Multiple NBA teams have moved away from the title of "owner," instead opting for more racially sensitive terms like CEO, chairman, majority stakeholder, or "governors," TMZ Sports reported Monday.
"We refer to the owners of our teams as Governors; each team is represented on our Board of Governors," an NBA spokesman told TMZ.
Sources told TMZ the movement started in late 2018 when the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green broached the campaign against the term "owner" on LeBron James' show, "The Shop."
Among the teams who have reacted to the topic is the Philadelphia 76ers, who have changed the titles from "owners" to "managing partners," according to the report.
Also, the Los Angeles Clippers now refer to Steve Ballmer as "chairman" on the team's official website after being listed as "owner" for his first few years, per TMZ.
Among the NBA Finals teams, the Toronto Raptors list Masai Ujiri as "President, Alternate NBA Governor," while the Golden State Warriors still list Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber as "owners."
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