As coronavirus cases rise in different regions across the United States, commissioner Adam Silver has made clear that the league is monitoring the numbers as it prepares to head for Orlando. Silver has described to league executives on conference calls recently that his goal is for the Disney World campus to be the safest place in the U.S. “We have confidence in the plan that we’ve built,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told players and teams on a call this week, according to sources. “It was designed for this.”
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Marc J. Spears: “I am encouraged that the last three GMs that have been hired are African-Americans. But we have more work to do,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. Tatum added that there is a need for more opportunities for women as well.
Marc J. Spears: NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum says hundreds of fans will be able to be seen on video around the court. Something similar with fans has been seen in English Premier League soccer games.
Yesterday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum, NBA Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Oris Stuart and other league officials met with NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts, NBPA President Chris Paul, NBPA First Vice President Andre Iguodala and several players to further advance the league’s collective response to the social justice issues in our country. This meeting was part of ongoing discussions between the NBA and the Players Association to address the game’s role in facilitating solutions to the persistent inequities plaguing the Black community.
Dikembe Mutombo: “Right now, nobody knows the time or the date to tell you the truth. Our wish is that, I’m talking as an employee and also as a former player, the NBA would love our games to come back. But we have to take all the precaution necessary to make sure that if we do come back, that everything has to be right. Our commissioner Adam Silver and our deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and their team, they are working day and night, and including our medical teams, are making sure that whatever we’re going to do as a league, that our players will be protected, because no matter what we want to do to bring our game to our fans at this critical time, to our fans who have been supporting us for years, we just want to make sure that we protect our product as well.”
As the league struggles to repair the political fallout in China from Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s tweet, Japan has emerged as a key international focus for the NBA, with subscriptions for its live viewing platform in the country up 30%, according to Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.
“Japan is a market where we have been in for about 30 years. We’ve been in games there but one of the big difference makers has been a player like Rui Hachimura,” Tatum said, speaking to Yahoo Finance’s On The Move. “We’re seeing unprecedented growth in our business there.”
No wonder NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum predicted “there will be an immediate benefit in terms of the number of fans that engage in the NBA.” So much that the NBA and Ranadive believe the league will eventually have preseason games in India every year. The NBA has hosted pre-season games in China since 2006. “I expect within the next 10 years they’ll have a player out of there that plays in the NBA,” Ranadive said. “I expect there will be a league that starts there.”
The National Basketball Assn. has poached Kate Jhaveri — most recently chief marketing officer at Amazon’s Twitch who also has worked at Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft– as its new CMO. Jhaveri starts at the NBA on Aug. 15, reporting to NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum. She replaces Pam El, who retired at the league’s chief marketing officer at the end of 2018.
In October 2017, less than eight months after taking the job as CBA chairman, Yao had requested a meeting with Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum while the NBA executives visited for the Global Games. He wasted little time getting down to business. As Tatum recalls, “One of the first things he said was, ‘O.K., I want all of your operations manuals'”—documents like the NBA’s constitution, bylaws and collective bargaining agreement. All things the CBA still lacked.
Mark Tatum: The game in London has been fantastic and that game sells out in less than an hour. The demand is there the facility the 02 facility is one the nicest arenas in the entire world. So, London is a great place to go play and our teams love it. We’re constantly looking at it – should we be doing more games in Europe and other places around the world. There are some other places too like France where basketball is incredibly popular. And, so that’s an area where we’re looking at too so no plans yet, nothing’s been announced yet for next season, but I can tell you that we will be playing regular season games in Europe next year and continuing that tradition.
Will we see an NBA all-star game in the near future overseas? Mark Tatum: It’s a good question. I would never say never. I would say nothing is planned in the foreseeable future. We actually have our All-Star games planned out pretty far out. There’s such demand, certainly overseas, but there’s demand from our NBA teams to host the All-Star game as well.
Paris and Berlin are in the running to join London and host a regular-season NBA fixture as the American basketball league looks to continue its expansion in Europe.
