As President of the NBA G League, Shareef Abdur-Rahim is responsible for all aspects of the league’s business and basketball operations, including its continued expansion with 31 teams, 29 of which having a direct affiliation with an NBA franchise. Abdur-Rahim played a pivotal leadership role in the international expansion of the league with the addition of the Mexico City Capitanes in 2019.

During his tenure, Abdur-Rahim established and oversees NBA G League Ignite, an NBA Draft-preparatory team for elite players. Ignite alumni include 2021 NBA Draft first-round picks Jalen Green (No. 2 overall) and Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7) and 2022 NBA Draft first-round picks Dyson Daniels (No. 8) and MarJon Beauchamp (No. 24).

Abdur-Rahim joined the NBA in 2016, spending two years in the league’s operations department before assuming his current role. Prior to the NBA, Abdur-Rahim spent five years with the Sacramento Kings as an assistant general manager and assistant coach. He also served as general manager of the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns (now known as the Stockton Kings) during the 2013-14 season.

The third overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, Abdur-Rahim was named an NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks in 2002 and earned a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. During his 12-season NBA career, Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points per game.

Abdur-Rahim earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He resides in New Jersey with his wife Delicia, daughter Samiyah and son Jabri.

4/2023

As Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Michael Bass oversees all public relations, including basketball and business communications, for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League on a global basis.  He supervises the league’s communications functions, including basketball media operations, media relations, marketing, corporate and digital media communications, crisis management and internal communications.

During his tenure with the NBA, Bass has served as a principal spokesman on all league matters, including the league’s diverse business initiatives, and has led a group charged with promoting those functions.  He has led communications strategy for the NBA’s most important business issues, including the league’s last two Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the last three television agreements and its vast digital and global initiatives.  Bass also serves on the league’s Social Justice Task Force.

Bass joined the NBA in September 1997 and spent time as Director of NBA Entertainment Communications, where he helped develop a department solely dedicated to public relations for the league’s production and new media division.

Prior to the NBA, Bass worked as Senior Press Representative for the CBS television network.  He was charged with publicizing the network’s mini-series, movies, specials and event programming.  Before that, he was a Senior Account Executive at New York-based public relations/management firm Dan Klores Communications.

Bass is a member of the Executive Board of the National Sports Marketing Network, a sports business industry trade organization, and the Chief Communications Officer Council.  A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Bass resides in Westport, Conn., with his wife Pam and two children.

8/2022

As President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs for the NBA, Kathy Behrens oversees all NBA programs that coordinate league, team and player social responsibility and impact efforts, foster youth basketball development, support player growth and education, further important health and safety information, promote greater civic engagement, and enhance marketing opportunities for current and former players.

Behrens joined the NBA in September 2000 as Vice President, Community Relations, overseeing all of the NBA’s public service initiatives, community outreach and employee volunteer programs.  She later worked as Senior Vice President of Community & Player Programs, and Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility & Player Programs.

Prior to joining the NBA, Behrens served as Executive Director of New York Cares, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes volunteers to help people in need throughout the five boroughs.  Before joining New York Cares in 1995, Behrens served in the administration of former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo and was the Executive Director of the Friends of Cuomo Campaign Committee during the 1994 governor’s race.

Behrens graduated from the University of Hartford and serves as a member of the university’s Board of Regents.  She is also a trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a member of the Leadership Council for Share Our Strength.

A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Behrens currently lives with her husband and twins Matthew and Maureen in Westchester County, N.Y.

4/2023

Amy Brooks is the NBA’s President of Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) and the league’s first-ever Chief Innovation Officer.

In her role as Chief Innovation Officer, she leads the NBA’s Global Strategy & Innovation group that develops and executes new ideas and initiatives, and collaborates with NBA senior leadership to achieve global strategic priorities.  She oversees several functions for the league including innovation, corporate strategy, data & analytics, consumer & media insights, and international strategy & operations.

As the head of Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO), Brooks directs an in-house consulting group that helps all NBA teams and affiliate league teams (WNBA, G League, 2K League) grow and improve all aspects of their business, including ticket and partnership sales, marketing, digital, customer retention, arena operations, data & analytics, and talent development.

Since beginning her career at the NBA in 2005, Brooks has held a variety of roles that have advanced and grown all areas of the business.  Her leadership helped the NBA set new all-time attendance and sellout records in 2022-23, and created growth initiatives such as the league’s groundbreaking Jersey Patch Sponsorship Program and International Team Marketing Program.

Brooks has been a key contributor to many of the league’s new initiatives, including the Play-In Tournament, the Basketball Africa League, and the NFT venture NBA Top Shot.  She also helped form the league’s investment arm, NBA Equity, and evaluates emerging technologies for investment and partnership.

