David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group and owner of MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, was a guest speaker at Wednesday’s NBA board of governors meeting as part of a discussion owners had on the America 250 celebration.
Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s president of social responsibility, and Rubenstein addressed owners on how the league is honoring the country’s 250th birthday. He gave a brief lesson on the Declaration of Independence and then gifted a framed, parchment-printed, exact replica of the historical document to each of the 30 NBA team owners. Rubenstein and commissioner Adam Silver unveiled one of the framed replicas in front of the board during the meeting.
“My hope is that the declarations are put on display in every NBA arena to remind people of the 250th anniversary and why we celebrate,” Rubenstein said. Rubenstein told Sportico he made a similar presentation to MLB owners and commissioner Rob Manfred.
Rubenstein has spent significant money on historic preservation, including on George Washington’s and James Madison’s houses, as well as historic documents.
The Stone Engravings of the Declaration of Independence are copperplate facsimiles of the original that were commissioned in 1820 by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and created by engraver William J. Stone. Rubenstein owns four of the 50 surviving Stone copies, which are on display at the National Archives and the State Department in Washington, D.C., the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the New York Historical Society in New York City.
In February, Rubenstein announced he would provide a reproduced copy of the Declaration of Independence for every state house in the U.S. “I am excited to work with @NatlGovsAssoc to enable people throughout the country to see an exact replica of the original Declaration where they can read the most famous sentence in the English language,” Rubenstein posted on social media. “’We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’”
NBA owners often hear from outside voices during their meetings. For instance, at September’s BOG meeting, the leaders of the league’s media partners—Amazon Prime’s Jay Marine, ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro and NBC’s Rick Cordella—addressed the group. Speakers have also included former CIA deputy director Michael Morell and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis.
Rubenstein is worth roughly $4 billion, according to Forbes. In 2024, he led an investor group that bought the Orioles for $1.73 billion.