This summer, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame gave one of its biggest awards to a woman who lives in Yonkers. Her name is Leah Wilcox. She has spent 40 years inside the NBA. She was the first Black woman to become a vice president in the league office. And for more than three decades, she has called Yonkers home.
On October 7, Yonkers finally got to say thank you.
It Started With a Fight Over the TV
Leah grew up in New York City. Her love of basketball started at home, in a battle with her big brother Raymond over the TV during the 1970 NBA Finals. The Knicks won that series. She was hooked.
She spent her summers around the city's big summer league courts, from West 4th Street to Rucker Park. A high school internship at RKO General led to work with a community basketball team. Then she watched Marvin Gaye sing the anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, and she knew where she wanted to be.
40 Years Inside the NBA
Her first league job was at NBA Entertainment. She helped build NBA Inside Stuff, the show that aired on and off from 1990 to 2018 on NBC, ABC and NBA TV. If you grew up watching Ahmad Rashad hang out with your favorite players, that was partly her doing. She used her player connections to land guests and cameos, from Ben Stiller to LL Cool J.
She worked her way up from there. She became Director and then Vice President of Player and Talent Relations. That made her the first Black woman to hold the title of vice president at the NBA. In 2003, Sports Illustrated named her one of its 101 Most Influential African Americans in Sports.
She told NBA.com, "I feel like a female version of Forrest Gump. I was there for it all."
The Person NBA Families Call
Today she is a Vice President and the Commissioner's Office Liaison. She works with NBA legends and their families.
That part of the job matters more than it sounds. Think about a mom or dad whose kid just made the league. Overnight, they are in a world of agents, money and cameras. Leah helped start Mothers of Professional Basketball Players and Fathers & Men of Professional Basketball Players. Those groups help families learn the business side of the game and lean on each other.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver put it plainly: "Few people in the NBA are as universally beloved and respected as Leah Wilcox."
Basketball's Hall of Fame Took Notice
In March, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame named her the 2026 winner of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. She got it on August 14 at the Hall's Enshrinement Weekend gala at Mohegan Sun.
The Bunn Award is the Hall's top honor outside of getting inducted. It started in 1973. Past winners include coaching legends John Wooden and Red Auerbach and Celtics great Bob Cousy. Now her name sits on that same list.
Then Yonkers Said Thank You
On October 7, Mayor Mike Spano brought her to City Hall and gave her a proclamation. The Mayor said she has called Yonkers home for more than three decades. He also explained why her work matters. A parent with a superstar kid suddenly has to walk into a whole new world, he said, and they need someone like Leah to guide them.
Here's a detail we loved. Leah told the room that her cousins moved to Yonkers years ago, and her family followed them here. She gave a shout-out to her nephew Ray. She calls him "the Prince of Yonkers."
She also joked that she had to go home and paint a wall to get it ready for all these awards.
Why This One Hit Different
Sports Illustrated and the Hall of Fame have both honored Leah. But she was clear about what this day meant.
"This means so much to me to be honored by home, by my peers, by my colleagues, by my families," she said.
She also said she had already reached out to the local YMCA about its new basketball league. Her message to Yonkers was simple: "I am here for you guys."
The Hall of Fame honored her in August. In October, her neighbors got their turn.
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