Prior to joining the NBA, Brooks worked for Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. Previously, she was a product manager at Sun Microsystems.  Brooks currently serves on the board of directors for Block and Positive Coaching Alliance.  She also has been recognized by SportsBusiness Journal (Forty Under 40) and Forbes (Most Powerful Women in Sports).

Brooks received her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, where she was a member of the women’s basketball team that won three conference championships and went to the NCAA Final Four.

4/2023

Rick Buchanan is General Counsel of the NBA and the league’s Chief Compliance Officer.  He also serves as Secretary of the NBA’s Board of Governors.

As General Counsel, Buchanan is responsible for all legal affairs of the NBA and its affiliates, including collective bargaining with NBA players, Board of Governors and ownership matters, litigation, legislation, investigations, legal issues arising from the league’s various commercial businesses, player matters, and team and arena issues.  In his role as Chief Compliance Officer, Buchanan oversees the Code of Conduct applicable to all NBA employees and is responsible for the league’s compliance program, including anti-gambling education and enforcement, and policies related to ethical business practices.

Buchanan currently serves on the Legal Commission of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and is a frequent lecturer on sports law – including at the Columbia, Georgetown, Virginia, and Brooklyn schools of law.

Before joining the NBA in 1993, Buchanan was associated with the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., where he was a litigator concentrating on professional sports and antitrust matters and served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Kenneth W. Starr of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Buchanan is a 1985 graduate of Amherst College and a 1988 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

5/2023

As President of Administration for the NBA, Kyle Cavanaugh oversees the global facilities, benefits, information technology, security, risk management, internal audit, diversity and inclusion, people and culture, and administration affairs of the league and its related entities.  His responsibilities also include administration of leaguewide team programs, including benefit and pension plans, the team air charter program and insurance programs.

Cavanaugh joined the league office on June 1 and has more than 30 years of experience in administration and human resources, including 13 years at Duke University and Duke Health.  As Vice President for Administration at Duke, he was responsible for human resources and benefits, labor and employee relations, executive compensation, international employment, security and police, emergency management, and other administrative functions for a workforce of 43,000 and a student population of 15,000.  He was instrumental in the creation of Duke’s affiliated campus in China and supported numerous global activities.  In February 2020, Cavanaugh was appointed by the university president to lead Duke’s COVID-19 management strategy.

Prior to Duke, Cavanaugh served as Senior Vice President for Administration at the University of Florida, where he oversaw a range of business, financial and operational activities.  He previously held senior administrative positions at The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University and Vanderbilt University and Medical Center.

Duke created the Kyle J. Cavanaugh Award for Leadership and Service in his honor.  It will be awarded periodically by the university president to staff and faculty for exceptional contributions to Duke.

Cavanaugh has been active with various not-for-profit community organizations that focus on early childhood literacy and employment.  He holds an M.B.A. from Belmont University and master’s degrees from Vanderbilt and the University of Illinois Chicago.  He received a bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., where he earned a basketball scholarship.

Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Cavanaugh currently resides in Manhattan with his wife Christie.

6/2022

As Senior Vice President & Managing Director of NBA Latin America, Arnon de Mello oversees the development and expansion of the NBA’s business and basketball initiatives throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He directs all of the league’s efforts in the region across marketing partnerships, events, television, digital media and licensed merchandise through a dedicated Latin America team with headquarters in New York City and two local offices in Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

Since joining the NBA in 2012 as Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Brazil, de Mello has launched the NBA’s regional office in Rio de Janeiro and overseen the continued growth of the business in Brazil. As part of his efforts to grow the game in the region, he directed key strategic partnerships, including with Globo, Televisa and Liga Nacional de Basquete (LNB), grew the league’s local sponsorship business, successfully launched the NBA’s e-commerce and retail presence in Brazil and Mexico, and brought the game closer to fans through programs such as NBA Global Games, NBA Academy Latin America, Basketball Without Borders and Jr. NBA.

Prior to joining the NBA, de Mello was the CEO and co-founder of Loops, which helps companies, political parties and community groups with their social media strategies. He also has experience in investment banking, covering the media, telecom and technology industries in both the U.S. and Brazil, spending years with Astor Group and Barclays Capital.

de Mello also was the elected president of CSA, a Brazilian professional soccer team, from 1999-2001, and ran for Congress in Brazil in 2002.

de Mello is a graduate of MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard University and the University of Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English, German and French.

4/2023

As President of the NBA 2K League, Brendan Donohue oversees the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.  A sports industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in team and league operations, Donohue manages a league that features 25 teams and is celebrating its sixth season in 2023.

