Adam Silver explains how this season’s changes have made the NBA more competitive

The NBA has established many new rules throughout the years, with the expressed desire of creating the perfect fusion between a more evenly competitive sport and mixes with the entertainment industry. According to league commissioner Adam Silver, he couldn’t be more happy with all the changes he’s seen around the game. 

“I’m thrilled with the level of competition,” he said after completing a two-day Board of Governors reunion in Manhattan. The executive is convinced that when the competition is strong, the business elements usually follow close by, and this year has been no exception.

Not only has the NBA regulated load management, created a new In-Season Tournament, but also formed more balanced opportunities between bigger and smaller franchises. Ever since Silver stepped into the league over 10 years ago, he wished for all 30 teams to compete fairly both financially and for sport glory.

“That’s what I love about a true 30-team league,” Silver said. “That players and teams should be judged by the quality of the team they put together and their success on the floor.” The executive believes that only the Celtics have been truly dominant this campaign.

He then insisted that he isn’t against teams creating a dynasty, as the Warriors have done in recent history. “I’m not anti-dynasty,” Adam explained, “but you want dynasties to be created, to the extent possible, with a level playing field. [Where] teams draft well, develop players well, trade well, but in essence, operate roughly [with] the same number of chips.”

The commissioner knows that “it’s far from a perfect system now,” but thinks that the fines given out to teams and players over past load management issues have worked so far. “People often ask me, well, if players aren’t going to play at a certain intensity level for 82 games, does that mean your season should be shorter? I don’t necessarily think that’s the case.

“I think people understand there’s a regular season, they understand there’s playoffs, and they understand the difference between the Finals and the first round [or] a Game 7 and a Game 1,” he said.

Amid rumors that sport betting is slowly corrupting the NBA, Silver called gambling a “cardinal sin”

This Wednesday evening, NBA commissioner Adam Silver took the microphone to address many subjects around the league, including the situation surrounding Jontay Porter, who is currently under investigation after multiple instances of betting irregularities during the past months. According to the executive, gambling is considered a “cardinal sin” and the player could face life ban.

“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” he said after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says what Jontay Porter is accused of is a “cardinal sin” and that punishment for it could go up to banishment from the league, per @TimBontemps. pic.twitter.com/HCoAvJqCxp

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 10, 2024

Silver said he’s ready to use his power to punish the Toronto player severely. “That’s the level of authority I have here. Because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe,” he insisted.

The investigation is based on multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past months, especially gambling props from games on January 26 and then March 20. An NBA spokesperson then confirmed the news last week, revealing that the league is “looking into it.”