The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club received the NBA Inclusion Leadership Award, which recognizes a team’s commitment to inclusion as a key business strategy, as part of the NBA Team Sales & Marketing 2019 Awards, which were announced at the league’s annual sales and marketing meetings in Miami last week.
After evaluating the team’s full slate of inclusion programming, the judging was based off three distinct categories: innovation, inspiration and impact. The Hawks were recognized among all 30 teams for being outstanding in promoting inclusion and inclusive practices.
“We are extremely proud of this recognition from the NBA,” said Hawks SVP, Community, and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Nzinga Shaw. “In the past, our franchise has experienced some tough challenges, but our optimistic vision for long-term success has been our North Star. We are inspired by the diversity of our fan base and community and will continue to work hard in this space by establishing best practices in the sports sector and beyond.”
The Hawks were the first team to hire a chief diversity and inclusion officer as well as establish a diversity and inclusion council to strengthen its ties throughout the Atlanta area. Through the council’s efforts, the team created MOSAIC (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusive Conversations) which has brought together over 300 influential Atlanta residents to network on the role that sports leaders play in diversity.