Previously, Donohue served as Senior Vice President of the NBA’s industry-renowned Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) department, where he led the strategic planning and management for all teams across the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League, helping them innovate in sales, marking, digital and analytical areas of their business.  He was instrumental in several of TMBO’s accomplishments, including assisting with ownership transitions in Sacramento, Philadelphia, Detroit and Memphis.  He also led team business discussions at WNBA and NBA G League Board of Governors meetings and presented at frequent workshops, including assisting NBA team presidents on best practices in marketing, ticket sales and sponsorship sales.

Before joining the NBA league office in 2009, Donohue spent five years as Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena.  During his career in Atlanta, Donohue led five consecutive seasons of revenue growth, including ranking first in the NBA in ticket revenue growth during the 2008-09 season.  He also previously held positions with the then-New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons.

Donohue earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1996.  He resides in Fairfield, Conn., with his wife Patty, daughter Mandy and son Carter.

4/2023

As Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations for the National Basketball Association, Joe Dumars oversees all Basketball Operations matters, including the enforcement of playing rules and interpretations, conduct and discipline, and policies and procedures relating to the operation of games.

Prior to joining the league office in May 2022, Dumars worked three seasons with the Sacramento Kings, the last two as Chief Strategy Officer.  In his most recent role, he helped drive strategy across the organization’s entire portfolio of activities, including business, basketball, new ventures, entertainment and real estate.

Dumars previously served 15 seasons as a basketball executive with the Detroit Pistons (1999-2014), including the final 14 as President of Basketball Operations.  With Dumars overseeing player personnel decisions, the Pistons won an NBA championship in 2004, made six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals and recorded at least 50 victories in seven straight seasons.  He was named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year for the 2002-03 season.

Dumars joined the Pistons’ front office after a decorated 14-year playing career in the NBA, all with Detroit, which selected him in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft.  A six-time NBA All-Star selection, three-time All-NBA Team honoree and five-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, Dumars helped the Pistons win back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990 and was named MVP of the 1989 Finals.  In international competition, Dumars won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 1994 FIBA Basketball World Cup.  He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

The NBA Sportsmanship Award is named for Dumars, with the Joe Dumars Trophy presented annually to the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.  Dumars was the inaugural winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award and also received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his outstanding service and dedication to the community.

In addition to his success as an NBA player and executive, Dumars served as President of the Basketball Division for Independent Sports & Entertainment, an integrated sports, media, entertainment and management company, from 2017-19.  He also founded the automotive supply company Detroit Technologies Inc. and Joe Dumars Fieldhouse, an indoor sports and entertainment complex with two locations in the Detroit area.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Dumars holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from McNeese State University, where he was a four-time selection to the All-Southland Conference First Team.  Dumars is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

7/2022

As Chief People Officer of the NBA, Sabrina Ellis oversees all aspects of the league’s global human resources strategy – including compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, and learning and leadership development – across its offices in 15 markets around the world. With a focus on global best practices and inclusion, she will also build, implement and drive engagement initiatives that address workforce culture and attract a globally diverse group of employees.

Prior to joining the NBA in January 2023, Ellis previously worked at New York University (NYU) where she served as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer since 2016. While at NYU, Ellis led core HR services across all business and academic functions for a global employee population of 26,000 in 13 countries spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, including degree-granting campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Focusing on inclusive leadership, Ellis collaborated across all NYU schools and units in the development and execution of numerous groundbreaking programs to recruit and retain a world-class workforce. Under her leadership, NYU launched several firsts, including its Youth Program Compliance Office, Employee Engagement Unit and university-wide Onboarding Center.

Ellis previously served as Vice President of Human Resources at George Washington University, where she led HR strategy and operations from 2012 to 2016. Earlier in her career, she was the Assistant Vice President of HR at the City College of New York (CUNY) and served as Human Resources Officer for University Relations and Public Affairs at NYU.

Ellis earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from NYU.

12/2022

As the first-ever Commissioner of the WNBA, Cathy Engelbert is charged with bolstering visibility for the sport of women’s basketball, empowering WNBA players, and enhancing fan engagement.  In her time as Commissioner, Engelbert has executed a historic player-first Collective Bargaining Agreement, built and socialized a new economic framework to drive league revenue and owner success, and led the league to a successful 2020 season through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to being appointed Commissioner in July 2019, Engelbert spent 33 years at Deloitte, rising to Chief Executive Officer in 2015.  As CEO, she became the first woman to lead a Big Four firm, overseeing one of the largest professional services organizations in the U.S. with more than 100,000 professionals.  Over the course of her tenure, she drove a large transformation across the business by moving the firm towards emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, robotics and cloud, including securing ecosystem partnerships with large technology companies and executing digital acquisitions.  Revenues grew more than 30 percent under Engelbert, and her people-first agenda included implementing a holistic well-being culture through programs like Deloitte’s 16-week family leave policy.

