How Adam Silver Became One of Sports’ Most Powerful Executives

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is the man of the moment. Basketball’s boss, frequently spotted at playoff games, has recently played important roles in conversations around the future of sports media, betting, player development, officiating and more. In February, Silver notched 10 years as commissioner, with ESPN reporting his most recent extension will take him through the end of the 2020s, at least. 

And yet, while Silver frequently appears to be among the most powerful people in sports business, the NBA has had its fair share of controversy and critics as well. Silver’s ability to navigate those moments and manage those naysayers might in fact be his strongest skill.

Who is Adam Silver?

Adam Silver, 62 years old as of spring 2024, is the current commissioner of the National Basketball Association, which means he is effectively the CEO of the league. He’s only the fifth man to hold that position dating back to the NBA’s founding in 1946.  

Silver grew up in a New York City suburb, attending Rye High School and Duke University for college. He later got a law degree at the University of Chicago.

Did Adam Silver play basketball?

Silver did not play or coach basketball at any significant level, according to sports journalist Howard Beck, and he certainly did not play as a pro in the NBA or elsewhere. But he did grow up alongside the sport. Though he doesn’t often discuss his fandom, Silver attended New York Knicks games as a kid. His time at Duke aligned with Mike Krzyzewski’s first four years leading that program, while he graduated from Chicago the same year that Michael Jordan won his first league MVP award while playing down the road for the Bulls.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and the youngest commissioner of a major American team sport, Silver would still likely be the odds-on favorite in a one-on-one competition, though NFL commish Roger Goodell reportedly has a more decorated athletic background. 

When did Adam Silver become commissioner?

Adam Silver took over the NBA’s top job in February 2014, as league owners unanimously approved him to succeed David Stern, who had guided the sport for 30 years.

“This is a fabulous league that has its best years still ahead of it,” Silver said in his first news conference after taking the job.

Silver first joined the NBA in 1992. He oversaw NBA Entertainment for a time and moved into the deputy commissioner position in 2006. With 10 years under his belt, Silver is still currently the second-shortest tenured commissioner. He’s only ahead of Larry O’Brien, who stepped down after eight years in charge in 1984.

“I think the eight and one-half years I spent as commissioner was the longest I have ever spent concentrating on a particular situation or subject,” O’Brien said at the time. “If you told me eight and a half years ago when I came in that I’d be standing here today, I wouldn’t have believed it for a minute.”

What has Adam Silver done as NBA commissioner?

Silver was quickly put in the hot seat as commissioner. Following the emergence of racist remarks from then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014, Silver fined Sterling $2.5 million and banned him for life. Soon thereafter, ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the team for $2 billion.

More recently, Silver oversaw the punishment of then-Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for misconduct. Sarver sold the Suns for $4 billion in 2022. 

Silver has also overseen the NBA’s continued global expansion, with an influx of internationally born superstars and the creation of developmental programs around the world. According to Sportico‘s valuations, the average NBA team is now worth $4 billion, a roughly six-fold increase over the last decade.

Less than a year into his tenure, Silver penned a notable column in The New York Times calling for a change in sports betting laws after the league had opposed expansion of the practice for more than two decades. He has since helped the sport manage the introduction of legal wagering in numerous states while dealing with the fallout of recent related scandals, such as the ban of Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter following allegations that called the integrity of his play into question. 

Additionally, Silver has guided the league through several modern media experiments, including streaming parts of games on social media websites, allowing fans to buy access to specific quarters, and launching the NBA 2K League.

In 2019, Silver was named Sports Business Journal’s executive of the decade. 

How much does Adam Silver make?

Unlike NBA players, NBA executives rarely have their salaries publicly reported. Estimates have suggested Silver has been paid $10 million annually, though given the growth of the league, the compensation his peers receive and reports that companies as big as Disney have considered poaching Silver, his current earnings are likely considerably higher. If he was still making $10 million annually, Silver would be bringing home less than Landry Shamet, the league’s 152^nd highest paid athlete, who made $10.25 million this year from the Washington Wizards.