Adam Silver was unanimously elected as the National Basketball Association's Commissioner on February 1, 2014, by the NBA Board of Governors.
As Commissioner, Silver oversees a global sports and media business comprising four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, Women's National Basketball Association, NBA G League, and NBA 2K League. His dedication lies in growing basketball worldwide, embracing innovation and new technologies, increasing transparency, and using basketball as a tool to bring people together and promote health and fitness.
Notably, Silver was named SportsBusiness Journal's Executive of the Decade and has consistently ranked among the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business. He has also been recognized by TIME's 100 Most Influential People, Fortune's World's 50 Greatest Leaders, and The Bloomberg 50, Bloomberg Businessweek's list of 50 people who defined global business.
Prior to becoming Commissioner, Silver served as NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer for eight years. During this tenure, he played a crucial role in several significant achievements, including negotiating three collective bargaining agreements with the National Basketball Players Association, developing the WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League, and the Basketball Africa League, and partnering with Turner Broadcasting to manage the NBA's digital assets.
Before serving as the league's second-in-command, Silver spent over eight years as President and COO of NBA Entertainment. Since joining the league in 1992, Silver has held various positions, including Senior VP & COO of NBA Entertainment, NBA Chief of Staff, and Special Assistant to the Commissioner.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Silver has been appointed to Duke University's Board of Trustees since 2015. He has received several accolades, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School, and the University of Chicago's Professional Achievement Award in 2020.
Silver is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Business Council, and serves on the Board of Trustees for The Rockefeller Foundation and as a Vice Chairman of the Board of the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.
Before joining the NBA, Silver was a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he focused on media and antitrust cases. He also served as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Kimba Wood in New York City. Silver graduated from Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School.
