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  • So, Paul, what do you think is gonna change for the MBA under this new administration?

  • Well, I really believe now that, uh, you know, for one, players are gonna be able to go back to the White House.

  • The champs.

  • One thing you saw that with Draymond than LeBron.

  • But I think to there's gonna be more conversations have with the NBA leaders about different initiatives that they can have within their communities and how they could help being that the NBA is such a loud voice through all, uh, through all this systemic, uh, oppression that we've gone through over the last look, Paul Pierce.

  • Uh, eso You know, it's gonna be exciting time.

  • Just open up those conversations again with the NBA players and bring back the tradition because you look forward, Toa When you become a champ to visit in the White House, it was like a final step of approval.

  • No, I completely agree with Paul.

  • Obviously, that door is back open, but I think the door that's open, which is more importantly, is conversation.

  • You know, there was absolutely no conversation between not only the the MBA, but the NFL players.

  • Major League Baseball players now, and I know you know, doing with a lot of stuff heading into this, that you know, Biden definitely does have an open door policy, and we actually have a group going out there to meet with him.

  • If he's going to say you were on the campaign trail with him, were saying that there, Yeah.

  • So, like I said, that line of communication is back open.

  • I think that's what's most important.

  • And what is it that you have found, Matt, that when you have conversations with members of the administration and you were telling us before the show, you've been on a bunch of conference calls already?

  • You said You're going back out there in a few months.

  • What kinds of things is the relationship between the administration and sports and sports figures like yourself?

  • I think just learning our community is what they're very interested in.

  • Like I said, I've been on a handful of calls from November.

  • Up until last week, we were on a call with the attorney general.

  • You know, discussing with the vaccine is about and you know what we need to know and stuff like that.

  • So what I like is like I said, the communication lines are back open.

  • They want to know what we think.

  • They care about, what we think.

  • And hopefully we can apply that to hopefully changing.

  • Uh, you know, starting starting toe.

  • Put this country in the right direction again.

  • I mean, look bottom line, especially MBA players.

  • W MBA players air some of the most prominent black young men and women in this country.

  • So engaging them and saying your community is important to us is something that hadn't frankly happened in four years.

  • That message is a little bit different.

  • Do you guys expect this wave of athlete activism we've seen this year to continue?

  • I think so.

  • Absolutely.

  • Like I said, I think that we understand our power and numbers now by coming together not only athletes, but you know, the minority community as a whole with which they label us.

  • We're not the minorities that were actually the majority now, and they try to label us the minority in our place.

  • Right.

  • So, you know, we're the majority now, and I think we understand the power we have, and not only are platforms, but our vote, and once you get that type of power.

  • You know, it's our job to keep it.

  • Absolutely.

  • I mean, like Matt said, I mean that the door is open.

  • We looked further.

  • These conversations get out in the communities.

  • The NBA players are role models.

  • They're influencers, you know.

  • And it goes far beyond the MBA.

  • Like you said, other sports leagues, uh, people, wherever they use their voice, can now feel comfortable coming to the forefront and having this conversation under the by the administration.

  • And then what?

  • People could go back and forth and bi partisan on policies that some of the main goals of this country to treat people equally to give people opportunity.

  • Those can be sort of some of the larger stated goals of our entire country together.

  • Equality, including Andi.

  • I will say, Matt, you were on the team, the Golden State team that voted not to go to the White House, and it does sound like the Lakers have made a decision that they do want to go to the White House, so we will see that tradition resume as well.

  • Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

So, Paul, what do you think is gonna change for the MBA under this new administration?

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