News: N.B.A. Pounds Pavement for Fitness Effort
N.B.A.
Commissioner Adam Silver had just finished an icy three-mile run over
the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. His lips, ears and nose were red from the
blistering gusts of wind.
After
passing a baton to the former N.B.A. great Chris Mullin on Fourth
Avenue in Brooklyn, Silver was met by three young men who had copies of
Sports Illustrated with his picture on the cover. His breathing still
heavy, Silver signed the magazines and posed for a photo with a
Brazilian fan.
That
fans sought Silver’s autograph on an obscure corner in Brooklyn was
another reminder of how he has become the fresh face of the N.B.A. and a
new breed of sports commissioner.
Silver,
who succeeded David Stern less than a year ago, has made a quick and
largely positive impression, starting with his handling of the release
of recordings of the former Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist
comments.
A Kenyan Sweep at the 2014 New York City Marathon
CreditMike Segar/Reuters
The
event, which included two dozen executives and former pro basketball
players, was designed to promote fitness and the N.B.A. All-Star Game
weekend at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, scheduled for
February.
Silver felt the need to get in front of it, even if it meant waking up before dawn to travel to the start in Staten Island.
“I
think for us it’s important because we know we’re going to be judged
accordingly by more than what we do as a business or what we do on the
court — the greater impact we have,” said Silver, who ran cross-country
and track in high school and has twice finished the New York City
Marathon.
Silver
said he hoped that a season-long string of clinics, workshops and other
events like the marathon relay would enable the N.B.A. to reach a
half-million children in the five boroughs. Silver and the other 23
N.B.A. executives and former players were joined on the relay by young
runners. Silver’s partner was Lauren Pitaressi, a high school runner
from Staten Island.
“My
dream is to run the marathon, but I never thought I’d already run over
the bridge,” said Pitaressi, who admitted to not knowing who Silver was
until recently.
The relay within a race was not designed to sell basketball tickets, but the N.B.A. donated $26,200 ($1,000 for each mile) to Team for Kids, which raises money for the youth fitness program of New York Road Runners.
The
N.B.A. is not the only professional sports league to promote health and
fitness. Commissioners routinely appear at schools, athletic events and
elsewhere. Few, though, lace up their shoes and take part in events
themselves.
A poem in sights and sounds, featuring an interactive map of the course and video.
“This
is highly unique, to be this visible, but actions speak louder than
words,” said Bill Sutton, who worked in team marketing at the N.B.A. and
now teaches sports business at the University of South Florida.
“Everything you do is the portrayal of your brand.”
Plans
for the relay began in spring, when Chris Weiller, a spokesman for Road
Runners who previously worked at the N.B.A., met Kathy Behrens, the
league’s executive vice president for social responsibility.
Before
every All-Star Game, the N.B.A., like other professional leagues, tries
to connect with the host community by sending current and former
players to schools, raising money for local charities and building
athletic facilities.
The marathon racecourse, which touches every borough, was a good vehicle for connecting the N.B.A. with the city, Silver said.
“We’re
always trying to think of how to run our race in other environments,”
said Mary Wittenberg, the chief executive of New York Road Runners.
“This is a first ever, but already it has the feel of something we’ll
carry on.”
But
there were logistical hurdles. The league had to find two dozen members
of the N.B.A. family who were willing to run the streets on a chilly
Sunday.
“There was great enthusiasm, especially when they found out they wouldn’t have to run 26 miles,” Behrens said.
The
roster of volunteers included former N.B.A. stars who grew up in New
York, among them Nate Archibald (a Bronx native known as Tiny), Albert
and Bernard King and Mullin (Brooklyn), and former Knicks and Nets
players like Greg Anthony, Jason Collins, Darryl Dawkins, Allan Houston
and Charles Oakley. Swin Cash and Teresa Edwards were among those
representing the W.N.B.A., while Mike Breen, the Knicks announcer,
joined executives from the N.B.A., Madison Square Garden and Barclays
Center.
“We
want to contribute, we want to make a difference, and we want to reach
our youth, because we know that we are not going to be playing the game
forever,” said the former player Dikembe Mutombo, who ran the last leg
of the relay, which was completed in 4:48.09. “We want to pass the baton
to them.”
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