The National Basketball Association is the most popular professional basketball league in North America; it is also the most popular professional basketball league in the world. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most diverse businesses in the world, the result of former NBA Commissioner David Stern's deliberate plan. The NBA was once an all-white, male-dominated league, now, after years of aggressive efforts to diversify the organization, the NBA is now one of the shining beacons of diversity, tolerance and acceptance in the workplace . Former NBA Commissioner David Stern led and implemented the best examples of creating and cultivating merit-based opportunities for success. “When David Stern steps down as NBA Commissioner in 2014, among the legacies he will leave behind is an era in professional sports when leagues and teams hired the best people possible. It has embraced the moral imperative of diversity by helping to demonstrate to other leagues that diversity is also a business imperative. Evidence of the NBA's continued commitment to racial equality is seen in the strong ratings in the League Office and many key areas at the team level. ” (Lapchick, R.) To fully understand the transformation of the league we will cover the history of the association, team diversity, league diversity, NBA diversity initiative, and current diversity issues. On August 3, 1949 the National Basketball League (NBL) was dissolved into the Basketball Association of American (BAA), founded in 1946 to create the National Basketball Association. Through the merger of the two leagues in the NBA there were now 18 teams which were eventually reduced to eight teams. ..... middle of paper....../story/news/usanow/2014/04/29/donald-sterling-fine-penalty-racism-audio-commissioner-adam-silver -los-angeles-suspension /8460575/Vecsey, G. (2009, August 10). Pioneering Knick Relives Cheers from Long Ago. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11. /sports/basketball/11vecsey.html?hp NBA pioneer Harold Hunter, a former Xavier coach, died Thursday (2013, March 7). NOLA.com. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.nola.com/xavier/index.ssf/2013/03/pioneering_coach_harold_hunter.htmlNBA was born. (n.d.). History.com. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nba-is-bornLapchick, R., Hippert, A., Rivera, S., & Robinson, J. ( 25 June 2013). 2013 Race and Gender Report Card: National Basketball Association. . Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://tidesport.org/RGRC/2013/2013_NBA_RGRC.pdf