>> WELCOME BACK. THE NBA SAYS IT'S MAKING A SLAM DUNK DECISION, CANCELING ALL GAMES ON ELECTION DAY. INSTEAD, THE LEAGUE'S 30 TEAMS WILL PLAY ON NOVEMBER 7TH, THE NIGHT BEFORE MIDTERMS, IN AN EFFORT TO SHARE ELECTION INFORMATION. IN A STATEMENT, THE LEAGUE SAYS THE RARE DECISION CAME OUT OF THE NBA'S, QUOTE, FAMILY FOCUS ON PROMOTING NONPARTISAN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGING FANS TO MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE DURING MIDTERM ELECTIONS. THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL SOCIAL JUSTICE COALITION FEATURE SOME OF THE ISSUES THEY ARE FIGHTING IN A NEW VIDEO, TAKE A LOOK. >> THIS COMES WITH A YOUNG GENERATION. >> WE ARE THE FUTURE. >> CONTINUING TO GO OUT THERE AND SAYING THAT THIS IS RIGHT, STANDING UP FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN. IT'S OUR JOB TO KEEP THE FOOT ON THE GAS, BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AS IF WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT. >> TO BE IN THIS MOMENT AND HAVE A COALITION THAT IS DEDICATED TO DOING THIS WORK ON BEHALF OF THE NBA COMMUNITY, THAT IS THE NEXT STEP, THE NEXT EVOLUTION AND THAT UNBROKEN CHAIN OF ADVOCACY UNDERTAKEN BY PLAYERS. >> FOR MORE, LET'S BRING IN THE MAN YOU JUST HEARD THERE AND SAW. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION SOCIAL JUSTICE COALITION, JAMES DUG IN. SIR, GOOD TO SEE YOU, THANKS FOR JOINING US ON ABC NEWS LIVE. >> THANKS SO MUCH, KENNETH, GREAT TO BE WITH YOU. >> SO, WE KNOW THE NBA SAYS ALL 30 TEAMS WILL PLAY THE MONDAY BEFORE ON A THEMED CIVIC ENGAGEMENT NIGHT TO ENCOURAGE PLAN FANS, PLAYERS AND STAFF TO VOTE IN THIS YEAR'S MIDTERM ELECTIONS. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? >> ULTIMATELY, KENNETH, THIS IS ABOUT EVERYBODY BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE AND DEMOCRACY. GETTING IT TO REGISTER, GETTING OUT OF, OUT LEARNING ABOUT THE ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT. AND THAT MAKING THEIR VOICE HEARD. THAT'S ALL WE'RE TRYING TO, CHARGE BUILDING ON THE LONG TRADITION IN THE NBA COMMUNITY OF MAKING SURE PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES DO GO OUT AND ENGAGE WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS ON ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT. DEMOCRACY IN GOVERNMENT, THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE MADE SURE TO SUPPORT. >> WE ARE ASSUMING HERE THAT MUCH OF THIS IS ALSO DRIVEN BY THE PLAYERS, BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN SO MANY OUTSPOKEN PLAYERS, INCLUDING LEBRON JAMES, INVOLVED IN VOTING REGISTRATION DRIVES AND OTHER INITIATIVES. SOMETIMES EVEN TURNED THEIR ARENAS INTO VOTING REGISTRATION CENTERS ASIDE FROM NOT SCHEDULING GAMES ON VOTING DAY. WHEN ELSE DOES THE NBA HAVE PLANNED? >> FIRST AND FOREMOST, THAT EFFORT IN 2020 WAS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE ARE IN COVID, DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHEN THE FACILITIES WERE NOT BEING USED. TO DEDICATED MANY OF THOSE AS POSSIBLE TO BEING POLLING SITES, BEING REGISTRATION LOCATIONS, THAT WAS ONE COMMITMENT. THIS, YEAR AS WE HEAD INTO THE 2022 ELECTIONS WE WANT TO BUILD ON THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT ON ELECTION DAY ITSELF THERE ARE NO GAMES. SO THAT WE ENCOURAGE ALL FANS AND MEMBERS OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO GET OUT AND VOTE. AS WELL AS ALLOW NBA EMPLOYEES AND TEAM MEMBERS TO GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MOST EXCITING ABOUT THIS WORK IS SO MUCH IS IT DRIVEN AT THE TEAM LEVEL AND IN INDIVIDUAL MARKETS. WE HAVE 30 TEAMS ACROSS 28 MARKETS NATIONALLY, AND BEING ABLE TO SEE AND SUPPORT AND A LOT OF TIME FOR EACH OF THEM TO WORK WITH THAT NONPARTISAN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY WORKED WITH BEFORE, BUILD NEW RELATIONSHIPS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VOICE AND THEIR VOTE IN DEMOCRACY. