In a new interview, Adam Silver is tackling a few issues that have defined his career as NBA Commissioner. But his decisions aren’t without criticism from high-profiled celebrities like Jay-Z.
Silver told CNNMoney, just two months into his new job as Commissioner he was forced to issue a lifetime ban against then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was caught on tape making racist comments to his then girlfriend.
Two years after that, Silver denounced the state of North Carolina’s controversial transgender bathroom law and pulled the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte and that too still haunts him.
–Oprah donates $500,000 for March for Live after Florida school shooting–
“I don’t think in any way we didn’t make the right decision at the time, and I will say that by banning Mr. Sterling from the NBA it sure engendered a lot of conversations about race.”
At the time, Adam Silver said he was “outraged” and used his authority to ban Sterling. He then asked team owners to vote on forcing Sterling to sell the Clippers franchise.
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z recently criticized Silver’s decision to fire Sterling instead of opening up a tougher conversation on race. Jay said in an interview that banning Sterling only encouraged “closeted racists” to hide their true feelings.
Adam Silver said: “I think it’s an interesting point,”
Silver added that “the act that we took led to a much broader societal discussion about how comments like that should be treated, comments outside of the workplace.”
“Shut up and dribble”
While players have to right to speak freely, last week, LeBron James and Kevin Durant were criticized by a Fox News host Laura Ingram who told them to “Shut up and dribble” after they criticized President Donald Trump. James said Trump is “someone who doesn’t understand the people and really don’t give a sh*t about the people.” Durant said he doesn’t think the country is run by a “great coach.”
–Trump blasts Oprah and says he would defeat her in 2020 election run—
James fired back and said he would not keep quiet and would use his platform to speak out because he is more than an athlete. Durant called the host’s comments “racist.”
Adam Silver is backing them and said he was “proud” of their responses.
While other commissioners have showed support for their players, none has gone as far as Silver, who told CNNMoney he feels being socially active is “part of being an NBA player.”