As a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion, Engelbert was the first woman to serve as chair of the Catalyst Board, a global non-profit organization that promotes inclusive workplaces for women, and the Center for Audit Quality Governing Board.  She is a Vice Chair of the Partnership for New York City, was a founding member of CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, and previously served as a member of the Business Roundtable.  Engelbert currently sits on the McDonald’s Board of Directors (Audit Committee), the Royalty Pharma Board of Directors, and the USGA Executive Committee.

Engelbert was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women for four consecutive years.  She was ranked on Glassdoor’s annual Employees’ Choice Awards honoring the 100 Highest-Rated CEOs, and among Crain’s 50 Most Powerful Women in New York.  Engelbert has also been recognized as one of Working Mother magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Moms and one of Fast Company magazine’s Most Productive People.

Engelbert received a B.S. in accounting from Lehigh University and is a certified public accountant licensed in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.  During her time at Lehigh, Engelbert was a member of the university’s basketball and lacrosse teams and served as a senior captain for both teams.  On the court, she played for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw.  Engelbert’s father, Kurt, played for Naismith Hall of Fame coach Jack Ramsay at Saint Joseph’s University and was drafted in 1957 by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

Engelbert is married and has two children, Julia and Tommy.

4/2021

As President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), Amadou Gallo Fall led the historic league’s launch in May 2021 and defines its vision and strategy for years to come.  Fall oversees the league’s business and basketball operations, leading its efforts to build a comprehensive basketball ecosystem in Africa.

Prior to being named BAL President in May 2019, Fall was Vice President & Managing Director of NBA Africa, where he worked with local federations, corporations, NGOs and other key stakeholders to grow the game of basketball across the continent.  He helped open the NBA’s office in Johannesburg in 2010 and over the next decade oversaw the league’s grassroots development efforts and partnerships with marketing, media and consumer products companies in Africa.

Before joining the league office, Fall worked for the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Player Personnel and Vice President of International Affairs, where he served as the team’s goodwill ambassador internationally and oversaw its scouting assignments.  In this role, Fall traveled to Africa and was an integral part of Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that uses the game to create positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness.

Fall is a recipient of multiple leadership awards for his contributions to the growth of the game of basketball and youth development on the African continent, including New African’s 100 Most Influential Africans (2019), the South African Sport Industry’s Leadership in Sport (2018) and African Leader 4 Change (2017).

Fall is also the Founder of SEED (Sports for Education and Economic Development), a global non-profit organization established in 1998 with the mission of using sport as a vehicle to inspire, empower and support the holistic development of promising African youth, preparing them to become global citizens.

Fall graduated magna cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia, where he played center on the basketball team.  He was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

8/2022

As Executive Vice President of Global Events for the NBA, Kelly Flatow leads a global team of business leaders, creators and operators responsible for developing and executing events and experiences across the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.  Flatow oversees all aspects of the league’s tentpole events – including NBA All-Star, NBA Finals, NBA Global Games, NBA Draft and NBA Summer League – as well as a portfolio of fan-first lifestyle and grassroots experiential businesses, such as NBA Experiences.  After play was suspended following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Flatow and her team spearheaded the strategy and execution of the 2019-20 NBA Restart when the league resumed its season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.

Prior to her current role, Flatow served as the interim Head of Marketing and before that as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships, where she led the development and activation of marketing assets, driving growth across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, China and Asia.

Before rejoining the NBA in 2010, Flatow served as Senior Vice President of Partnership Marketing at Live Nation, the world’s leading ticketing company and largest promoter of live concerts.  Hired prior to the merger with Ticketmaster to build out the enterprise’s Affiliate and Strategic Partnership programs, Flatow developed and launched Live Nation’s social media platform.  In her first stint with the NBA from 2006-2008, Flatow served as Vice President of Strategic Marketing, where she created marketing solutions for prospective marketing partners.

From 2005-2006, Flatow served as a key conduit to the entertainment community for The Coca-Cola Company, where she led relationships with The Oscars, American Idol, and Jay-Z.  From 2000-2005, she was a founding member of the corporate marketing department at CAA, building entertainment marketing programs and relationships for brands such as Coca-Cola, Motorola, and Delta Air Lines.  Prior to her time at CAA, Flatow worked at ProServ/SFX Sports managing a portfolio of product and service marketers, including Hershey and Staples.  She helped build the strategies for negotiating and activating the naming rights for STAPLES Center (now Crypto.com Arena), a milestone naming rights deal in 1998.

