Good morning. Let’s basketball.

The NBA and WNBA put out a joint statement on Friday in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court reversing Roe and Casey and eliminating the constitutional right to reproductive freedom.

NBA @NBA

NBA AND WNBA STATEMENT REGARDING ROE V. WADE DECISION   NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued the following statement regarding today’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:

June 24th 2022

3,840 Retweets23,137 Likes

In related news, the NBA had previously scheduled its 2023 All-Star Weekend for Salt Lake City, Utah. The state of Utah’s legislature had previously passed a so-called trigger law that essentially criminalizes most abortions as of this past weekend. Several states had these laws on the books in preparation of Roe being overturned.

You may recall that the NBA moved All-Star 2017 out of Charlotte, North Carolina, on account of that state’s legislature passing really grievous anti-transgender legislation in 2016, known as House Bill 2. The NBA’s move then was part of a major effort by corporate America to convince North Carolina’s elected leaders to change their mind and protect transgender rights. The NBA was part of a collective corporate response to North Carolina, though the NBA was also closer to the vanguard than not in that collective response. All-Star 2017 was the first sporting event to be pulled from N.C. over HB 2; the NCAA and others would follow.

No one questions that moving All-Star, even months in advance, is a huge pain in the ass. And you can be skeptical that focusing political strength on the power of capital is a viable long-term strategy. (If you aren’t skeptical, I strongly recommend subscribing to Popular Information, an independent newsletter that seeks to hold corporate power to account.) But the concerted effort to highlight the inhumanity of N.C.’s law did get results. The most odious parts of the bill were stripped in 2017 and the bill was fully repealed in 2020. You could say that “it worked” though I would caution against anyone diluting credit earned by civil rights advocates on the ground in N.C. doing the difficult and thankless work of democracy and canvassing on the issue.

(Question for readers, some of whom I know are in the academy: has there been a study on the efficacy of corporate boycotts in recent years? It appears from the outside that they worked in N.C. but then corporations simply stopped doing them. MLB All-Star in Georgia was debated but I was not following closely.)

Utah passed an anti-transgender bill earlier this year. When asked about it, Adam Silver made a point to say that he appreciates that the Jazz organization spoke out against the bill and that the league had no plans at punishing Utah’s political power structure by moving All-Star 2023 away from the Beehive State. This quote from Silver is telling, especially considering that the 2017 pressure campaign in N.C. had the intended result:

“I would say in Utah, again, relying on the Utah Jazz as our partner, in the first and foremost they are on the ground. They understand the intricacies in a way that I don’t and the league doesn’t, being across the country, but again, it’s our collective view that we can continue to operate in Utah, and frankly don’t want to be in a position where we’re chased from state to state around the country.”

Emphasis mine. A cynical read of this is that while the N.C. campaign worked, the NBA has determined that the trouble they went through was not worth it and that the league doesn’t want to make a habit of pulling its signature event out of states that pass discriminatory legislation. “Chased from state to state” — by whom, exactly, would the league be chased by under this read of the situation at hand? By dastardly politicians looking to annoy Adam Silver? Or was Silver nodding toward members of the NBA community who would pressure the league to change venues on account of, say, legislation stripping humans of their rights? Who is the aggressor here, in Silver’s eyes? Please be clear.

Again, pardon my cynicism here. Maybe tomorrow Silver will announce that things have changed and the NBA will not hold any extracurricular events in states deemed (by someone) to have stripped women and pregnancy-capable people of their reproductive rights. But that doesn’t seem to fit Silver’s recent stance, certainly not based on his comments on Utah’s anti-transgender bill.

Is it tenable to avoid holding sanctioned events in states that strip women’s rights in the coming months? Probably: it’d be a fight with Silver’s bosses, the team owners, but there are plenty of big cities in states that will strengthen, not diminish, women’s rights. But it’s also tenable to avoid partnering with foreign governments that commit cultural genocide; alas, that took a while, didn’t it? The NBA has marketed its way into tough positions. Questions need to be answered about how far the league — meaning Silver, meaning the team owners and eventually meaning the players and staff who are the engine of success here — will go.

In its statement last Friday, the NBA said:

The NBA and WNBA believe that women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their health and future, and we believe that freedom should be protected. We will continue to advocate for gender and health equity […]

OK. Your signature economy-boosting event is scheduled for seven months from now in a state that stripped women of their right to make decisions concerning their health and future. You say you will advocate for gender and health equity. How? Tell us and show us.

If the league wants to make the case that the NBA being there in Salt Lake City will do more good for the people under attack than snubbing the state, convince us. Show your work or expect the cynical reads of your actions to continue.

Normal people keep the world going

There was great hullabaloo over Kyrie Irving’s plans early on Monday, including a report that the Lakers were working on sign-and-trade scenarios and a further report that Irving was considering opting out of his $37 million contract for 2022-23 to take a $6 million contract with the Lakers.

Amid a cacophony of discourse and discord around all this, Shams Charania gave us two beautiful tweets.

First:

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant.

June 27th 2022

8,041 Retweets44,437 Likes

And one minute later:

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Kyrie Irving: “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant.

June 27th 2022

2,857 Retweets16,449 Likes

Thank you, Kyrie, for everything.

Dejounte and Victor

It would appear that one of the next big dominoes to fall this offseason may be a trade sending Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for picks and Danilo Gallinari.

The rationale for the Hawks is simple: Murray, a 2022 All-Star, would be an absolutely beautiful fit alongside Trae Young. I would definitely consider elevating the Hawks to contender status if this deal happened, depending on what the team does with John Collins and whether they are serious about trading Clint Capela.

The rationale for the Spurs is that it appears San Antonio is ready for a real teardown, and Murray is simply so good that he makes it hard for the Spurs to be truly awful. The Spurs already traded Derrick White in the middle of last season; one would expect that if Murray departs, Jakob Poeltl and perhaps Keldon Johnson (only 22 but more production than upside in my estimation) would be next.

It won’t be clear for another few weeks at minimum who all plans to go into the 2022-23 intending to be awful. My sense (a soft sense I could be disabused of) is that Orlando and Detroit will try to catch some lightning and make a Cavalierian leap. The Knicks appear poised to bring in a high-dollar free agent. The Kings are always trying in vain to compete. The Rockets will probably lose a lot for at least another year; the Thunder are a question mark, having found a way to be dreadful despite having a star of Dejounte’s caliber (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) on the roster.

All that said, if it’s just Houston, OKC and maybe one other team intending to be awful, and then whatever random team falls down there due to poor luck, there’s an opening in the Tank Warz. And the prize in the 2023 Tank Warz is this dude.

Evan Sidery @esidery

Victor Wembanyama, considered one of the greatest international prospects ever, is about to break the NBA in a year.

June 25th 2022

763 Retweets7,935 Likes

Scores

Fever 71, Mercury 83 —

Phoenix Mercury @PhoenixMercury

Put BG at the top of your stories. She is the main story of the Phoenix Mercury and the WNBA.

June 28th 2022

30 Retweets130 Likes

Information on Britney Griner’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive here.

Seven threes for Diana Taurasi. She’s 40.

Aces 79, Sparks 73 — A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum combined for 54 points on 16/32 shooting. The rest of the Aces combined for 25 points on 10/29 shooting.

Schedule

All times Eastern.

Dream at Mystics, 7, ESPN2
Wings at Lynx, 8, ESPN3

Be excellent to each other.