NBA partners with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg for gender equality

Adam Silver, the basketball association’s commissioner, says the partnership highlights the organization’s goal in creating an equal workplace. But is this a proactive move after the NFL’s PR nightmares? 

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The league recently partnered with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and her “Lean In” movement to promote gender equality. It’s two hot tickets coming together. Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead,” along with the accompanying self-branding have made her the face of gender equality in the workplace.

You could certainly argue that there hasn’t been this much interest in the NBA since Michael Jordan left the Bulls for the second time in 1998.

Trending all day yesterday on Twitter was the hashtag #LeanInTogether, with fans posting their support for gender equality in the workplace. There was also a video featuring the NBA’s brightest stars:

Fortune called it a “savvy” move for NBA commissioner Adam Silver in his first year on the job. But why now? Why this organization?

As I mentioned, the NBA is hot right now with a crop of young stars complementing the work of stalwarts like LeBron James and last year’s MVP, Kevin Durant. The league could probably throw its weight behind any charitable organization it chooses.

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