dw-

TMZ Sports reports that two teams have already renamed their ownership and the league is looking at possibilities for renaming franchise executives in a way that’s more respectful to players. The Philadelphia 76ers recently rebranded their owners as “managing partners,” and the Los Angeles Clippers now call their majority stakeholder a “chairman.”

The move comes in response to comments made last year by Golden State Warrior, Draymond Green, who told the cast of HBO’s sports show, “The Shop,” that he believed the term “owner” was racially insensitive, since it implied league executives actually owned individual players rather than stakes or shares in NBA teams.

“You shouldn’t say owner,” Green told the panel, suggesting that a title like CEO made more sense.

Not everyone supports the change, though. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban addressed Green’s concerns specifically, noting that “owner” was an apt description, given that the person referred to by the term actually does own the team and is tasked with paying the team’s bills rather than making team management decisions, the way a CEO might.

more