Speaking on the eve of the game, the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said “it was a matter of time” before other European cities hosted a game and did not rule out London staging more than one regular-season fixture. “There has been a lot of interest in teams wanting to go to Paris because France is a hotbed for basketball,” Tatum, sitting alongside new NBA Managing Director for EMEA Ralph Rivera, told reporters at the NBA’s European office in London.
While Spain and Italy are also large markets for the NBA, Tatum said they lacked the required facilities. “We still don’t have the critical mass of facilities and buildings that can host NBA games,” he said. “But now we are seeing that in Paris and Berlin.”
The NBA is preparing to double down on policing its players, teams and staff amid the expansion of legalized sports gambling in the United States, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN. Speaking in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, Tatum, who is also the NBA’s chief operating officer, revealed that moves have been made to get up to speed on the opportunities and threats surrounding the issue since May’s Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to sanction sportsbooks in a manner that has been commonplace in Europe for decades.
That will mean extra resources to prevent the kind of in-house infractions that have plagued a number of sports, such as soccer, tennis and cricket. Spanish police recently arrested 28 professional tennis players, including one who participated in the US Open, who were linked to a group accused of fixing matches. NBA’s gaming rules, overseen by the league’s security department, specifically prohibit betting, fixing or tipping, including the encouragement of others to place wagers, or exercising any “improper influence or manipulation.”
“I’d love to say and I would anticipate that there will be games played in Europe, outside the UK, in the near future.” While interest in adding Europe-based NBA franchises — a popular cause for former commissioner David Stern — will be less of a priority than pushing digital content and the number of overseas trips, the fact that some of the continent’s marquee soccer teams are investing heavily in their adjoining EuroLeague basketball sides might one day make them intriguing candidates to join the fold, Tatum said. “Those are some of the most recognizable brands in the world,” he said. “And the fact that Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, they have basketball franchises. For us, that is very attractive. That they’re investing in growing the game of basketball is very important.”
Jeff Zillgitt: Following WNBPA’s announcement that players will opt out of collective bargaining agreement following 2019 season, WNBA issues statement from NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. He says league is “confident such a process can lead to a fair deal for all involved.” pic.twitter.com/arku5IuSwx
The National Basketball Association named media and sports executive Ralph Rivera as managing director of NBA Europe and Middle East. Rivera, who had been managing director at Discovery’s Eurosport Digital, will be based in London and report to NBA deputy commissioner and COO Mark Tatum.
“We know what the future looks like,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. “When you look at China, India and Africa, you’ve got about 60 percent of the world’s population in those three places. So we’re putting a lot of time and energy in how we become the No. 1 sport in those countries and those continents.”
Nash was also joined by fellow hall of famer and two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Pacific National Exhibition President and CEO Shelley Frost turned up to congratulate Nash.
It took 51 drafts, but the Suns landed the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history. Vice President of Basketball Operations James Jones summed up Suns fans feelings just minutes after their card was drawn number one during the NBA Draft Lottery. “I’m stoked man. Why shouldn’t I be?” James said. It had been a long journey for the franchise and Suns fans everywhere, but the relief and celebration finally set in when Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum announced that the franchise would finally select first. “This is a historic night for the Phoenix Suns,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Those of us in the room in Chicago felt the tension, then it was an unbelievable feeling to see it revealed that we received the No. 1 selection. In the illustrious history of the franchise, we’ve never had the first overall pick and to bring it home in such a loaded draft at an important point in time for our franchise, it’s incredible.”
The NBA has expanded its international presence during the last few decades — the teams had a record number of international players competing in the 2018 NBA playoffs and the league has won millions of new fans across the globe. From a business perspective, the league has already had success in Asia: China is the NBA’s largest market outside the United States. But, NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum told CNBC’s “Street Signs” that his organization is looking elsewhere in the continent for even more growth. “Three hundred million people played the game of basketball in China. We are the No. 1 sport there. We have a big partnership with Tencent, which distributes our games through League Pass, and they distribute some 600 games or so every year,” he said.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the basketball league is looking to turn its new esports league into a “truly global sport” that can coexist alongside the physical game just as the WNBA and G League have coexisted alongside the traditional men’s league. “We’re going to have teams eventually from Team Beijing play Team Dehli play Team London against the Celtics and create truly global competition,” Tatum said at a South by Southwest panel discussing the evolution of basketball.
