Advisory Board Member Evelyn Magley
Florida Financial Educators Council

A philanthropist, visionary, and history-maker, Evelyn Magley is the first woman and first African American woman to own a professional men’s sports league in the United States – not just a team, but a whole league. As owner and CEO of The Basketball League (TBL), Magley leads a professional basketball organization that began operation in the U.S. in 2019 and has a stated mission to deliver a world-class entertainment experience to its communities, fans, and players. TBL provides players who, for one reason or another, do not participate in the NBA or G-League with opportunities to make a living playing the game they love on a professional basis.

Leading up to her current role, Advisory Board Member Evelyn Magley has been an educator and dedicated community servant for decades. Qualified as a Music Educator and Music Therapist, she has a passion for making a positive impact on the lives of young people. In an accomplishment that illustrates this commitment, a $3.7 million Fine Arts Building was constructed to house and educate students in a music program that grew to an 89% participation rate under her tutelage in Bradenton, Florida.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, Evelyn Magley co-founded “Children with Purpose,” an inner-city ministry focused on mentoring children through the gospel, academic services, hot meals, and music. She also is the former Director of Community Engagement at the Brampton A’s of the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada. As a liaison between the league and the city of Brampton, she scaled the forward-facing programming of the NBL, professional basketball teams, and nonprofit organizations within the community at large. Now she brings this expertise to bear on her TBL leadership efforts.

Under Magley’s leadership, TBL is dedicated to providing its host communities with professional basketball teams that offer an affordable, high-quality family entertainment experience. And the league’s community contributions go far beyond its professional-level basketball games that entertain local families. TBL supports local youth through school and group appearances, youth camps, clinics, and nonprofit organizations. The league also gives its players educational opportunities to learn from nationally acclaimed life skills classes – including training in financial literacy, health and wellness, nutrition, preventive medicine, and sports biomechanics.

Magley’s commitment to community service also has financial wellness as a large component. For example, she was the driving force behind the TBL Financial Literacy Campaign that kicked off in 2020 with the objective to train TBL teams, executives, and staff how to teach personal finance. More than 70 participants registered for the Certified Financial Education Instructor course as part of this initiative.

Magley’s position as owner and CEO of The Basketball League represents the culmination of her lifelong passion for sports and community involvement. Her participation in the Advisory Board is vital to the Florida Financial Educators Council’s efforts to promote financial wellness across Florida.

Selected members of the Florida Financial Educators Council Advisory Board are individuals who support us in our commitment to widely spread financial wellness resources across the state of Florida. They share our goal to donate financial wellness programming at the community level in initiatives that can be sustained and taken to scale.

Board Members who pass the rigorous selection criteria are professionals with a demonstrated commitment to building financial wellness in their communities. Individuals with the following traits are considered: