NBA all in on gender equality

Players partner with LeanIn, enlist support for women

The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green is there for his mother, Mary Babers- Green, in whatever she wants to do.

“I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mom,” said Green, who is part of a joint campaign with the NBA and Lean In.org that empowers women and encourages men to support women in their lives.

As a new dad to daughter Bernadette, the Utah Jazz’s Gordon Hayward relishes the role he has in her life and understands the significance of the help he provides for his wife, Robyn.

“It’s important to show that fathers have a big responsibility in their daughter’s lives,” Hayward said.

This is the second consecutive season the two sides have partnered, and this year the campaign features an action plan for men to “lean in” and create better relationships and environments at home and in the workplace by standing up for gender equality and helping women succeed.

“We love partnering with the NBA, because the players loom so large in the lives of men. And when they set the right examples, other people follow,” LeanIn founder and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg told USA TODAY Sports. “Equality is just not for women. It’s good for men. Men who work better with women in the workplace outperform their peers.

“As fathers, men who are more active fathers have children who are happier, healthier and more successful, and men who are more supportive and do more of the housework at home have stronger relationships, lower divorce rates and more sex.”

The campaign’s message is necessary and timely considering the widely criticized comments made by former Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore about women’s tennis.

“We know that we’re a better workplace and a better league if we promote equality in the workplace,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “This campaign is much bigger than basketball, because we recognize our fan base looks to our players and to the league to set examples.”

Besides Green and Hayward, Chris Bosh and Becky Hammon are featured in new public service announcements.

In Bosh’s spot, he reveals the ways he assists his wife, Adrienne, and her small business. “She’s supported me through everything I’ve done. It’s only right to do the same things. It’s an equal partnership,” Bosh said in the PSA.

Hammon, the first full-time women’s assistant coach in the NBA, was hired by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“I’m not here unless Coach Pop kind of sees me genderless,” Hammon said in the video. “He sees me as a person that knows basketball. He didn’t care that I was a woman. What he cared about was: Can I help the team, and will I do a good job?”

Said Silver: “They (the Spurs) didn’t set out just to be progressive or break barriers. They want the best possible team. Their goal is to win championships.

“They recognize they put themselves in the best possible position to win championships by promoting the values of inclusion, respect and equality in the workplace.”

“The players loom so large in the lives of men. And when they set the right examples, other people follow.”

LeanIn founder Sheryl Sandberg, on why working with the NBA is important