While most of Salt Lake City's eyes were on the NBA stars coming into Utah for All-Star Weekend, one group was celebrating the Black women who have impacted the NBA behind the scenes.
IMPACT Magazine, which focuses on empowering and highlighting Black people, honored three women Friday afternoon: Utah Jazz digital content reporter and producer Nayo Campbell, philanthropist Tragil Wade-Johnson; and Andrea Williams, the chief experience officer of the Utah Jazz.
"Women who are behind the scenes helping to make those things happen never get the recognition that they deserve," said Tunisha Brown, IMPACT Magazine founder and editor-in-chief. "That's why I make it a point to honor especially Black women, because we do a lot of the work but we're not celebrated for it."
Wade-Johnson, for example, was a driving force behind the career of her brother, former NBA star Dwyane Wade. While their mother was incarcerated and battled drug addiction, Wade-Johnson became a caregiver for her brother, playing the role of "sistager" and eventually heading the Wade's World Foundation. Her work has extended far beyond her brother, however. In 2017, Wade-Johnson founded America's Big Sisters, a nonprofit that empowers teenage girls through conferences and mentoring programs.
She said "it's really time" to start highlighting women's impact in the basketball industry.
"Women have been behind so much for so many years," Wade-Johnson said. "It's time to come to the front of the room and sit at the table. We're so great at supporting, that's what we're made and built to do. But I really just think it's time. I think the more people get a chance to see it, the generations behind us will be able to have a better blueprint of what this looks like."
Campbell, the Jazz reporter, studied journalism at Howard University and originally wanted to pursue entertainment journalism before feeling called to tell the stories of NBA players and their lives outside the court.
As she started reaching out to NBA teams about open positions, she remembers thinking "the last place I want to go is Utah." However, she said being able to use her voice to humanize and tell the stories of Jazz players has been a blessing.
"I think being a woman is just powerful. There's, of course, going to be those obstacles, but I think a woman's voice is needed, especially in the world of sports," Campbell said. "As a Black woman, there's often times where you need to fight for stories to be told and (say), 'This is why I really want to tell the story.' You have to be on your Ps and Qs all the time. There's no room for mistakes."
Despite the challenges of being a Black woman in media, Campbell said she also feels like her position has been an opportunity to offer younger generations positive representation.
"A lot of times it's the first time people kind of see someone like me," she said. "When people come to the arena, they bring their children. They'll come up to me and they're like, 'We're just so glad that our kids can see you do what you do.'"
Williams worked in college sports for over two decades, including as the first Black female commissioner for the Big Sky Conference, before becoming the Jazz's first chief experience officer. She said events like IMPACT Magazine's show the diversity that does exist in Utah. Her work with the Jazz has included examining how to recruit and retain more diverse talent in the state.
"The Jazz are really making a concerted effort to diversify who we are and to represent what is the best of Salt Lake and the great state of Utah," Williams said. "It is important for us to represent what our teams look like on the court, and we need to represent what the rest of the country looks like — and so that's what we're going to do. We have built out a people and culture team, and we are being very intentional. Whenever we post a position, we are searching. It is not OK not to have a diverse pool for any job."
Brown said the honorees are a representation of Black excellence in Utah and across the country.
"Today is for all y'all because you are a representation of us," Brown told the honorees.