“Twitch is a completely different experience than watching on TV, it’s information overload. But that’s how this young demographic is consuming the sport today,” said Tatum. “We need to be in [esports] because we need to attract those younger demographics.” The NBA was first alerted about esports a few years ago when it learned that entire basketball venues were being sold out for esports competitions, according to Tatum. In 2015, Madison Square Garden, the midtown Manhattan home of the NBA’s New York Knicks, reached a sold-out capacity of 11,000 people for a championship round of League of Legends.
The NBA launched NBA China 10 years ago, and it is currently worth more than $4 billion, according to Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer. “We’re seeing growth in all lines of business whether it’s content distribution, sponsorships or merchandise,” says Tatum. “The NBA and the consumption of our product continues to grow, which is really driving the valuation of NBA China.”
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum sent a memo to all 30 teams on Friday reminding them of the guidelines that require each player, coach and training staff member to stand for the anthem — and if they do not, a form of discipline would be in order. Many wondered how the players, especially the outspoken Warriors, would react to this sudden reminder. “That rule has been in there for some time, so it wasn’t meant to prevent anything,” Iguodala said to ESPN. “So when you look at it from that standpoint, you understand that’s just the rule. It’s like having a drug test. You just have to comply with it.”
The NBA league office late Friday sent a memo to teams reinforcing the rule that players and coaches must stand for the national anthem, and suggesting other ways in which teams might address the recent protest movement sweeping across the NFL and other sports, according to a copy of the memo obtained by ESPN.
The memo, distributed by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, instructs teams that “the league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach, or trainer does not stand for the anthem.” The memo states that individual teams “do not have the discretion to waive” the rule that players, coaches, and staff must stand for the anthem. The league has the discretion to discipline players who violate the rule.
In the memo, Tatum suggests teams might address the current political climate by having players and coaches give a joint pregame address. “This could include a message of unity and how the team is committed to bringing the community together this season,” the memo states
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum made it pretty clear in a letter to sports commission president and CEO David Gilbert on July 19: If construction on the proposed Quicken Loans Arena transformation project doesn’t begin by Sept. 15, Cleveland won’t be considered to host the 2020 or ’21 NBA All-Star Game. Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Cleveland City Council Clerk Pat Britt must accept the petitions submitted by a coalition that opposes tax dollars being used to fund half of the cost of the proposed $140 million upgrade. The next step is determining whether the referendum will be placed on the November ballot, or if it will be part of a special election early in 2018, which would cost Cleveland taxpayers another $763,600.
A Cavs source told Crain’s that the organization hasn’t heard anything official from the league, but the source wasn’t certain that they would, since Tatum’s letter was “very clear.” The sports commission’s Mulhall told us the same. “As you saw, the letter was pretty direct,” he said.
Mark Tatum, the NBA’s COO and the highest-ranking person of color in any of the men’s leagues, reflected that, “Diversity and inclusion are essential to any successful business. Leveraging the mix of talent reflected in this year’s Racial and Gender Report Card is vital to our strategy of inspiring innovation and increasing our connection with fans worldwide. While the report refers to a number of areas where we’ve made progress, it also highlights key opportunities for us, particularly among women in leadership roles. As our league continues to grow globally, we remain committed to recruiting and retaining the best talent who reflect the great diversity of the world we live in.”
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum says the IOC’s announcement that 3-on-3 will be in the 2020 Olympics “continues to signify the growing popularity of basketball around the world. The last few years, we have made a major push in 3-on-3 basketball with our nationwide Dew NBA 3X tour and several international 3-on-3 competitions… the Olympic stage will provide these elite athletes with the opportunity to further demonstrate their talents.”
Seeing potential to develop new talent in relatively uncharted basketball territory, the NBA opens an academy in India on Tuesday.
The elite training center, located at Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in Delhi National Capital Region, will train top male and female scholarship players selected through a countrywide search with NBA-level coaching. India, which has more than 1.3 billion people, has the potential to be “the next China for the NBA,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN.
