Adam Silver says the Warriors visiting the White House won’t come down to a league decision, but he has some advice for the team if the offer ever comes: go.
C.J. McCollum took a break from trying to convince Carmelo Anthony to join the Blazers to interview the NBA commissioner for The Players’ Tribune and got a few interesting answers out of Silver. The most notable one: what the Warriors should do if Donald Trump actually invites them to visit the White House.
“I definitely don’t think it should be a league decision,” Silver said. “I don’t think we should be directing teams or players to go to the White House.”
“It’s my view that if invited, our teams should go to the White House… that regardless of people’s personal or political views, I think that these institutions are bigger than any individual politician, any elected official.
It concerns me that something like going to the White House after winning a championship and something that’s been a great tradition, would become one that is partisan. I will say though, even though I think that teams should make decisions as organizations, that I would also respect an individual player’s decision not to go.”
Though he’s already said it would be a mistake for teams to boycott Donald Trump’s White House, it’s still a significant answer to an NBA player. In fact, Silver might officially be the most vocal commissioner in sports these days. He’s constantly giving quotes about NBA and NBA-adjacent stories, even controversial topics like gambling on basketball and potential changes to the NBA Draft Lottery.
He’s also willing to pull back the curtain a bit and reveal to fans that the league is constantly looking to innovate. Silver’s honestly and willingness to give a quote always keeps the NBA in the news, sure, but it also shows that they’re looking to be progressive in many different ways.
Even if it turns out that the league isn’t being progressive about a particular issue. Here’s Silver, for example, on potentially changing the league’s policy on marijuana.
“I don’t see the need for changes right now,” Silver said..
“I mean, it’s legal in certain states, but as you know, our players are constantly traveling and it might be a bit of a trap, to say we are going to legalize it in these states, but no, it’s illegal in other states and then players get in a position where they’re trying traveling with marijuana and we’re obviously going to get in trouble.”
Sounds like that change won’t be happening officially until it’s addressed on a federal level. And considering who the president is, I wouldn’t expect that to happen anytime soon.