A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., with a B.A. in Communications, Flatow is a member of the National Sports Marketing Network, WISE, and an active mentor in the sports marketing industry.

5/2022

As Senior Vice President of Corporate Services for the NBA, Jarad Franzreb oversees the global production of corporate events and videos for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball.  His responsibilities also include the production management of league marketing campaigns and public service announcements and the archiving and distribution of NBA photography and video to league broadcast partners, marketing partners and third-party licensees.

Since joining the league in 1994, Franzreb has held a variety of positions in the league’s Production, Marketing and Sales, and Advertising groups.  Prior to joining the NBA, he was the Director of Public Relations for the Celebrity Golf Association, coordinating publicity and public relations for a variety of events throughout North America.  Franzreb tipped off his NBA career with the New York Knicks, where he began as a Public Relations intern in the 1991-92 season and assisted in various capacities with the organization through 1997.

In 1992, Franzreb earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology/psychology from Fordham University, where he also played and coached basketball.

A Staten Island, N.Y., native, Franzreb resides in New Providence, N.J., with his wife Crissy and daughter Ally.

6/2021

As Chief Financial Officer of the NBA, David Haber is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning and financial affairs of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League.  After more than 12 years at the league office, where played an integral role in the NBA’s Finance Department, he was promoted to CFO in November 2021.

Prior to assuming the CFO role, Haber was Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance & Strategy, leading the financial and strategic analysis of all NBA franchise transactions, including acquisitions, arena financings, arena lease negotiations, and capital structuring.  In that role, Haber also managed the NBA’s corporate development initiatives including league investments.  Additionally, Haber was responsible for the implementation and operation of the league’s revenue-sharing policies as well as financial analysis pertaining to collective bargaining.

Since joining the NBA in 2009, Haber has advised all 30 franchises on matters pertaining to their capital structure and financial and operational performance.  He was also instrumental in the successful negotiations of the 2011 and 2017 collective bargaining agreements with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

Before joining the NBA, Haber worked at MZ Sports, LLC, a boutique sports finance advisory firm.  While at MZ Sports, he represented buyers on more than 15 acquisitions of sports franchises, including successful acquisitions of, or investments in, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Portland Timbers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Washington Nationals.  In addition, he served as an advisor to teams and municipalities on more than 20 stadium and arena finance projects.

Haber was honored by SportsBusiness Journal with a Forty Under 40 Award in 2021.  He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, and currently resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

11/2021

As Chief Marketing Officer of the NBA, Tammy Henault leads all global marketing efforts for the NBA and its affiliate leagues to engage fans and further the organization’s mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Additionally, she plays a leading role in the development of the NBA’s Next Gen platform, working hand-in-hand with the product and content teams on the NBA App and NBA ID, the league’s global membership program offering fans benefits and rewards.

Prior to joining the NBA in November 2022, Henault worked eight years at Paramount Global, most recently as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Streaming of Paramount+.  She managed a team of more than 150 employees responsible for brand, partnership and performance marketing as well as audience development, customer acquisition and retention.  In 2021, Henault led the marketing strategy for the global launch of Paramount+, which was named the year’s No. 1 fastest growing brand in America by Morning Consult and drove record subscriptions.  During her tenure at Paramount Global, she led award-winning campaigns for more than 100 original and exclusive shows and movies, including 1883, Halo, Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight, live sports programming and other original library content, and led the go-to-market strategy for CBS All Access, the first direct-to-consumer subscription service for a major U.S. television network.

Henault previously served as Managing Director of Consumer Marketing for Digital Products at The New York Times, where she led the acquisition and retention marketing team for the publication’s highly successful digital subscription business.  She also held various direct-to-consumer and performance marketing positions at PEOPLE, TIME and InStyle magazine divisions.

A 2021 Ad Age 40 Under 40 honoree, Henault earned her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

11/2022

As President of Global Content & Media Distribution, Bill Koenig is responsible for the domestic and international media businesses for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League, Basketball Africa League and USA Basketball.  Koenig also co-manages the NBA department responsible for the global merchandising and marketing partnerships businesses of the NBA and each of its affiliated leagues.

Among his responsibilities, Koenig develops strategies for dealing with the rapidly changing media landscape, structures and negotiates broadcast, digital and social media agreements, and advises NBA teams on local media matters.  Koenig also helps manage the NBA’s relationships with the league’s major media partners around the globe, such as ABC/ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sinclair, Comcast/NBC Sports/Sky, AT&T, Verizon, Sportradar, Tencent and a number of digital and social media partners.  Additionally, Koenig oversees the NBA’s content development, production and licensing activities and the league’s direct-to-consumer offerings, including NBA TV, NBA League Pass and the NBA’s applications and websites.

