**Lesley Slaton Steps Down as NBA’s Chief DEI Officer**
Lesley Slaton, the NBA’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer, announced her resignation in an email to colleagues on Wednesday. Slaton, who joined the NBA in 2023, previously held the same position at HP since 2015.
### The Importance of DEI in Sports
– **Core Values**: In her email, Slaton emphasized that “the values of diversity and inclusion are central to the culture of the NBA, WNBA, and our other leagues and will remain core to our business and our workplace.”
– **Industry Trends**: Other American sports organizations are distancing themselves from DEI initiatives. For instance, Major League Baseball (MLB) has completely removed references to “diversity” from its careers page.
### Changes in Federal Regulations
– **Federal Acquisition Regulations**: In February, the General Services Administration announced modifications to the Federal Acquisition Regulations to align with the president’s executive order aimed at restoring merit and ending discrimination in both public and private sectors. This change reverses previous executive orders from the Biden administration that mandated DEI considerations in contract proposals.
– **Historical Context**: Under the Trump administration, language associated with DEI principles was also removed from federal acquisition, contracting, grant, or financial assistance procedures.
As the landscape of DEI in sports and federal regulations continues to evolve, what impact will these changes have on the future of diversity initiatives in professional sports?
### FAQs:
**What prompted Lesley Slaton’s resignation from the NBA?**
Lesley Slaton announced her resignation in an email to colleagues, but specific reasons for her departure were not disclosed.
