The NBA owners did not "petition the government together". They simply acted in their own interests, based upon their evaluation of possible blowback from sponsors.
To selectively only allow in public transport from whiter and more affluent areas, but not poor, black, high-crime areas is somewhat different. It is a form of ‘redlining’, and something that we socially, if not legally, don’t approve of—at least to the level of public expression.
So only certain forms of "free association" are acceptable to you. Only forms that are "socially acceptable". And my point is, what happens if the standards of "social acceptability" change, to the point where redlining becomes something that the majority is no longer bothered by? Will you accept the new standard of social acceptability?
First, I was in that instance, I would have thought obviously, referring to your example—not the NBA owners.
Second, I wasn’t commenting on my take on your hypotheticals at all—simply describing what they entailed.