Many women are working hard behind the scenes to bring sporting events to life, and Michele Roberts has been one of them since 2014. She started her amazing journey as a lawyer before becoming the first woman to head up the NBPA, the union for NBA players. In her role, she oversees the day-to-day running of the union, makes sure that policies are executed, and negotiates the players’ salaries.
Raised in a South Bronx housing project, she earned an undergrad degree from Wesleyan University and pursued her J.D. at the University of California, Berkeley before becoming a public defender. She built her reputation as a trial lawyer with her ability to connect with the juries. During her career, she became the chief of the trial division and also worked for powerhouse firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
In 2014, when she was appointed as the Executive Director of the NBPA, she became the first woman ever to hold such a position in a major sports union. And while she came with no previous sports experience, she was not at all intimidated by being a trailblazer and woman in a male-dominated field.
"I’m obviously not seven feet tall, I’m obviously not a boy, and I don’t have any basketball skill, but what I do have in common with many ... of the guys is a background where if you were betting good money, you’d bet that I and they would not be successful. I grew up in the projects, I grew up on welfare. There was no reason in the world for me to think I could do anything other than get a high school diploma," she said.
Nevertheless, her appointment undeniably paved the way for women in the sports industry. However, although she is pleased to see more women working in the NBA at large, she also considers that there are not enough Black women. She once said, "it pains me because I know that there are Black women that are in this space and they’re not being given the voice."
Again trailblazing into new territories, in 2020 she joined the board of directors at Cresco Labs, one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the U.S., making her the first Black woman to do so at a time where companies are called to diversify their organizations and support Black communities. In all of her roles, Roberts has opened the door for others like herself to succeed in any industry.