Adam Silver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adam Silver
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Official portrait, 2014
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| 5th Commissioner of the NBA | |
| Assumed office February 1, 2014 |
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| Deputy | Mark Tatum |
| Preceded by | David Stern |
| Deputy Commissioner of the NBA | |
| In office July 1, 2006 – February 1, 2014 |
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| Commissioner | David Stern |
| Preceded by | Russ Granik |
| Succeeded by | Mark Tatum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 25, 1962 Rye, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Maggie Grise
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | |
Adam Silver was born on April 25, 1962. He is an American lawyer and a top sports executive. He is currently the fifth leader, or commissioner, of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Adam Silver joined the NBA in 1992. He worked his way up through different jobs in the league. In 2006, he became the chief operating officer and deputy commissioner. His mentor, David Stern, was the commissioner at the time. When Stern retired in 2014, Adam Silver took over as the new commissioner. Under his leadership, the NBA has continued to grow around the world.
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Early Life and School
Adam Silver grew up in Rye, New York, a town near New York City. His family was Jewish-American. His father, Edward Silver, was a lawyer who focused on labor law. Adam went to Rye High School and finished in 1980.
After high school, Adam went to Duke University. He studied political science and graduated in 1984. For a year, he worked for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Then, he went to the University of Chicago Law School and became a lawyer in 1988.
After law school, Silver worked for a judge for one year. He then joined a law firm called Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
Adam Silver's NBA Journey
Before becoming the top commissioner, Adam Silver was the NBA's deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for eight years. In this role, he helped with many important things.
- He worked on agreements between the league and the players' association.
- He helped develop the WNBA and the NBA Development League.
- He helped create NBA China, which expanded the league's reach in China.
Before that, Silver spent eight years as president of NBA Entertainment. This part of the NBA creates movies and shows about basketball. He was an executive producer for films like Michael Jordan to the Max and Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray?. He also helped with Like Mike and The Year of the Yao.
Becoming Commissioner
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On October 25, 2012, the previous commissioner, David Stern, said he wanted Adam Silver to be the next leader. On February 1, 2014, when Stern retired, all the NBA team owners agreed that Silver should take over.
One of Silver's biggest moments as commissioner happened in April 2014. The owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, was heard making racist comments. Adam Silver acted quickly and strongly. On April 29, 2014, he announced that Sterling was banned from the NBA for life. Silver also fined Sterling $2.5 million. He urged other team owners to vote to remove Sterling from owning the Clippers. This was one of the toughest punishments ever given to a sports team owner.
In November 2014, Silver wrote an article in The New York Times. He said he believed that sports betting should be legal and regulated. He thought it should be "brought out of the underground and into the sunlight."
In 2019, a general manager for the Houston Rockets made a tweet that supported protests in Hong Kong. This caused a big reaction, especially in China. Adam Silver defended the general manager's right to speak freely. He said that people around the world will have different opinions. He also said it's not the NBA's job to decide who is right or wrong in these differences. This situation showed the challenges of leading a global sports league.
In March 2020, Adam Silver made a very important decision. He chose to suspend the 2019–20 NBA season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, in June 2020, he announced that the season would restart. They created the NBA Bubble, a special safe area in Florida. This bubble protected players and coaches, allowing the season to finish successfully. Silver later said the bubble worked "better than what we had envisioned."
Awards and Recognition
Adam Silver has received many honors for his work.
- In 2016, Sports Business Journal named him the most influential person in sports business.
- In 2015, he was named Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal.
- Time magazine included him in their list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2015.
- Fortune magazine also named him one of the 50 Greatest Leaders that year.
- In 2014, Sports Illustrated named him Executive of the Year.
He is also on the board of trustees for Duke University. He received an award from the University of Chicago Law School in 2016. He also helps with the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Since 2023, he has been on the board of trustees for NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital.
Personal Life
Adam Silver married Maggie Grise, an interior designer, in 2015. They have two daughters. One was born in April 2017, and the other in May 2020.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2014
See also
In Spanish: Adam Silver para niños
