More than 300 people moved through the 2026 NBA Black Leadership Forum, a one-day gathering built around the work, visibility and connections of Black leaders across basketball, business, technology and entertainment.
The forum, now in its third year, was launched in 2023 by Dream in Color, the NBA’s Black Employee Resource Group. Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum were among the league leaders on the program.
Quick facts
- The 2026 NBA Black Leadership Forum was the event’s third edition.
- Dream in Color created the forum in 2023.
- More than 300 participants attended this year’s gathering.
- Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and former NBA forward Thaddeus Young were among the featured speakers.
- The program centered on leadership, community-building and career paths in sports, technology and entertainment.
The speaker lineup also included financial educator and author Tiffany Aliche; former NBA champion Matt Barnes; New York Knicks coach Mike Brown; ESPN analyst Andraya Carter; Netflix host Elle Duncan; Klutch Sports Group women’s basketball chief Jade-Li English; CNN anchor Abby Phillip; and Leah Wilcox, the 2026 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Carter, Duncan and Phillip served as moderators. The sessions were designed to open conversation around the Black experience in the sports industry while putting leadership roles at every level of the business in view.
Tatum brought the player perspective, framing the forum as a chance to exchange experiences and strengthen ties. He said being part of a group with people from different corners of the industry gave participants room to tell their stories and build community.
The Celtics star traced his understanding of influence back to his high school years in St. Louis. The crowds, autograph lines and kids waiting after games showed him early that his platform could reach beyond the court.
“That was the first time I realized that I had something special there,” Tatum said of his hometown. “I’ve never forgotten where I came from. St. Louis, born and raised, made me who I am.”
Tatum said the work in St. Louis remains unfinished. Through the Jayson Tatum Foundation, he has supported annual golf events, basketball camps, leadership programs, basketball drives and school-supply drives in the city.
Young takes the competitive edge into AI
Young, a 17-year NBA veteran, described how the habits built through a long playing career have carried into his work as chief growth officer for Gooru AI and Unity IQ AI. His post-playing path has taken him into artificial intelligence and venture capital.
He pointed to understanding workplace dynamics, workflow and collaboration as transferable skills. The biggest common thread, he said, is the competitive drive athletes bring with them.
“We’re all athletes and we’re all competitive,” Young said. “It’s the same thing in business.”
Young is also working toward launching a basketball intelligence company. The objective is to use technology to simplify team operations ranging from scouting work to game-planning preparation.
For Dream in Color co-chair Zoe Haynes, the value of the forum is partly in showing attendees leadership jobs and models they may not have previously seen. Leadership, she said, does not have a single look.
Haynes said the event committee succeeded because members alternated between leading and supporting one another. In her view, strong leaders also know when to follow.
That exchange was the day’s through line: players, coaches, executives, media voices and technology leaders comparing notes, meeting new contacts and widening the picture of where a career in basketball can go.
