On a cold winter day in January 2014, Mark Tatum sat nervously at NBA headquarters in New York. At the time, he was the league’s executive vice president in charge of global marketing partnerships and for days he knew a big decision about his NBA career was coming. Adam Silver, who had just been named NBA Commissioner and chief executive of the league, told Tatum that he was being considered for the deputy commissioner role. And on January 31, the league’s owners were casting their final votes.

The final tally was 30-0 and 12 years later, Tatum remains the highest-ranking Black executive in sports.

“When I was growing up in the business,” Tatum tells Forbes, “I never dreamed that becoming the deputy commissioner was an option. My dream was to become the head of corporate sponsorship in a league. So, for me, getting that phone call was a little bit of a pinch myself [moment]. I can't believe this is actually happening. And from a representation standpoint, I knew the importance of the moment.”

Tatum is tasked with growing the NBA’s business and the affairs of its 30 franchises, which are worth more than $5.4 billion on average, according to Forbes. Additionally, the NBA operates a league in China that’s valued at more at a reported $5 billion, a league in Africa worth more than $1 billion, and is scheduled to start a league in Europe by October 2027.

“You’re looking at a $180 billion market cap company,”........

© Forbes