Ruth Jurgensen is redefining what sports philanthropy looks like from the inside. As executive director of the NBA Foundation and one of the few Black women leading at this level in sports, she oversees the league’s push to build economic opportunity, career readiness, and genuine front-office access for young adults across the country who’ve been locked out of these spaces.
The NBA Foundation itself is a relatively recent player. Launched in 2020 with a 10-year, $300 million commitment from the NBA Board of Governors, it’s already moved past the traditional celebrity charity playbook. Under Jurgensen’s direction, the foundation has shifted from writing checks to building something more durable: sustained community investment across all 30 NBA markets, paired with real career pathways for the next generation of Black leaders.
In a conversation with The Root, Jurgensen spoke about what drew her to the role. “Working with the NBA Foundation is the perfect blend of my interests and expertise, and it’s a learning opportunity,” she said. “Establishing a vision centered on giving rather than just fundraising, and supporting nonprofit leaders in every team market, is awesome. What the NBA is doing to create greater economic opportunity is so empowering, impactful, and meaningful.”
Two programs anchor the foundation’s work. The NBA All-Star Pitch Competition happens during All-Star Weekend, giving early-stage entrepreneurs capital, mentorship, and real exposure. The live pitch event puts local founders in front of venture capitalists, NBA executives, and established business leaders. The other is the HBCU Fellowship Program, which targets the business and administrative infrastructure of professional sports. By placing students from historically Black colleges and universities directly into league and team offices, it’s dismantling barriers to entry that have kept the front office predominantly white for decades.
The fellowship numbers tell the story. “We had over 10,000 applications for 71 spots,” Jurgensen explained. “The top students from HBCUs come to the league office or teams for a 10-week paid fellowship. For some, it’s their first time in New York, standing on Fifth Avenue surrounded by NBA history. It’s mind-blowing for these young people to see the results of their hard work.”
The retention and placement rates matter even more. “Nearly 30% of our alumni work at the league or a team, and over 40% work in sports overall,” she added. “It doesn’t just change a young person’s career trajectory—it gives them real opportunity. This year was the first summer that the NBPA, the Players Association, all had fellows.”
Before landing at the NBA, Jurgensen was CEO of Prep for Prep, a nationally recognized nonprofit focused on developing young leaders of color and expanding educational access. She made a deliberate pivot toward sports, applying for the NBA Foundation job and making a bold move: she told almost nobody, not even her family, until the position was locked down.
“I’ve spent so much time in education, and I just want to focus on sports. When this job listing came through, I just locked in,” she said. “I didn’t even tell anybody I had applied. By the time anybody heard about it, including my own family, husband, and son, I had the job. They were like, ‘What?’ I was so locked in. I couldn’t waste a moment of energy on explaining.”
When asked what she sees as her particular strength in executive sports leadership, Jurgensen didn’t hesitate: Capacity.
“I can do a lot of things,” she said. “What Black woman do you know that can’t? I have the capacity to do many things at once and care about the people in front of me while thinking about the people who aren’t, sending them energy and support.”
She’s part of a “Sister CEO” group—Black women navigating executive roles in sports and beyond. “I think of the Black women who’ve mentored me,” she noted. “My Sister CEO group includes someone like Kim Davis, who’s the top woman in the NHL, and whatever room she’s in, she’s running it. I’m always learning from her.”
For Ruth Jurgensen, the internships and grants are scaffolding for something bigger: building a nationwide ecosystem of partners, corporate allies, and sports front offices committed to actual career advancement, not just optics.
“We have full support of league leadership, and as the NBA’s first 501(c)(3) foundation, the mission we were charged with at our 2020 founding continues today,” she said. “Creating greater economic opportunity is essential, and it fits naturally with the NBA, which is one of the most philanthropic communities you can imagine.”
That commitment starts early. When rookies enter the league, they hear directly from the foundation, the NBPA Foundation, and the Social Justice Coalition. “They understand the platform they now hold as NBA players,” Jurgensen explained. “They approach it with so much optimism and vision. That’s the community they’re coming into. It’s about giving back, because we have this fortune of being focused on the business of basketball. It’s just the authentic way of the NBA.”
★TR★
