Minnesota's NBA and WNBA Teams Continue to Build Ties with the Community

MATTER OF FACT. FOUR YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND, GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TRIGGERED A WAVE OF PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE AND DEMANDS FOR RACIAL EQUALITY. SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS GRAPPLED WITH HOW TO RESPOND, BRINGING IN ADVISERS AND CREATING POSITIONS FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY. THAT WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN MINNEAPOLIS, THE EPICENTER OF THE UNREST THERE. AN EXECUTIVE OF THE NBA’S MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES HAD AN IDEA HE REACHED OUT TO TRU PETTIGREW, WHO DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A BRIDGE BUILDER WHO HELPS PEOPLE CONNECT ACROSS DIFFERENCES. WELL, PETTIGREW IS NOW THE CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER FOR THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE WNBA LYNX. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. NO, THANK YOU, SOLEDAD. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU HAVE I’VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GEORGE FLOYD’S FAMILY. HOW DID THAT START? WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED WITH THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE LYNX IN 2020, THERE WAS STILL SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING AND HEALING THAT WAS NECESSARY. AND A PART OF THAT PUT ME IN A POSITION TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE GEORGE FLOYD FAMILY, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY BEGAN TO COME BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE CHAUVIN TRIALS AND I MADE A COMMITMENT TO THEM THAT WHENEVER YOU’RE BACK IN MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE FOR THE TRIAL, THAT YOU’RE YOU’RE WELCOME TO COME TO GAMES. THAT WAS A WELCOME DISTRACTION FOR THEM. AND IT SEEMS SO EASY AND MINOR FOR US, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY BIG DEAL FOR THEM. HOW DO YOU FORM BONDS WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME ISSUES THAT ARE YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN’T JUST START WITH THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD, RIGHT. PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THESE ARE DECADES LONG, CENTURIES LONG ISSUES. TO BE FAIR, THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO FOCUS ON WAS BUILDING SOME BRIDGES OF LEGITIMACY, TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THOSE WERE FACILITATED DIALOGS AND CONVERSATIONS. GETTING THE OFFICERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAYERS FEEL PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY THEY FEEL THE WAY THEY DO ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, THE CIRCUMSTANCE AND THE SITUATION, BUT ALSO FOR THE PLAYERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE OFFICERS FEEL AND WHY THEY FEEL THAT WAY. LET’S FAST FORWARD NOW FOUR YEARS. UM, HOW HAS THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE POLICE, BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE COMMUNITY, BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY? HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THAT CHANGE? IT’S BEEN SO ENCOURAGING AND AFFIRMING TO KNOW THAT THE SEEDS THAT WE PLANTED FOUR YEARS AGO, AND WE’VE CONTINUED TO WATER THOSE SEEDS THAT THEY’RE SPROUTING, WE STARTED A SERIES CALLED BARBERSHOP RAP SESSIONS, WHERE WE INVITE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INTO A LOCAL BARBERSHOP. I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE CHIEF O’HARA, THE CURRENT POLICE CHIEF OF MINNEAPOLIS, WAS ALL ON BOARD WITH BRINGING SOME OF HIS OFFICERS INTO THE BARBERSHOP TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE RECOGNIZING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED BY ANY STING OF OPPRESSION OR DISCRIMINATION ARE THE ONES BEST POSITIONED TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE SOLUTIONS ARE INDEPENDENT OF, INCLUDING THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY. WHY DO YOU THINK SPORTS TEAMS ARE A REALLY GOOD, UM, CONNECTOR? WELL, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE ROLE THAT SPORTS PLAYS IN OUR SOCIETY, IT’S BRINGING PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE TOGETHER TO ROOT FOR AND CHEER FOR AND CELEBRATE THE SAME TEAM. SO YOU’VE GOT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACES, ETHNICITIES, GENDERS THAT ARE ALL COMING TOGETHER FOR THE SAME CAUSE. AND I THINK THAT IS A BIT OF A MICROCOSM OF WHAT IT CAN BE FOR SOCIETY. AND NOW WE CAN, INSTEAD OF JUST USING IT FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, LET’S USE IT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. FOR KARL ANTHONY TOWNS TO BE THE KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPION AWARD WINNER FOR MIKE CONLEY TO BE TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR FOR NAZ REID, TO BE SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR FOR US TO KEEP RAGGING ON YOUR TEAM, GO AHEAD. I GOT I GOT ALL DAY. COME ON. I DON’T THINK ANY OF THESE THINGS ARE A COINCIDENCE. I THINK IT’S BECAUSE THE CULTURE HAS ADOPTED A BRIDGE BUILDING MENTALITY, A SPIRIT AND A CULTURE OF INCLUSION THAT HAS PERMEATED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND HOW WE SHOW UP EXTERNALLY I