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NBA Communications: “Few people have shaped the way fans experience the NBA as profoundly as Ernie Johnson. His brilliance as a broadcaster is matched by his character, compassion and generosity, which have been evident throughout his 37 years as host of ‘Inside the NBA.’ We are grateful for Ernie’s extraordinary impact on our league and look forward to celebrating him during his final season.” – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
Among her best-known accomplishments: She developed the wildly successful NBA Cares program, which has long been a top priority for the league in terms of community outreach, as well as oversaw the creations of the NBA Foundation and the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition during the pandemic. Commissioner Adam Silver lauded Behrens on Tuesday for what he called “an extraordinary NBA career.”
Two U.S. senators called on the NBA to reevaluate a partnership with Rwanda and its dictator Paul Kagame, citing the American government's changing policy toward the small African nation, which has been accused of widespread human rights abuses. In a letter sent Friday to Commissioner Adam Silver, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote that they are "increasingly alarmed by the NBA's deepening relationship with Rwanda" and said the league "risks becoming complicit in sportswashing." The Senators said the partnership is "contrary to the spirit of American sports."
Kagame's government has been accused by the U.S., U.K. and other countries, as well as a string of human rights organizations, of abuses ranging from imprisonment, torture and murder of political opponents to the funding of child soldiers in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Just last week, Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan soldier who became an outspoken critic of Kagame and had fled the country in 2020, was found beheaded in Uganda. Human rights organizations have called for an investigation into whether the killing was politically motivated.
The senators now say the policies of the U.S., U.K and other European nations have "shifted markedly" toward Rwanda. The letter cited Rwanda's role in fomenting the conflict in the DRC, including through deployment of 18,000 troops and its command of the M23, a rebel group "which has summarily executed hundreds of civilians, committed mass rape, recruited child soldiers, and tortured civilians," the senators wrote. At the end of their letter, the senators asked the NBA to answer a series of questions, the first of which read: "What is the NBA's red line for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses?"
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“I think Adam Silver did a fantastic job managing it, leading, and punishing someone, and setting the tone that, ‘Listen, we have rules for a reason. We’re going to follow the rules, and if you’re not going to follow the rules, there are going to be severe consequences to make sure that no one thinks about doing that again,’” Ishbia said.
Oh No He Didn't: Adam Silver on LeBron James using a helicopter to commute from New York to Philly, and vice versa: "He has a deal with Fanatics. It's perfectly appropriate if part of his deal is they're gonna supply a helicopter to him as long as it's just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved, there's no rules issue there whatsoever"
Oh No He Didn't: Adam Silver on expansion: "We're still a few seasons away from actual expansion taking place"
Oh No He Didn't: Adam Silver on Wemby: "He keeps getting better. I think somebody's saying he may even be getting taller" 👀
Mat Ishbia: "We got to put more star power behind it, and I think that's where you're alluding to it. On the NBA dunk contest, the three-point contest, even All-Star Saturday night, we're even thinking about adding a new contest, a new thing in there that's going to really engage fans, even Friday night. So we're working on it and Adam Silver has been great. We are going to make some big changes to make the NBA the best NBA All-Star weekend of all time is the goal."
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David Kelly was hired as executive director for the National Basketball Players Association in February, took over for Andre Iguodala in July and has at least two years until he could realistically be at a bargaining table with commissioner Adam Silver. Yet, just three months into the job, things seem to have escalated quickly with Kelly, the players union and the league’s salary restrictions: Already, Kelly is talking about a work stoppage if those salary rules don’t change.
In an extensive interview with Sports Illustrated, Kelly said he was “100 percent” preparing players for a work stoppage and “there’s some steps that we’re taking to make sure that we’re prepared.” Asked how far he would go to extract changes to the very system the union he represents agreed to three years ago (before he was on board), Kelly said “(as) far as necessary,” and later said he thought the union’s opposition “could” lead to a work stoppage. He added, “(I) don’t hope to have one.” He said he was open — and hopeful — to finding middle ground with the league so that the players’ concerns are met while competitive balance is maintained.
The collective bargaining agreement between the owners and NBA players runs through 2030. Either side could opt out in the summer of 2029. To trigger it, the side looking to back out early would have to inform the other of its intentions by Oct. 15, 2028. In said CBA, there is an “aprons” system in place for how much teams can spend on rosters, with stiff financial and roster-building penalties for teams that spend over the first and second aprons on players. This season, with a salary cap of $164.961 million and a luxury-tax threshold of $200.428 million, the first apron is set at $209.015 million and the second apron at $221.686 million. An NBA spokesman did not return a message seeking comment on Kelly’s SI interview, but, in general, the NBA’s front office is sensitive to the expanded rhetoric around the apron system being punitive toward players.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver appears to be upping the ante on the leverage game involving the possible future of the Seattle SuperSonics, multiple ownership sources told ESPN. We say "possible" with care because Silver left owners with the impression that a Seattle expansion team was no longer a lock at last month's board of governors meeting. Silver even reintroduced the idea of Mexico City as a possible destination. At the meeting, owners were told about at least one Mexico City-based group that has approached NBA expansion partner PJT Partners with a plan about launching a team and developing a new arena district there that apparently has caught the league's attention, several sources said.