Shortly after Darryl Dawkins’ and Moses Malone’s sudden heart-related deaths sent “shock waves” through the NBA community in August of 2015, Adam Silver picked up the phone and called Michele Roberts.
The NBA commissioner and NBA Players Association executive director both agreed that something had to be done before the NBA lost another beloved retired player due to health. Soon after that, today’s stars and the game’s biggest name from the past, Michael Jordan, joined the cause.
With Jordan, now the league’s most famous owner, working over his fellow co-owners to lend a very influential assist along with current stars like Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony voicing their desire to take care of the previous generations of NBA players, the NBA will become the first professional sports league to offer retired players medical benefits as part of a comprehensive and enhanced player retirement package.
— ESPN.com
Our Quick Take: This is long overdue, and the right move. Looking forward to hearing the finer details once they become official.
