The Dallas Mavericks will join four other NBA teams — the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings — for the third installment of the “Team Up For Change” virtual summit on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to unite, inspire and activate the NBA and WNBA’s shared commitment to racial equality and social justice. Three WNBA teams will also participate, including the Mavericks hometown WNBA team, the Dallas Wings, along with the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever.
The three-hour virtual event begins at 11 a.m. and MFFLs can watch the event for free, by clicking here.
The expanded multi-day experience will be followed by a week of action October 22 – 28 featuring community activations in team markets and a nine-part online content series.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, along with Mavs team owner Mark Cuban and CEO Cynt Marshall — the first Black female CEO in the NBA — will be among the 41 special guests.
Mavs game night emcee and ambassador for inclusion, Chris Arnold, will host a discussion with community leaders during the summit on the importance of civic engagement and specifically voting on both the local and national level.
After the “Team Up for Change” virtual summit, the Mavs and Wings will join the other teams with a week of action that addresses issues of racial justice and propel forward the commitments made to each team’s respective communities.
The Dallas teams will focus on civic engagement and voting through the Count It Coalition initiative that was announced earlier this month. The Count It Coalition is a nonpartisan coalition of North Texas professional basketball teams committed to promoting local and national civic engagement, raising awareness and increasing DFW voter access and participation for the current election, census and beyond.
The first “Team Up for Change” event was created by the Kings in 2019, and the Bucks took part in pregame activities for the event. The second event took place in Milwaukee in February 2020 with the Kings taking part before a game.
This is the first time that the event was expanded to allow other teams, like the Mavs, to participate. The virtual event will tip off with remarks from Commissioner Silver followed by messages from team leaders.
NBA and WNBA players and team executives, as well as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, will also make appearances throughout the program.
Each team will lead a conversation addressing one of the following issues: police accountability and brutality, criminal justice reform, economic empowerment, diversity and inclusion, and civic engagement.
WHAT: Team Up for Change Summit
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. CST
HOW TO WATCH: TUNE IN HERE
Team Up for Change speakers and performance groups, subject to change, include:
- Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner
- Akilah Wallace, Executive Director, Faith in Texas
- Brian Payne, President and Chief Executive Officer, Central Indiana Community Foundation
- Brittany Barnes, Founder, GoodBody
- Caron Butler, NBA Champion
- Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner
- Chanda Smith Baker, Senior Vice President of Impact, Minneapolis Foundation
- Cheryl Reeve, Head Coach and General Manager, Minnesota Lynx
- Chris Arnold, Inclusion Ambassador and Game Night Emcee, Dallas Mavericks
- Cynt Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Mavericks
- Danielle Sydnor, President of the Cleveland Chapter, NAACP
- Doug Christie, Color Analyst, Sacramento Kings
- Elizabeth Henneke, Founder and Executive Director, Lone Star Justice Alliance
- Ethan Casson, Chief Executive Officer, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx
- Greg Bibb, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Wings
- Harrison Barnes, Forward, Sacramento Kings
- Izzy Harrison, Center, Dallas Wings
- J.B. Bickerstaff, Head Coach, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Josh Okogie, Guard, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Katrice Albert, Founder and Managing Member, Third Eye Consulting Group LLC, Executive Vice President of Culture, Innovation and Inclusion, S2A and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant, Pacers Sports and Entertainment
- Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Indiana Fever
- Kevin Clayton, Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Koby Altman, General Manager, Cleveland Cavaliers
- LaRese Purnell, Managing Partner, CLE Consulting Firm
- Lauren Cox, Forward, Indiana Fever
- Len Komoroski, Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
- Marc Lasry, Co-owner, Milwaukee Bucks
- Marisa Renee Lee, Entrepreneur and Senior Advisor, The Justice Collaborative
- Mark Cuban, Owner, Dallas Mavericks
- Matina Kolokotronis, Chief Operating Officer, Sacramento Kings
- Ryan Saunders, Head Coach, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, Spoken Word Artists
- Sean Huddleston, President, Martin University
- Steve Simon, Alternate Governor, Indiana Pacers
- Tony Mason, President and Chief Executive Officer, Indianapolis Urban League
- Tyra Patterson, Community Outreach Specialist, Ohio Justice and Policy Center
- Veronica Torres Hazley, Director, Hey Chica! By Healthy Latina Lifestyle
- Vivek Ranadivé, Owner and Chairman, Sacramento Kings
- Xavier Henderson, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy, For Oak Cliff
- Zora Stephenson, Sideline and Digital Reporter, Milwaukee Bucks
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