Basketball culture and its connection to community, social justice

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake works with professional basketball teams and NBA players off the court by exploring new ways to help professional athletes give back to their communities. 

But before she stepped into the world of basketball, Rawlings-Blake had a career in politics. She was elected as the youngest person to serve on Baltimore’s city council in 2007 at the age of 25. A few years later, in 2010, Rawlings-Blake was elected Baltimore’s mayor. 

Now, she has moved from politics and public service to philanthropy as the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association Foundation — which distributes millions of dollars in grants to organizations around the world.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Rawlings-Blake about the inspiring things that NBA teams — including the Timberwolves — are doing to support their communities. We also learn about the culture of basketball and its connection to social justice with Tru Pettigrew, the Chief Impact Officer for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx.

Guests:  

• Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association Foundation, a union for professional basketball players in the NBA. She is a former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and served from 2010-2016. Rawlings-Blake is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors and Team Rubicon Board of Advisors. She holds a law degree from the University of Maryland and will be the keynote speaker at the 2023 Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers Scholarship Gala in Minneapolis on Saturday.

• Tru Pettigrew is in his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx as the teams’ chief impact officer. He oversees all community impact efforts, inclusive of diversity, equity, and inclusion and setting the strategic vision across all four franchises - the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx, Iowa Wolves and T-Wolves Gaming. Pettigrew currently serves on the board of directors for V3, a local organization that provides health, wellness, equity and opportunity through fitness, water safety, education and economic impact.

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