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Editors’ Note

Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr. played for the NBA from 1970 to 1984, first with Detroit, then Milwaukee. An eight-time All Star who wears legendary size 22 shoes, Lanier has been a coach, businessman, and philanthropist, and has worked in the commissioner’s office since 1995, focusing on social responsibility.

How long have you been involved with community service through the NBA?

I’ve been involved since the late ’80s with our Stay in School initiative, which like all of the NBA’s social responsibility projects, is now under the auspices of NBA Cares. That’s where my entire focus is now, on a global level.

Is it difficult to get players involved?

Not at all. The players realize the importance of their involvement. I love to see kids sitting on their laps with books, and hanging out with them in gymnasiums, and just having one-on-one sessions with the players talking about life issues. And we’ve had a lot of participation among our “Legend” players as well, both from the WNBA and NBA. That has been a great way for the older players to mentor the younger players, and show them how it’s done.

What are your other strategies for encouraging participation?

Almost daily, before players go out on the court, we talk to them about leadership skills, and about things like HIV and AIDS awareness, character development, and education – all the things that they need to understand to be effective ambassadors in the community. What does it take to be a good leader? What are some of the main issues in your country of origin, and where can you try to make a difference? And we encourage them to talk in a community arena, which helps get all the ideas out on the table. I really applaud all the guys who go back to their native countries and build hospitals and dormitories, and all the giving back that each of them does. That’s what we’re working towards. We want them to see the problems that exist and give back.

How has this work affected you personally?

When I first came into the league, I underestimated the impact I had on young people who were looking up to me. And it’s fascinating, because now that we’re doing all of this on a global basis with NBA Cares and Basketball Without Borders, and now that we have this huge influx of international players, we can get players in a position to not only encourage reading among kids, but also to talk about social issues, social responsibility, and community-wide engagement as well.

How has the NBA leadership had an impact on what you are able to accomplish?

David [Stern] has always been very focused on education, and he initially brought me in to work with Stay in School. And I can’t say enough about Kathy Behrens, who comes from New York Cares. She has really taken this community effort to another level in the last five or six years, and has gotten so many more people focused and involved.