This past NBA season has been, arguably, the worst in history. Tragedy after tragedy has resulted in panic and significant revenue losses for the NBA. The deaths of major icons of the sport gave also taken an emotional toll and the latest outbreak of coronavirus has threatened the health of the entire community, forcing a complete shut-down of basketball-related activities.
Needless to say, it has been a trying time for the league and Adam Silver especially as he has had to make several big decisions since the season began.
He helped stop the bleeding after Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters. The NBA was essentially shut out by the nations and millions of dollars were on the line. Silver was able to slowly repair the relationship and control the situation without costing Morey his job or freedom of speech.
"We wanted to make an absolute clear statement that the values of the NBA, these American values — we are an American business — travel with us wherever we go, and one of those values is free expression," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says at the #TIME100Health Summit pic.twitter.com/0V2YwPAPUF
— TIME (@TIME) October 17, 2019
Silver dealt with the deaths of Kobe Bryant and former league commissioner Davis Stern. He helped honor both of their lives and guided the league through the mourning process in both cases.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver statement on sudden death of Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/5sHiu1sHEo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 26, 2020
The 2020 All-Star game was facing a major overhaul, and Silver restructured the entire thing to not only honor Kobe Bryant but also make things a little more interesting and spruce up the entire event for the fans.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced today that the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards. pic.twitter.com/fJ9RWEwVe9
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2020
Of course, Adam Silver has been out in front of this Coronavirus crisis. The NBA was the first league in the U.S. to postpone its season and was able to get testing for the players. He has also issued and lead their response, urging players to self-quarantine and refrain from receiving out-of-town visitors.
Indeed, Adam Silver has had a busy season.
Adam Silver in the past 6 months
➖➖➖
• Handled the $200M loss from the China controversy
• Dealt with the basketball tragedy of losing Kobe Bryant / David Stern
• Re-structured the All-Star Game
• Coronavirus infects 2 NBA players
• Calls for Indefinite League Suspension pic.twitter.com/ZjMvWqO1LG
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) March 13, 2020
The NBA is a role-model for many other pro-leagues in the country. They are often the first to respond during a crisis and take commendable steps in dealing with it.
In all of these cases, Silver demonstrated his natural leadership abilities by steering the ship in the right direction. Hopefully, things will return to normal soon.
