The 2026 NBA Black Leadership Forum fostered an infectious sense of community among Dream In Color members and allies. Photo courtesy of AJ Munroe, NBA Photos.
During the 2026 NBA Black Leadership Forum, leaders from all levels of the league office and from the broader sports, tech and entertainment industry took center stage, sharing their experiences and perspectives throughout an energizing day. This year’s forum marked the third iteration of the event, which was established in 2023 by Dream in Color, the NBA’s Black Employee Resource Group.
The event drew more than 300 participants this year and included a variety of speakers, including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.
Notable speakers:
- Tiffany Aliche, NYT Bestselling Author, Financial Educator and Founder, The Budgetnista
- Matt Barnes, Former NBA Player, NBA Champion, and co-host of the All The Smoke Podcast
- Mike Brown, Five-time NBA champion and Head Coach, New York Knicks
- Andraya Carter, Analyst and Reporter, ESPN, BLF moderator
- Elle Duncan, Lead Sports Host, Netflix, BLF moderator
- Jade-Li English, Head of Women’s Basketball, Klutch Sports Group
- Abby Phillip, Journalist and Anchor, CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, BLF moderator
- Jayson Tatum, Forward, Boston Celtics
- Leah Wilcox, 2026 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
- Thaddeus Young, Former NBA Player and Chief Growth Officer, Gooru AI and Unity IQ AI
Founded to foster dialogue around the Black experience within the sports industry, the forum continued that effort this year, with a particular emphasis on empowering leaders at every level.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum gave the forum a player’s perspective on what leadership looks like, first speaking on the forum’s overall impact.
“I think this is super cool for me to be here. It’s an opportunity to share the stage with some great people and talk about some great things. And really share our story and our experience, and just hopefully continue to build community and camaraderie,” Tatum said.
Jayson Tatum spoke on a BLF panel alongside James Cadogan, moderated by ESPN’s Andraya Carter. Photo courtesy of AJ Munroe, NBA Photos.
Creating substantial impact starts with understanding the reach of those leading the way. For some, that reach becomes a “superpower,” as Tatum described it — the ability to inspire change far beyond themselves.
Tatum reflected on the reach of his influence and the moment he first realized he could make a meaningful impact in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
“I think I first realized it when I was in high school—the impact that I had on the city, the reception I would get at the games, and how many kids would wait for me after the game for pictures and autographs. That was the first time I realized that I had something special there. And I’ve never forgotten where I came from. St. Louis, born and raised, made me who I am.”
“There’s a lot of work to be done back home, and it’s never-ending.”
He now uses the Jayson Tatum Foundation to continue that work and create lasting change. The foundation hosts annual golf tournaments, basketball camps and leadership programs, as well as basketball and school supply drives in St. Louis.
But leadership in today’s sports landscape also means adapting to a rapidly changing technological environment.
Seventeen-year NBA veteran Thaddeus Young has embraced his next chapter, transitioning from the basketball court to making his mark in AI and venture capital sectors as the Chief Growth Officer of Gorru AI and Unity IQ AI.
Young said the leadership traits that helped him succeed on the basketball court have also helped him navigate his new professional environments.
“Just understanding the work environment and the workspace. Like, which goes into like the workflow, which goes into actually being in a workspace with other people. All of those are like traits. Then the ultimate trait is the competitive nature,” Young said.
“We’re all athletes and we’re all competitive. It’s the same thing in business.”
Thaddeus Young spoke on a BFL panel alongside Jerome Johnson, Callia Hargrove, moderated by CBS Sports’ Isis Young. Photo courtesy of AJ Munroe, NBA Photos.
The NBA veteran is now looking to launch his own basketball intelligence firm, with the goal of streamlining basketball processes, from scouting to game planning, through technology.
While the forum highlighted the individual journeys of Black leaders across the sports industry, its broader impact remained centered on creating connections and opportunities that can extend well beyond the event itself.
For the forum’s co-chairs, broadening the perception of what leadership can look like was central to the event’s mission.
“Hopefully, the impact can be that [the attendees] see people in positions of leadership that they didn’t know existed,” said Zoe Haynes, co-chair of Dream in Color. “I think a lot of times people think leadership looks one particular way because they’ve only seen it be one particular way. But every single person who was a part of the Black Leadership Forum committee was a leader.
And the best leaders are great followers. So at some point, we all led each other, and at some point, we all followed each other. I think that’s what made [the event] a success.”
All in all, the event fostered an infectious sense of community among Dream In Color members and allies, who enjoyed the opportunity to network, learn and connect with like-minded individuals.
