Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx are putting the spotlight on the diverse journeys of Black women across sports—from the veteran athletes, to up-and-coming stars, coaches, executives and more—in the series, Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
Portia Archer was asked to fill the newly created position of chief operating officer of the NBA’s G League organization because she was in the right place at the right time. Archer had gone through life thinking that if she worked hard, she could achieve her dreams, but after sitting on a panel at Columbia University, where she went to business school, she got a sense of how networking can land you in some pretty amazing places. So when the question: What do you want to do next in your career? led Archer to be the first in a role of its kind, she was open and prepared to embrace a position that allows her to lead and grow one of the most crucial components of the NBA.