The NBA Academy, a league-funded residential program that provides prospects with training and school, hopes to add to that list even though basketball is a relatively new sport in India. “Look, clearly cricket is the No. 1 sport here in India,” said Tatum, who attended the academy’s opening with NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. “So, the cultural challenge is that growing up, basketball wasn’t necessarily taught and played at the youth level. But we are actually investing a ton into making sure that more kids are being given the opportunity to play basketball, particularly in school.”
The first major league to play regular-season games in Las Vegas does not plan to do so again anytime soon. Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner of the NBA, said Tuesday that the league does not intend to follow the NHL or the NFL into the desert just yet. “The short-term answer is no,” Tatum said during a session at the National Association of Broadcasters convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “We’re not in expansion mode right now.”
Tatum said the NBA will watch closely to see how the Vegas Golden Knights and Las Vegas Raiders fare as the first Southern Nevada entrants in the four major pro sports leagues. “Oh, sure, I think it’s a fascinating story to see,” Tatum said. “Two leagues come in now with two franchises in this market. There’s been so much discussion over the last several years about could Las Vegas sustain a professional franchise. Now we’re going to find out.”
As deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum sees it, this is a groundbreaking way to maximize the synergy that already existed between these two institutions that have been doing business together since 1986. As far back as Nov. 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made it clear that finding a sponsor for the D-League was a priority. “What we started talking about was a true partnership and how we could leverage Gatorade’s sports science expertise to be able to enhance the performance — the on-court performance — of our athletes in the Development League,” Tatum told USA TODAY Sports by phone on Monday. “That’s how we started having these conversations, and then it emerged into entitlement discussions because it was so linked in terms of the efficacy that they could provide to our players, the ability to enhance their performance, and recovery. It made so much sense to us to … align even more closely the two different brands together.”
The NBA, citing concerns about provoking exchanges between players that could damage the league’s reputation, issued a memo to all 30 franchises this week emphasizing rules prohibiting “mocking and/or ridiculing” opponents or officials by official team social media accounts. “While we understand that the use of social media by teams, including during games, is an important part of our business, the inappropriate use of social media can damage the reputation of the NBA, its teams and its players,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in the memo obtained by ESPN. “Recently, social media postings (e.g., on Twitter) by some teams have crossed the line between appropriate and inappropriate. In addition to other concerns, such conduct by teams can result in ‘Twitter wars’ between players that can cause further reputational damage and subject players to discipline by the League.
The NBA sent a memo to all 30 franchises this week regarding rules prohibiting the “mocking and/or ridiculing” of opponents or game officials by teams on social media. The memo from NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum stated that some recent social media postings on official team accounts had “crossed the line between appropriate and inappropriate” and cited concern that “such conduct can result in ‘Twitter wars’ between players that can cause further reputational damage and subject players to discipline by the League.”
But when players express their diverse points of view on controversial topics, leagues often struggle with how best to respond. Twenty years ago, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, a guard for the Denver Nuggets, declined to stand for the national anthem, and he was suspended indefinitely by the N.B.A. The league relented after one game, when Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand for the anthem on the condition that he be allowed to bow his head in prayer. “I think the world has changed in the last twenty years,” Tatum said, when I asked him about that precedent. In July, the Women’s National Basketball Association, which is backed by the N.B.A., fined players on three teams and their organizations for wearing black T-shirts during pregame warmups to protest recent shootings by, and violence perpetrated against, police officers.
Adam Silver is on a pretty solid streak of proving he’s currently the best commissioner in sports. He did it again on Sunday. Silver, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and other NBA employees participated in New York City’s Gay Pride Parade. In fact, the NBA and WNBA had their own float with former players participating in the event.
Hughes has been with the Knicks since 2007, now as director of player personnel. Former Pistons President Joe Dumars led the team to a title and should get looks again like his counterparts who’ve gotten multiple jobs without that level of success. “We have a long history of minorities being well-represented as top basketball executives. I think it’s a matter of time before the numbers move up,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in a wide-ranging interview with CSNChicago.com, pointing out his belief that it’s cyclical while stating nearly one-third of the basketball operations positions were held by African-American men in 1994-95.
