Vivek Ranadive became my favorite NBA team owner by taking five minutes to recognize the plight of others, by showing compassion and simply listening.
This holds a bit of irony because I never previously have been a fan. Strictly in basketball terms, I’ve always thought the Sacramento Kings have been one of the most poorly run franchises in the NBA. They’ve made bad decisions in the draft, haven’t developed players and free agency often has been a joke for them.
But Ranadive changed my opinion of him Thursday.
Sacramento police officers shot Stephon Clark, an African-American man, 20 times while he was holding a cellphone in his grandmother’s backyard last Sunday, killing him and turning the Sacramento community upside down. Protesters formed a human chain around Golden 1 Center in the moments before the Kings were to play against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, blocking all entrances and preventing fans from attending the game.
As a result, the game was delayed briefly, and it was sparsely attended when it did get played. Officials closed entry, and those who didn’t get to attend are being reimbursed for their tickets.
Ranadive addressed those remaining in attendance after the game. He was flanked by Kings players and front office executive Vlade Divac.
“We of the Kings, we recognize your ability to protest peacefully and we respect that,” Ranadive said. “We of the Kings, we recognize that we have a big platform. It’s a privilege, but it’s also a big responsibility. It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously.”
With those words, Ranadive took an ugly situation and made it better. He didn’t choose a side or cast judgment on whether Sacramento police were right or wrong in the killing of Clark. But he showed empathy for those affected. He listened, and he recognized that protesters had a platform.
Those were big steps for an owner to take. Whichever side you rest on when it comes to police brutality and the shooting of unarmed men of color around America, this has to become a conversation. And too often people don’t recognize that the conversation seeps into the world of sports.
It’s the reason NFL players kneeled during the national anthem. It’s the reason NBA players wore T-shirts in Eric Garner’s honor that said “I can’t breathe.” It’s the reason many NBA teams have been locking arms during the national anthem.
Too many owners have tried to ignore the conversation and sweep it under the rug. Ranadive didn’t do that. He recognized the crises on his hands, a conversation that spilled into his building, and he faced it and he made the situation better, not worse.
The NFL can learn from what Ranadive did. Because, like it or not, the social unrest in America is real. The distrust between many people and the government is real. And most importantly, it spills into sports because professional athletes are among the highest profile people in the world, and they are humans like the rest of us. You can’t expect them to stick to sports.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been great in this manner. Unlike the NFL, Silver has empowered NBA players, coaches and executives to use their platforms and have a voice. Where the NFL has tried to suppress voices, the NBA has tried to educate. The result is a night like Thursday, where one of Silver’s owners performed an incredible gesture amidst tragedy and chaos.
The five minutes Ranadive took to address the Sacramento community trumps whatever the Kings have done on the court in the past 15 seasons. It has been a downtrodden franchise for so long, consistently trying to escape the Western Conference cellar.
However, Ranadive and the Kings became winners Thursday. Some things are bigger than basketball. Their ability to recognize that and act with compassion was one of the best things an NBA team will do this season, on or off the court.
NBA POWER RANKINGS <br>1. Houston Rockets • No Chris Paul, but Houston still finds a way to squeak past Detroit. <br>2. Golden State Warriors • Steph Curry returned from ankle sprain against Atlanta only to get injured again. <br>3. Toronto Raptors • Are almost locked into the top seed in the Eastern Conference. <br>4. Portland Trail Blazers • Have been one of the best teams in the league since the All-Star break. <br>5. Boston Celtics • There are serious concerns about Kyrie Irving, who is undergoing surgery on his knee. <br>6. New Orleans Pelicans • Had a rare back-to-back-to-back and impressively won all of them. <br>7. Oklahoma City Thunder • Fighting for home-court advantage, but the schedule turns ugly. <br>8. San Antonio Spurs • Reportedly held a team meeting to implore Kawhi Leonard to come back. <br>9. Minnesota Timberwolves • Have stayed in the playoff hunt without Jimmy Butler. <br>10. Utah Jazz • Loss to Atlanta hurts, but they’ve still won 22 of their past 26. <br>11. Cleveland Cavaliers • Is Wednesday’s win over Toronto a sign of things to come? <br>12. Philadelphia 76ers • Ben Simmons or Donovan Mitchell? Who is your Rookie of the Year? <br>13. Indiana Pacers • They are a better team with Darren Collison healthy. <br>14. Washington Wizards • John Wall is close to returning, and they couldn’t need it any more. <br>15. Miami Heat • Starting to create separation for the seventh spot in the East. <br>16. Denver Nuggets • The schedule is brutal down the stretch in the midst of a playoff race. <br>17. Los Angeles Clippers • Playoffs or not, they are in a better spot overall without Blake Griffin. <br>18. Milwaukee Bucks • This team has underachieved this season. <br>19. Detroit Pistons • Just finished a long trip out West. Fell out of playoff chase in process. <br>20. Charlotte Hornets • Dwight Howard with a 30-30 game. He’s quietly had a sensational season. <br>21. Los Angeles Lakers • Blew a double-digit lead to New Orleans. <br>22. New York Knicks • As season winds down, rumors swirl about former Jazzman Jeff Hornacek’s job. <br>23. Chicago Bulls • How much do they pay Zach Lavine in free agency this summer? <br>24. Sacramento Kings • One of two teams in the West not averaging at least 100 points per game. <br>25. Brooklyn Nets • They hadn’t allowed a 30-30 game against them since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1978. <br>26. Dallas Mavericks • Dennis Smith Jr. is missing time with a sprained ankle. <br>27. Orlando Magic • Mario Hezonja quietly has had a good season heading into free agency. <br>28. Atlanta Hawks • Dennis Schroder lights up the Jazz for 41 points in the win. <br>29. Phoenix Suns • GM announces interim coach Jay Triano will be a factor in national search. <br>30. Memphis Grizzlies • They lost to Charlotte by 61 points. How is that possible?
