New York (AFP) – NBA commissioner Adam Silver is finalizing a contract extension that would keep him in the job through the end of the decade, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Silver celebrates his 10th anniversary of replacing David Stern as the NBA’s commissioner on Thursday, having overseen an era that has sparked major global and economic growth for the league.
Completing negotiations with NBA club owners would position Silverfor a new and likely record-setting round of media rights deals as well as potential expansion.
Silver, 61, oversaw the creation of an In-Season Tournament which began this season and guided the league through the Covid-19 pandemic.
He kept the league positioned to take full advantage of evolutions in communications and US gambling laws without risking the NBA’s integrity.
One of Silver’s earliest actions was the banning of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the NBA for life after racist remarks he made went public.
Silver later had to oversee an eventual sale of the Phoenix Suns after toxic workplace revelations involving former Suns owner Robert Sarver.
He also guided the league through major issues with China in the wake of social media messages by Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, supporting 2019 protests in Hong Kong.
