NBA boss calls on teams to hire more women

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has urged the league's 30 teams to hire more women, especially for leadership and supervisory roles.

In a memo sent to teams on Friday, he also encouraged them to focus on improving office conditions, especially in eliminating disrespectful behaviors.

"Use this opportunity to make changes and create a dialogue within your organizations about workplace policies, procedures and respectful conduct," Silver wrote.

Terdema Ussery, former president and CEO of the Mavericks, was found to have committed improper behaviors towards 15 female employees. /VCG Photo

Teams were asked to have "community conversations" with their own employees in the next two weeks about a damning report about the Dallas Mavericks.

On Wednesday, the NBA released a statement about what independent investigators found over office conditions at the Mavericks. Having gathered information from 215 current and former team employees, the investigators confirmed plentiful sexual harassment cases and other improper behaviors over 20 years.

Cynthia Marshall is the new CEO of the Mavericks. /VCG Photo

Terdema Ussery, the team's former president and CEO, was found to have committed improper behaviors including comments, touching and forcible kissing towards 15 female employees.

Former ticket sales employee Chris Hyde was found to have made improper comments to women of a sexual nature, viewed and shared pornographic images and videos, committed unwanted sexual advances, and threatened co-workers violently.

Earl Sneed, a former reporter of the team's website, was found to have perpetrated domestic violence, including one case against an employee of the team.

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks, has agreed to donate 10 million US dollars to organizations of the feminist movement. /VCG Photo

Multiple recommendations were listed for the Mavericks including increasing female employees, especially for leading positions, enhancing formal reporting processes for victims of improper behaviors and launching anonymous employee surveys to evaluate workplace culture regularly.

The investigators found no evidence that Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, knew about the transgressions, but he still agreed to donate 10 million US dollars to organizations that fight for female leadership roles and against domestic violence.

(Top picture: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver /VCG Photo)