When Michele Roberts grew up watching the NBA on her TV, she never imagined she would one day be a trailblazing executive for the league. After Michele was named executive director of the NBA Players' Association (NBPA), she became the first woman to hold this position, and the first woman to lead a major sports union in North America.
The recently-retired Roberts has been a beacon for the league's star workers, guiding them through a near-lockdown, a global pandemic and a full-blown strike in response to racial injustice. All the while, she's broken down barriers for Black women in sports. In this week's episode, she and Jay Williams discuss her journey from the Bronx to the big leagues, the stereotypes she's faced long the way, and her admiration for other Black women trailblazers like Kentaji Brown Jackson.
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The Limits is produced by Karen Kinney, Mano Sundaresan, Leena Sanzgiri, Barton Girdwood, Brent Baughman, Rachel Neel and Yolanda Sangweni. Music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our executive producer is Anya Grundmann. Special thanks to Charla Riggi and Edward Wyckoff Williams.