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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday heaped praise on Indianapolis organizers as the city prepares to host the NBA All-Star Game and dozens of related events.
Speaking during an Economic Club of Indiana luncheon at the Indiana Convention Center, Silver said the partnership exhibited by city and state leaders when Indianapolis hosts big events is “different” than what’s found in other markets around the league.
In fact, Silver said he thinks Hoosier Hospitality is something “many folks here take for granted” when it comes to big events like the the All-Star Game, NCAA Final Fours or other high-profile sporting events. He said there’s not always a well-planned welcome wagon waiting for the league or its events when they occur elsewhere like there has been in Indianapolis this week.
“Generally, when I go to other places, people are not taking the time to do that,” Silver said. “It’s just that, that’s not something people do on a regular basis in other cities. So, I would just say to all of you business leaders, members of this community, government officials, [that] you should be incredibly proud of that, because I have a pretty good perspective on many different cities. And there isn’t another one like this one.”
Even so, Silver stopped short of promising more events to Indianapolis in the future. When asked whether the NBA’s new In-Season tournament could move from Las Vegas, Silver said he has “mixed feelings” on the matter because doing so would be a challenge, and because that city already has a captive audience because of its popularity as a tourist destination. He added that while the league saw fair attendance at the games played in Las Vegas—including those in which the Pacers participated—it was in part because there’s a large number of Lakers fans in the region (the Lakers defeated the Pacers in the tournament final).
“I think it’s something we’ll continue to look at [but] I would just say … it’s a scheduling nightmare,” he said. “I wish it were the case that we had a blank slate just to schedule basketball, but lots of other events—great concerts, all kinds of other things—are happening in these arenas. So, it’s not an easy thing to do. I’ll just leave it at that.”
IBJ Media, the parent of IBJ, was the title sponsor of the luncheon.
Throughout his 45-minute conversation with Inside INdiana Business host Gerry Dick, Silver touched on numerous other topics, including the league’s strategy to survive the pandemic and its overseas growth. He also addressed the role he sees technology playing in the future of the NBA, as well as how the NBA plans to navigate its next media rights deal, as the current one expires in June 2025.
On media and broadcast rights, Silver said he expects the league will ultimately adopt a hybrid model—a blend of traditional linear television broadcasts and some streaming-exclusive content—as part of its next deal, The league, which has deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney totaling $24 billion, is reportedly gunning for about $75 billion in revenue over the decade-or-longer life of any future agreements. In comparison, the NFL, which is the most-watched sport in the United States, has a deal valued at $110 billion over 11 years.
“It’ll be a hybrid and our partners are moving in that same direction,” he said, noting Warner Bros. Discovery owns the streaming platform Max and Disney owns Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. He added that a recent announced partnership between the companies and Fox Sports to create a unified streaming sports app could play into the league’s approach. “At the end of the day, more consumers and more fan choice is positive and that’s what I’m hoping this is.”
He also said he expects augmented reality and artificial intelligence will continue to have a place in the league—even if he’s not quite sure what that looks like yet.
“So, the question is [by] using technology like the new Apple Vision Pro, and what Meta is doing with a similar type of technology, is ‘How can we create an engaging experience that will seem very special to people, bring them closer to the game and have unique attributes?’ … I think the opportunities are incredible.”
During the event, Silver also praised Indiana Pacers leadership—in particular, owner Herb Simon, the oldest team owner in the NBA at 89 years old—for bringing All-Star Weekend back to Indianapolis for the first time since 1985.
He said Simon has generally “set the tone” for the NBA when it comes to expectations of owners because of his involvement in league business and willingness to welcome new owners into the fray, as well as Simon’s role in cementing revenue sharing as a cornerstone of the league’s platform.
“There’s no one who’s more on it than Herb,” Silver said. “He’s in every [owners] committee meeting, reads all the materials, is constantly on the phone with me, not just about the Pacers but other ideas. Obviously he’s hosting this All-Star Game and is fully engaged with it, and is just a pleasure to be around.”
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This isn’t the main point of the article, but the NBA currently broadcasts quite a few games in Virtual Reality that you can watch on Meta’s Quest headset. It really feels like you’re sitting courtside at the game! It’s an amazing experience that I think justifies the purchase alone if you’re a basketball fan. I’d consider the Apple Vision Pro if the price dropped by $2,500, but the Quest does almost everything AVP does (and more) for $600. I’m certainly no fan of Facebook and hesitated to buy a Meta product, but a Facebook account isn’t required. I definitely recommend it.
Interesting comment. I would love to learn more….