The NBA season is nearing the All-Star break and, when the professional basketball community gathers for that midseason party, there’s going to be a lot of discussion about the current state of affairs.
Commissioner Adam Silver has just passed his one-year anniversary as the commissioner (since he took over the reins from David Stern) and now is a great spot to reflect on what he’s done. He was thrown into the fire pretty quickly but he’s stood up to the test. Here are a few of Silver’s bigger accomplishments on the job so far.
Handling The Donald Sterling Situation
The strict excommunication of Donald Sterling is by far the biggest accomplishment for Silver. This was a messy situation from the start but Silver was swift and deliberate. He acted in the best interest of the league and stood his ground, even though Sterling dug in his heels and tried to fight the NBA’s efforts.
A lot of people felt that Sterling shouldn’t even have had the right to make a profit off the forced sale of the Clippers, but Silver knew that in order for any desired action to stand up in court, he had to give Sterling something in the process. It took a lot of lawyering and careful negotiations, combined with savvy political maneuvering, to ultimately steer a very tough situation to an appropriate conclusion.
Getting the Los Angeles Clippers out of Sterling’s hands was not easily done but it had to be, and it set just the right tone with NBA players, fans, and employees. It was a powerful and confidence-building moment for a new leader who faced a lot of pressure and was not a known commodity in the eyes of the general public. It is hard – if not impossible – to overstate the importance of this performance by Silver as the cornerstone upon which the rest of his tenure can be built.
Addressing The Atlanta Hawks’ Mess
It is true that the Atlanta Hawks are flying high now but in September, the franchise was in total disarray. Primary owner Bruce Levenson sent a racist e-mail and general manager Danny Ferry was captured on audiotape making racist remarks. Following the Donald Sterling incident with the Clippers, the NBA and Silver had to put out another fire again. Action was swiftly taken and while the Hawks have not been sold, they are in a position of greater stability with the offending parties, Levenson and Ferry, now out of the picture. Silver made this situation proceed seamlessly instead of getting caught in unneeded entanglements. He didn’t create more trouble than he needed to. That was also significant.
A $24-Billion TV Deal
The securing of a full-week break for the All-Star break was important but what will be a more lasting achievement is Silver’s ability to secure a $24 billion deal with the league’s various television partners (TNT and ESPN/ABC). Getting that much money in return for continued broadcasting of the sport reflects a clear valuation of the NBA as a product by sports broadcasters. Silver is clearly a negotiator who knows how to say the right things and get the right results from the people who sit across the table from him. He has dealt with crises, but as this TV deal shows, he also knows how to do business and keep TV and advertising partners happy.
Legalizing Sports Betting?
While these are the three key achievements by Silver in his first season, he has proven to be anything but a conservative commissioner. Booting Sterling from the league was a big win but Silver isn’t resting on his laurels. He’s openly talked about a sports betting and embraced it, which is a stark contrast to how all of the other major North American sports treat it.
It will be interesting to see if he champions that cause and actually sees it through. It would be yet another landmark feather in his cap if he does. And Silver has only been on the job for just a little more than a year.