Prior to his current role, Koenig was NBA Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and General Counsel, where he was the head of business affairs and responsible for all legal work across a variety of league businesses, including digital, television, media, sponsorship and licensing.  In that role, Koenig helped negotiate virtually every major commercial agreement for the NBA, developed and oversaw the league’s media policies, and was instrumental in many NBA accomplishments, including the launch and growth of NBA TV and the WNBA, the NBA’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to jointly manage NBA Digital’s assets, and the creation of NBA China.  Koenig joined the NBA in 1990 and served as the NBA’s Assistant General Counsel before becoming General Counsel of NBA Entertainment in 1993.

Koenig serves on the Board of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the T. Howard Foundation.  Prior to joining the NBA, Koenig was associated with the law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz and Mendelsohn, where he was a litigator who concentrated on professional sports and antitrust matters.

Koenig graduated with honors from Harvard University, the London School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Law Review.

Koenig is a native of Hollywood, Fla., and resides in Scarsdale, N.Y.

8/2022

As President, Global Partnerships, Salvatore LaRocca oversees the commercial partnerships business for the NBA, WNBA, NBA 2K League, NBA G League, and USA Basketball on a global basis.  LaRocca leads a team that structures, negotiates, and manages the league’s global merchandising and marketing partnerships.

Previously, LaRocca served as President, Global Operations and Merchandising, where he managed the NBA’s regional offices and international development as well as the league’s award-winning merchandising and consumer products business.  In that role, LaRocca oversaw a staff based in offices worldwide who manage the NBA’s international business activities across consumer products, television and media, marketing partnerships, events, communications, and new business initiatives.

Under his direction, NBA merchandise has grown to global distribution in more than 100 countries on six continents and sales on NBAStore.com have increased by more than 100 percent.  Under LaRocca’s leadership, LIMA, the worldwide trade organization for the licensing industry, has named the NBA Sports License of the Year and the league’s Hardwood Classics collection as Best Sports Product.

LaRocca was also responsible for the completion of the NBA’s global merchandising and marketing partnerships with adidas, Dapper Labs (maker of NBA Top Shot), Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Nike, Panini, Take Two and Wilson, and developed the structure of the NBA 2K League and the league’s global video game and e-commerce businesses.  Prior to this, LaRocca served as the NBA’s Vice President of E-commerce, managing the 2000 relaunch of NBAStore.com.

In 1996, LaRocca was promoted to Vice President of Licensing.  Prior to 1996, he oversaw the league’s apparel and USA Basketball licensing programs.  LaRocca joined the NBA in March 1990 as Eastern Regional Sales Manager.

LaRocca serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of LaSalle Academy in New York City and has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Sports and Fitness Industry Association and Licensing International.  LaRocca is a past recipient of SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 award and a 2022 inductee into the International Licensing Hall of Fame.

3/2023

As CEO of NBA China, Michael Ma oversees the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in China and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA throughout the country.  He is based in the league’s Beijing office and reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.

Prior to being appointed to the position in May 2020 by the NBA China Board of Directors, Ma was most recently CEO of Endeavor China, a subsidiary of global sports and entertainment leader Endeavor with Sequoia Capital China and Tencent.  As the founding head of Endeavor China, Ma was instrumental in establishing relationships with industry-leading sports and entertainment properties and expanding their reach in China, including with England’s Premier League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the PGA and LPGA Tours, Wimbledon and more.

Before Endeavor China, Ma spent more than a decade with the NBA at the league’s offices in New York City and Beijing.  Ma, who initially joined the NBA in 2003 and quickly rose to become Vice President of Global Strategy, helped launch NBA China in 2008 and grow the league’s presence throughout the country through corporate development, sponsorships, media distribution and gaming.

Ma holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rutgers University.

8/2021

As Managing Director of NBA Canada, Leah MacNab is responsible for the development and growth of the league’s business in Canada, including television and digital media, marketing and retail partnerships, licensing, special events and basketball development.  The league’s revenue and marketable database in Canada has grown significantly under her leadership.

Prior to assuming her current role in August 2019 following a record-setting year for NBA viewership, marketing partnerships and merchandise sales in Canada, MacNab served as NBA Canada’s Senior Director of Global Marketing Partnerships, leading new business, strategy and relationship management for the league’s marketing partners in Canada.  She has played a significant role in the league’s biggest events in the country – including NBA Canada Series presented by Bell.  MacNab received the Canadian Sports Business “5 to Watch” Award in 2018, recognizing her as one of the top sports executives in Canada under 40 years old.

