Adam Silver appeared in NBA All-Star 2023 of Salt Lake City as part of the usual press conference of the League Commissioner. In it, journalists were able to get an update on various issues affecting the competition as well as its predictions for the immediate future.
The NBA chief began his appearance by highlighting the contrast between the last time the All-Star Game was held in Utah. In that 1993 edition, Michael Jordan was the most voted player by fans 1 million supportswhile in this 2023 it was LeBron James with more than 8, as Silver notes. The Commissioner wanted to highlight the evolution of communications as well as the globalization of the product that made this change possible.
On the other hand, Silver wanted to thank the public officials of the State of Utah who made the All Star Weekend possible as well as the management of the Utah Jazz. A weekend which, according to the Commissioner, had an economic impact $280 million for Salt Lake City, record according to the strain.
He The NBA Commissioner spoke about many different topicsincluding negotiations for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the NBPA, freight management (load management), the possible expansion and the possibility of competing against European teams.
Here are highlights from Adam Silver’s Saturday, February 18 NBA All-Star 2023 press conference.
About the season
“Just a little bit about the season so far. This has actually been the most competitive season in our history as a measure of team records in terms of closeness, win-loss percentage throughout the season. I think that’s a reflection of the incredible quality of play we have in this league, the huge number of international players there are now.”
“And it’s also interesting that we probably had more player turnover this year than any other time in our history. I think that speaks to teams trying to put themselves in the best possible position going into the playoffs. In this case, more than 10% of the entire league was traded in the last week or so before the trade deadline.”
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About the new collective agreement (CBA)
“I would say it’s a top priority for us as well to come to an agreement as soon as possible. I think at least what we’ve discussed at the table with the Players Association is that we’re not going to publicly address the issues that could potentially keep us apart.
“Overall, for us, our biggest goal is to have as much competition as possible. I think we’ve made a lot of progress over the years as we’ve improved the system to be more competitive, as we’ve clearly seen this season. .”
About load management (load management)
“The world we used to live in, where it was just going out and playing when you’re injured, for example, I don’t think it’s appropriate. Clearly, these are people, they’re often playing in tremendous pain, they’re playing in all kinds of pain. And of annoyances on a regular basis. The suggestion that these men should somehow be out there more for their own good just doesn’t buy me.”
“It’s interesting, because even if you think about where we are right now, I don’t think the problem is exactly what some people are suggesting. I mean, our stars don’t get as many games to rest. I mean, we have injuries. I think everyone agrees. I agree that it’s a separate issue. But as a sort of measure of lost games, it’s not that bad.”
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About a possible extension
“There hasn’t been any talk of expansion recently. What I’ve said before, because it comes up a lot, I’d say mostly people who ask me or others in the league is that it’s only natural at some point an organization will expand. In that case why are we both in a circle of [negociación] of the CMO and a circle of national media, our current agreements expire in two and a half years.”
“The view from our governors was we’ve found out exactly what the new CBA looks like, let’s find out what our new deals look like in the media. And then let’s think about expansion.”
“That’s how we’ll always do it. There are no active discussions in the league office right now, but we’ll come back in a few years.”.
In a possible competition against European teams
“Over the years, we’ve had a few different tournaments where NBA teams have played against European clubs. I’m sure you remember we had the McDonald’s Championship many years ago.”
“It’s something we’ll continue to look at. I think it’s about building the best possible competition. Part of the problem is our season cycle versus the EuroLeague season. I don’t think it’s realistic for a team to, say, make the Finals , after a very long campaign, and then play another tournament. And also, because of the movement of players in this league, it’s a different set next season and they haven’t been set up yet. They haven’t had a chance to interact with their new team and would enter the competition directly.”
“I think in the long run the way we have to look at this is and it can address the problem of a long regular season. We’ve talked about an in-campaign tournament to create some added excitement during the regular season. It might be that in at some point there will be a seasonal tournament, but one that involves clubs outside of the NBA. Those are all ideas we will continue to explore.”
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
