by Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder
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.
A century ago, one of the top pre-NBA professional franchises began play in Harlem thanks to the efforts of a Black business owner named Bob Douglas.
A challenge to the dominance of White sports
My students are often surprised that the history of professional team sports in the U.S. goes far beyond the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB. But the media’s focus on the “big four” leagues can cause fans to overlook the incredible accomplishments and leadership of many pioneers in athletics, including those from marginalized groups whose participation in mainstream leagues were limited or banned.
The first 50 years of professional basketball was an amalgam of regional leagues and barnstorming teams. As with baseball and football, basketball teams from this era were segregated. But White teams and Black teams would square off against one another in exhibitions as they toured the country.
On the business side, many White businessmen were profiting from – if not exploiting – this Black talent pool, arranging tournaments and competitions and taking a disproportionate cut of the earnings. But Black entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to support Black communities…
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