MacNab sits on the Boards of Canada Basketball and the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada (SMCC). She also mentors emerging business professionals as part of the SMCC Activate! Mentorship Program. She is passionate about creative thinking, marketing, women’s empowerment and food.  A graduate of the University of Toronto, MacNab also has a postgraduate marketing certificate from Ryerson University.

MacNab lives in Toronto with her husband Graham and sons Warren and Wesley.

6/2022

As Managing Director of NBA Europe and Middle East (NBA EME), Ralph Rivera oversees the development and expansion of the NBA’s business and basketball operations in the region.  Rivera directs the league’s efforts across marketing partnerships, media distribution, content and direct-to-consumer, licensing, events and youth participation.  Headquartered in London, with an additional office in Madrid, Rivera reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.

Since joining the NBA in 2018, Rivera has overseen the continued growth of the business across Europe and the Middle East.  Supported by the region’s senior leadership team, he directs key strategic partnerships across all business lines bringing the game closer to fans through programs such as NBA Global Games and the Jr. NBA, a broad portfolio of marketing partners and licensees, the successful launch of the NBA’s physical retail presence that includes three NBA Stores in Doha, London and Milan, and the NBA’s weekend primetime broadcast initiative that delivers games in European primetime each weekend.

Prior to joining the NBA, Rivera was Managing Director at Eurosport Digital with Discovery Communications, where he was responsible for leading their digital direct-to-consumer business, including the website, Eurosport.com, and over-the-top (OTT) sports platform, Eurosport Player.  Rivera also spent six years as Director at BBC Digital.  He also previously served as President at Major League Gaming and spent 10 years at AOL as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Games and International Programming.

Rivera holds an MBA in finance and international business from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Columbia University.  Rivera has served on the BBC Executive Board, the BBC Children in Need Board, and the Imperial College Data Science Institute Advisory Board.

Rivera and his wife Btissam have two kids and live in London.

5/2021

As Managing Director of NBA Asia, Ramez Sheikh oversees development and expansion of the NBA in Asia-Pacific, including Australia, India, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and other countries across Southeast Asia and Oceania.  Sheikh directs all of NBA Asia and NBA India’s business groups, including media distribution, marketing and marketing partnerships, merchandising, events, digital media, and gaming.  Sheikh reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.

Sheikh, who was appointed Managing Director of NBA Asia in 2022, previously served as Vice President and General Manager of Global Content & Media Distribution, where he played an instrumental role in the expansion of the NBA media and content business in Asia-Pacific, managing key relationships with broadcast, digital and social media partners and overseeing the launch of various new media, content and direct-to-consumer initiatives in the region.

Prior to joining the NBA in 2016, Sheikh was the Vice President of Network Distribution and Development at NBCUniversal APAC, a subsidiary of the Comcast Corporation, where he was charged with the strategy and deployment of its linear channels and branded destinations.  Before that, Sheikh held various digital and network distribution and program syndication roles at The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Media Distribution division.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Sheikh currently resides in Hong Kong.

6/2022

Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
National Basketball Association

As Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer at the National Basketball Association, Lesley Slaton Brown is responsible for driving ongoing DEI efforts for the NBA and its teams.  Slaton Brown works with the league’s Chief People Officer and the teams’ diversity and inclusion leaders to implement and advance DEI processes, including recruitment and retention of diverse talent, the development and enhancement of employee resource programs, and setting and assessing metrics for success.

Prior to joining the NBA in February 2023, Slaton Brown served as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at HP, Inc. for eight years.  At HP, she developed the company’s 10-year DEI and Racial Equality and Social Justice strategy, yielding the internal movement and advancement of more than 78 percent of underrepresented employees.  In addition, she led inclusive and equitable talent acquisition programs and partnerships and developed industry-leading practices to drive accountability with key partners for greater DEI impact.

Previously, Slaton Brown co-founded Curated Pathways to Innovation (CPI), a personalized learning platform focused on increasing the number of women and people of color in technology and other industries.  Earlier in her career, she spent 20 years with Hewlett-Packard Company, where she rose to Director, Global Diversity and Executive on Loan, following roles within multicultural and global philanthropy, leading key efforts in Senegal, West Africa.

Slaton Brown has been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Corporate Diversity by Black Enterprise, a Top Influential Woman in Corporate America by Forbes Magazine, and DEI Trailblazer by Business Insider.  Most recently, she was named Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year by Girls in Tech.

