NBA appoints Oris Stuart as chief people and inclusion officer

The National Basketball Association has named Oris Stuart the Chief People and Inclusion Officer, the league announced.

In his new role, the league said Stuart would be responsible for overseeing its human resources and diversity and inclusion groups.

“He will oversee diversity and inclusion strategies for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League and its teams, support the growth and development of the NBA’s global workforce, and strengthen commitments to attract, retain, develop and engage diverse talent,” the league said.

“Oris’ appointment as Chief People and Inclusion Officer is a testament to his impact on our leagues and teams over the past five years,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “His commitment to developing our employees and driving inclusion at every level of our organization make him uniquely suited for this new role.”

Stuart, who spent time at executive consulting firm Korn Ferry before joining the NBA in 2015, will report to Bob Criqui, NBA president of administration, and start his role on Aug. 15. Stuart is one of 31 Black people employed by the league office who holds a position of vice president or higher.

The league’s recently released 2020 Racial and Gender report card mimics the NBA’s strong 2019 grades. While receiving an A-plus for racial hiring overall, the NBA also still maintains an F when it comes to racial hiring and hiring women for team presidents and CEOs.

There are only three Black CEOs or presidents in the NBA out of 30 teams – Cynthia Marshall of the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets’ Fred Whitfield, and Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors. The report card is operated by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

The NBA said Stuart would also focus on focus “culture, inclusion and innovation” and “establish policies and expand programs to increase the representation of people of color and women in leadership roles and positions across the league.”

The NBA continued with its scrimmage action in Orlando on Thursday as it prepares to resume games suspended due to Covid-19.