Adam Silver is finalizing a contract extension that will keep him as NBA commissioner through the rest of the decade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
He will remain in office to pursue the league’s next two major objectives, a new media rights deal and expansion, Wojnarowski adds.
Silver, 61, spent eight years as deputy commissioner before being promoted nearly 10 years ago. He has operated in a less authoritative manner than his predecessor, David Stern, Wojnarowski observes, working to build a partnership with owners, management and players and becoming popular with all three groups.
Silver negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement last March that will ensure labor harmony through at least 2029. The CBA also reworked the salary cap system by creating restrictive apron levels, giving teams in small and mid-sized markets a greater opportunity to remain competitive.
The commissioner radically transformed the NBA’s playoff system with the introduction of the play-in tournament, which provides more teams with a chance to qualify and limits the number of games in March and April with no postseason implications.
The success of that innovation led to this season’s establishment of a mid-season tournament, which was a big hit with fans and players.
Silver has been tested by crisis during his time in office, Wojnarowski notes. He suspended the 2019-20 season for several months following the COVID-19 outbreak and helped to devise a system to finish the season in a bubble setting at Disney World in Orlando.
The move allowed the league to crown a champion, even though it didn’t happen until October, and preserved television revenue as well as player salaries.
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