On Tuesday, we passed along some of the most noteworthy comments Adam Silver made in his press conference following this week’s Board of Governors meetings, relaying the NBA commissioner’s remarks about Sanctions Clippersas well as his latest potential upgrade expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Silver’s media session on Tuesday covered many additional issues beyond those two topics. Here is a summary of some of the other issues the commissioner discussed:
On the dispute between the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland over Moda Center renovation funding:
(story via Sam Amick of The Athletic)
“I want to be very blunt about this: I would consider it a failure if we didn’t keep the team in Portland. I’ve spent a lot of time in this community over the years. They’ve shown amazing support for the Trail Blazers. They’re some of our best fans in the league.
“But at the same time — and I’m also speaking on behalf of our WNBA team in the market — we need a state-of-the-art arena. I think by any objective measure the current building is the lowest in the league. And I think everyone in the community recognizes — not just for NBA basketball and the WNBA, but for all the different uses of these state-of-the-art arenas … concerts, conventions, proms, whatever — that the community needs the same thing.”
“… I had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with (Blazers owner) Tom Dundon while he was here in New York at our meetings. We discussed the situation around Portland at one of the committee meetings with Tom. I think he was able to bounce off the ideas of other owners who were having similar negotiations in other communities. I think there is something to learn here.”
About NBA Europe, a possible partnership with the EuroLeague and a planned launch date of fall 2027:
(story via Eric Nehm of The Athletic)
“We discussed the ongoing negotiations with the EuroLeague (during this week’s Board of Governors meetings). As I said before, we are making progress. We believe that the league (NBA) will be strengthened by joining forces with the EuroLeague. It should not happen, but I think we would all be better off if we were a united front in Europe.
“… As for potential investors, I’m not sure they’re that impatient about next season. I think if it was up to some of them, at least we would have waited longer to launch. At the same time, depending on our situation with the Euroleague, I really think it’s important that we introduce competition to the market next summer. What the initial product that you’re likely to see … in a year will be different than when we’re in eventually got all the teams together and officially runs the league.”
On Mark Walter’s decision to sell the Lakers less than a year after gaining more control of the franchise amid a federal investigation into his financial dealings:
(story via Eric Nehm of The Athletic)
“I would say that at the time we were checking Mark Walter to be governor-in-chief … we went through the full process that we all do. We talked to government agencies. In the case of Mark Walter, we were talking to a highly regulated insurance industry. We’ve talked to other leagues he has investments in and haven’t found any signals.
“… We take the vetting process very seriously. A lot of what we do is extensive database searches. I mean, in this day and age, with artificial intelligence and everything, you’d think it’s all centralized. It’s not. In many cases, you go from state to state. In some cases, people are part of industries that are regulated state by state, so you have to look there as well. We also talk to by the number of people who know about these people, and we do interviews.
“… So, again, we’re always looking to see if we can do anything better, but I don’t see a trend or any widespread issue, certainly among our core owners, that gives me cause for concern.”
On working with a search firm to hire a new WNBA commissioner to replace the retiring Katie Engelbert and increasing the league’s independence from the NBA:
(story via Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press)
“We’ve heard from several potential candidates. We’ve heard from others who are recommending candidates. We’re keeping that list in the office right now. Again, we’ll move forward with that process.
“… I felt (Engelbert becoming the first person to hold the title of WNBA commissioner) was more than symbolic. Under Cathy, we’ve grown the part of our office that’s focused solely on the WNBA quite a bit. I would say that in matters, especially basketball and player issues, I think those people should be independent of the NBA and should be under the direct control of the WNBA commissioner.”
