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The NBA and WNBA will join the wave of sports organizations establishing Juneteenth as a company holiday, the leagues will soon announce.
Employees will be given paid time off on June 19th, an important date among Black Americans connected to the end of slavery in the United States, giving those within the league “the opportunity to further educate themselves and reflect on both the history and the current state of race in our country,” according to a statement provided to me by an NBA spokesperson.
The NBA family of businesses joins the Atlanta Hawks and Dream, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings and others across American pro sports in establishing Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
To celebrate its inaugural Juneteenth holiday, the NBA is putting on a host of events centered around civil rights work, featuring stories from Black men in and around the league. Retired NBA champion Caron Butler will host several panels throughout the day, including giving his own personal Juneteenth message at 8 p.m. on league social channels.
“I’ve been celebrating Juneteenth for as long as I can remember, and we’ve always treated it as if it was a National Holiday,” Butler told NBA.com.
Brendon KleenContributor
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