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES A SPECIAL, BECAUSE IT LOOKS DIFFERENT PLACE TO PLACE. WE'RE NOW ALLOWING FOR EACH OF THOSE TEAMS TO HAVE EVEN MORE TIME AND MORE ABILITY TO SUPPORT AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AND VOTING AND ENGAGEMENT AND CIVIC PARTICIPANT TAISHAN. >> BACK TO THE PLAYER INVOLVEMENT HERE. GEORGE FLOYD, BREONNA TAYLOR, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. WE'VE SEEN THE PLAYERS WITH THEIR NAMES ON SHIRTS, ON THE COURT, AS THEY WARM UP. WE KNOW THAT THOSE PLAYERS UP INSULIN BALL POLITICALLY. BUT FOR THOSE ON THOSE CRITICS AND SAY THAT SPORTS AND POLITICS SHOULD BE SEPARATE, OR QUOTE SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE, WHAT DO YOU SAY? >> ULTIMATELY, WE'RE ALL PART OF A SOCIETY. WHETHER YOU ARE A FAN, A PLAYER, A COACH, SOMEBODY ON THE SIDELINES OR SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BASKETBALL, MAKE IT YOUR VOICE MATTERS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. REGARDLESS OF YOUR POSITION AT A PARTICULAR ISSUE. FOR US, THAT 70 ENGAGEMENT PIECE OF ARTWORK IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT BRINGS EVERYBODY TOGETHER. THE IDEA THAT WE SHOULD ALL HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO CAST A BALLOT, THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR THE VOICES IN THEIR COMMUNITY OR DOESN'T WANT MORE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS. THAT IS A BIGGER SIGN OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY AND SOMETHING WE WANT TO GET BEHIND. >> MR. JAMES CADOGAN, YOU ARE POINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION SOCIALS ISIS COALITION IN EARLY 2021. WERE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR ROLE? >> ULTIMATELY, IT'S ABOUT BRINGING THE NBA COMMUNITIES VOICES TO THE PUBLIC POLICY SPACES THAT WE KNOW NEED SUPPORT. SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE NATIONAL OR LOCAL, COMMUNITY BASED, WHO HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT WORK ON A HOST OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES. ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO IS HELP SHED A SPOTLIGHT ON THOSE ISSUES. SO, PARTNERING WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, FINDING PLACES WHERE WE CAN BE USEFUL, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE USING OUR PLATFORM THAT WE HAVE, A PLATFORM UNLIKE ANY OTHER WITHIN THE NBA FAMILY, TO HELP RAISE UP GOOD WORK THAT IS GOING TO HELP PEOPLE LEAD HEALTHIER AND BETTER LIVES. THAT'S REALLY THE END GOAL. SO, IF WE ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT A PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS WHO DO GET JUSTICE WORK, AND WE WILL BE IN THE RIGHT TRACK. >> YOUR FINAL MESSAGE, IN OUR FINAL SECONDS HERE? >> EVERYBODY, GET REGISTERED. GET OUT AND VOTE. IF YOU CAN HELP AT A POLLING SITE, PLEASE DO. ULTIMATELY THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE FUTURE IS TOGETHER AND ELECTION DAY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS IN THAT PROCESS. >> THE ONLY WAY WE'LL GET TO THE FUTURE IS TOGETHER. I'M GONNA TAKE THAT WITH ME, SIR. ALL RIGHT,