MILWAUKEE — Arvind Gopalrantnam was born and raised in Milwaukee and has been cheering on the Bucks for as long as he can remember. Now, he said he's doing his dream job as the Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility for the team. He's the only South Asian in the NBA to hold that position.
"As the first member of my family born outside of India, to lead our community efforts and to represent our minority community within the organization, I'm super proud to have that role," Gopalrantnam said.
He said his job is essentially connecting the team and the community, creating partnerships with other organizations, and helping the Bucks use their platform to be a voice for the voiceless.
"The incredible social justice and racial equity work that our organization has been doing, whether it's taking the team to a local correctional facility, or advocating with our friends at the ACLU for voting rights changes," Gopalrantnam said. "We're super passionate about being agents of change, and the work we're going to continue to do in social justice is what excites me."
Players have even started their own initiatives, including Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
In 2019 Middletongave out new winter coats to every student at a Milwaukee elementary school. Holiday recently started the JLH fund with his wife Lauren to support Black-owned businesses.
"The stick to sports line does not apply to the Milwaukee Bucks, that's for sure," Gopalrantnam said. "Because we really, truly do believe it's about being connected and engaged and using our platform to bring better support and resources to the community."
And he said the national attention that comes with the NBA Finals will only help illuminate the work being done by the team on and off the court.
"I think that's one of the best parts about being in The Finals. We can talk about issues, but we can also spotlight the great things that are happening in our community and we wanna keep doing that whether The Finals are here or not," he said.