Slaton Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Boise State University, where she played basketball.  She also completed the Black Leaders Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.  She is currently a member of the University of California Merced Board of Trustees, Curated Pathways to Innovation’s (CPI) Board of Directors, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Business Dean’s Roundtable’s Advisory Board.  Slaton Brown is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

2/2023

As President of League Operations for the NBA, Byron Spruell oversees critical league operations, including domestic and international Basketball Operations, Referee Operations and Basketball Strategy & Analytics.  Effectively integrating these departments, he is principally responsible for the processes regarding the management of rule changes, the development, evaluation, and training of game officials, the enforcement of conduct standards and discipline, and the application of analytics, innovation and strategy on the future evolution of the game.  Spruell also collaborates with USA Basketball and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to promote the global growth of the game and development of players worldwide.

Prior to joining the NBA in August 2016, Spruell spent 20 years at Deloitte LLP, most recently as its Vice Chairman, Central Region Market Leader.  He spearheaded the firm’s client and business growth and strategic positioning across 22 states consisting of 31 offices and more than 14,000 Deloitte professionals across the region.  He also served as Chicago Managing Principal, supervising talent and community involvement initiatives in the local office.  While serving as the Global Leader of Advisory, he successfully led and managed a business of 2,100 practitioners and more than $2.1 billion in size with growth in key priority markets such as China, India, Japan, Germany, the Middle East, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

Spruell has served on several charitable boards and committees, including Big Shoulders Fund, Chicago Urban League, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and World Business Chicago.  He is currently on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry, Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago, the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York, the United Way and Aon, a leading global professional services firm.  He is also on the Board of Governors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Spruell, who grew up in Cleveland, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame.  He was an offensive lineman and co-captain of the Fighting Irish’s football team and currently serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and as an Advisor on the Monogram Club.  Spruell met his wife, Sedra, at Notre Dame.  They have a son, Devyn, and a daughter, Aleah.

2/2021

David Stern passed away on January 1, 2020.  He completed his 30-year tenure as NBA commissioner on February 1, 2014.

As commissioner, Mr. Stern built the model for professional sports in league operations, public service, global marketing, television distribution and digital technology.  He oversaw the NBA’s extraordinary growth with seven new franchises, a more than 30-fold increase in revenues, a dramatic expansion of national television exposure and the launch of two leagues, the Women’s National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.  He negotiated the first anti-drug agreement in professional sports and introduced the salary cap system and revenue sharing to the NBA.

The NBA experienced tremendous global growth during Mr. Stern’s tenure, and was the first U.S. professional sports league to stage regular-season games outside North America.

Mr. Stern also oversaw the launch of the leagues’ digital assets, including NBA.com, WNBA.com, and NBADLeague.com; social media platforms; NBA League Pass; NBA TV; and mobile applications, all of which reach hundreds of millions of fans every day.

An intense commitment to social responsibility both in the United States and around the world marked Mr. Stern’s tenure as commissioner.  Under his leadership, the league launched NBA Cares, a global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues.

Mr. Stern was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2014 and the International Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.  He was a 2013 recipient of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, awarded by Harvard University in recognition of contributions to African and African-American culture, and a recipient of the Yale Executive Leadership Institute’s Legend in Leadership Award, which celebrates contemporary business leaders who have made transformational contributions across sectors.  He was the chair emeritus of the Trustees of Columbia University and served on the boards of the Rutgers University Foundation, the NAACP, the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Paley Center for Media and Jazz at Lincoln Center.  He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  A native of New York City, Mr. Stern was a graduate of Rutgers University and Columbia Law School.

Most recently, as CEO of DJS Global Advisors, Mr. Stern was a Senior Advisor to the NBA, investment bank PJT Partners, venture capital firm Greycroft Partners and PWC’s Entertainment and Media Advisory Practice, as well as an advisor to several sports technology start-ups.

1/2020

As CEO of NBA Africa, Victor Williams oversees the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in Africa and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA across the continent through grassroots development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, and more.

Prior to joining the NBA in August 2020, Williams served for five years as the Executive Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Africa Regions for Standard Bank Group, where he oversaw the strategy, execution and financial performance for Standard Bank’s business with corporate, sovereign and institutional investor clients in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa.  In this pan-continental role, Williams was responsible for growing a wide range of business lines across Africa, including global markets, investment banking and transactional products and services, and helped lead Standard Bank’s expansion into Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Williams, a dual citizen of Sierra Leone and the U.S., holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and bachelor’s degrees in applied math and economics from Brown University.  He is a member of Harvard Business School’s Africa Advisory Board and has also served on the boards of publicly-listed companies and non-profit organizations in the U.S., Nigeria and Kenya.

8/2020