John Thomas, Minnesota Timberwolves & Minnesota Lynx VP of Basketball Development

06/09/20 • 39 min

Minnesota native John Thomas, a former NBA player and current VP of Basketball Development for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, and Kim Miller, RISE’s VP of Programs and a resident of South Minneapolis, join us for a conversation about the murder of George Floyd, the ensuing nationwide protests around police brutality and systemic racism, and the impact of athletes and the sports community in creating change. We discuss the current situation in Minneapolis and a town hall conversation led by RISE within the Timberwolves and Lynx organization about what they can do to address racism and foster real change in their community.

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George Hill, Milwaukee Bucks & Kristen Ingram, PLUS ONE Society

Milwaukee Bucks Guard George Hill and Kristen Ingram, CEO of PLUS ONE Society, talk about their work with the NBA confronting social justice issues. They share the impact of programs like the Play for Justice initiative, which humanizes the stories of people in incarcerated communities and draws attention to the need to address issues of racism and criminal justice reform.

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Jim Rooney, Pittsburgh Steelers & N. Jeremi Duru, Fritz Pollard Alliance and American University

Jim Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers and N. Jeremi Duru, a professor of sports law at American University and Counsel to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, discuss the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which is designed to create more coaching and executive leadership opportunities for minorities. We discuss the rule's evolution and effectiveness addressing larger issues of bias and systemic racism, and explore what more can be done to increase inclusive leadership across the league and beyond. Plus, with the nation focused on addressing racism following the murder of George Floyd, we assess how leagues and teams have responded to calls for more action and engagement in tackling these critical issues.