Last year, Draymond Green visited LeBron James's HBO show The Shop and discussed his discomfort with the term "owner" as it pertained to the men and women who head NBA and sports teams. As many of the executives aren't people of color and a large portion of the league is black, Green expressed that he doesn't like to feel as if he's owned by anyone.
Advocate, activist, author, and hip hop emcee Common was caught by a TMZ cameraman and asked about his thoughts regarding the controversy which has recently been revived. There have been reports that the NBA is seeking to discontinue the word "owner" and instead use the titles like "governor" or "managing partner."
"I'm so pleased," Common said about the change. "The term owner used to strike me in a...it didn't sit right with me." He continued, "The history of what we have and who we are as black people in this country, to be on and to be apart of an organization, and the CEO of that organization to be called an owner...it's just not really being considerate of the history."
"Nobody owns us," Common added as he entered L.A.'s Matsuhisa. "These men are professionals."