The NBA's GMs want protection against themselves and that's a bad idea

NBA general managers already have the power when it comes to the relationship between them and their employees. That’s just how workplace dynamics typically go.

Now, they’re just trying to gain a little bit more.

The league’s GMs are on the cusp of finalizing a professional association that would “collectively support executives with access to legal defense funds, lawyer referrals and public relations professionals,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

Translation: They’re attempting to form a union for the big bosses around the league.

And, look, unionizing is not a bad thing. It’s important. It provides protection for employees who generally don’t have much power as individuals within a workplace where they may need it. So, in a vacuum, this isn’t a bad idea.

But these are the bosses of NBA teams. The head honchos. They answer to one person and one person only and that is the owner. Should they have protections? Absolutely.

But the impetus behind this doesn’t seem to just be protection against the owners. It’s protection against themselves, as well.

It’s important to quickly recognize the timing here. Just a few weeks ago Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes reported the Portland Trail Blazers were opening an investigation into GM Neil Olshey and allegations of a toxic work environment fostered by him.

There were several employees who reportedly levied allegations of bullying and verbal abuse against Olshey over the last decade. The Trail Blazers hired an independent investigation firm to take a look at the situation. They’ve already interviewed 60 people with more on the way as the deadline for the investigation was extended, per Jason Quick of The Athletic. 

This situation is important to note because although the league’s GMs began this effort to form their support organization back in March, writes Wojnarowski, Olshey’s situation is a big reason behind the latest push to get it done.

“Dozens of executives told ESPN that Portland’s internal probe has stoked fears that organizations can make decisions to fire top basketball executives for any number of traditional reasons — team performance, personality conflicts, differing philosophies — and search simultaneously for ways to pursue “cause” violations in contracts.”

That’s right. Apparently, GMs fear the NBA’s owners are too easily able to fire them for not only typical reasons, such as an underperforming team, but also for any sort of alleged workplace misconduct or violations against employees or the company at large.

They think owners are just searching for any way possible to get rid of them amid declining revenue from the attendance dip across the league due to the pandemic. So they’d like an organization to protect them against that possibility.

But you know what else protects them from that possibility? Not fostering a toxic work environment for their employees.

GMs control the vibe of the organization. If there’s some sort of workplace abuse going on, it rightfully should fall at their feet because they’re the ones overseeing it.

That environment has absolutely nothing to do with declining revenue. It has everything to do with how GMs treat their employees. And if they’re actually bullying their underlings then, yes, they absolutely should be fired.

Unions are fine. But this? This feels gross. It feels like a cop-out for general managers around the league. This is them shielding themselves from their own faults as managers and placing blame on external factors instead of taking personal responsibility.

And that right there is no way to run a workplace.