stay away from that topic, but I applaud her for finally speaking out about it.
Another issue she has discussed very openly is players’ frustration with the media. She made an amazing point about journalists just going into the locker room because they can. Her comments were controversial but it got people talking,
Most of the time I go to the locker room, the players are there and there are like eight or nine reporters just standing there, just staring at them…And I think to myself, ‘OK, so this is media availability?’ If you don’t have a f—ing question, leave, because it’s an incredible invasion of privacy. It’s a tremendous commitment that we’ve made to the media — are there ways we can tone it down? Of course. It’s very dangerous to suggest any limitation on media’s access to players, but let’s be real about some of this stuff.
4. She’s Married To Her Career
Roberts has stated in the past that she is not married, does not have any children and decided all of it was not for her. In an interview with SB Nation, she spoke about it at length, even announcing that she broke off a relationship due to the pressure of marriage and kids but now she’s happier than ever, “I think marriage is a significant commitment and I’ve always enjoyed my freedom. I’ve had relationships, but when I want to be left alone, I want to be left alone. And you can’t just do that in a marriage.”
The one attachment that she does have is her family especially her nieces who she adores. She has brought them up in several interviews especially when citing how much of a pioneer she is.
5. She Truly Does Care About the Players
As the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association, it would seem obvious that Roberts cares about the players, but it goes deeper than that. She has created a bond with the players and sees them as a part of her family, “These guys, may change teams, they may change agents, they may even change wives and girlfriends. But the one constant as long as they are players is the Players Association…My obligation and my feeling of obligation to them is genuine. I have 450 kids.” It’s so awesome to hear Roberts talk like that because her love for the players is true and she actually has the power to be in their corner.
