Adam Silver's first year as commissioner has been stellar. (USATSI)
Sports Business Journal published a list Monday of the 50 most influential people in sports business, and Adam Silver topped No. 1.
The longtime protégé has made few missteps -- if any -- since replacing David Stern as NBA commissioner on Feb. 1. Silver swiftly and decidedly ousted disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the league after Sterling's racist comments became public. In the process, he helped deliver a market-adjusting $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Silver then brought his owners a new $24 billion media deal, tripling the value of the current deal. Both power plays are widely hailed throughout all of sports. It's been certainly a difficult, but by any measure stellar, year for the new commissioner.
via 50 Most Influential: No. 1 — Adam Silver - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global.
It's been quite a honeymoon for Silver, who boosted this perception with how he handled the Sterling debacle, but also with how he managed to present himself from the get-go. Silver reached out to the players before the Sterling debacle and offered himself as more of a partner than even David Stern did (and despite Stern's public persona, reading like Davis Halberstam's Breaks of the Games and Playing For Keeps reveals him as staunchly pro-player). He reached out to media and preached "transparency," which was key after the Tim Donaghy scandal.
Silver has promoted the NBA's space in technology and social media, as a global product, and has shown himself to be fair but firm.
The question will be how this persona will hold over time, given the already contentious environment over the potential opt-out from the CBA by both the players and owners in 2017, and whatever controversies the future holds. Still, it's a wise choice, and a reason why so many believe the NBA shows the most growth opportunity of any sport over the next decade.
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