The National Basketball Players Association elected Michele Roberts, a prominent Washington civil litigator, as its executive director. Roberts, an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, is the first woman to lead a major North American sports league union.
Roberts was the recommendation of NBPA president Chris Paul and the nine-member executive committee, winning with 32 of 34 votes among committee members and team player representatives, sources said. Roberts won over the players with a strong background as a civil criminal litigator and an unblemished character.
She'll be replacing the deposed Billy Hunter, whose tenure was marked with labor negotiation failures, corruption and ethical entanglements.
