Adam Silver Subtly Disses ‘Negative’ ‘Old Heads’ While Praising Prime Video’s NBA Coverage

Commissioner Adam Silver has been hoping media coverage of the NBA changes from the negativity of past teams.

Adam Silver Subtly Disses ‘Negative’ ‘Old Heads’ While Praising Prime Video’s NBA Coverage

Adam Silver appreciates the effort of new media networks (Image via FirstSportz)

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been working hard to boost the league’s viewership ratings, global coverage, and overall impact of the sport. So far, he has done a good job, as the league has grasped the opportunities presented by social media, even though domestically, the ratings were dropping.

Even though fans wanted the lawyer to make wholesale changes to the game, Silver stood his ground and even suggested that he could think of slight tweaks at most. Most of the negative narratives came to the fore when the ‘old heads’ were either constantly criticizing the players or the increasing use of the 3-point shot.

The chemistry’s fantastic… As a fan, I think you do a great job educating other fans about the game. Because that I would say has frustrated me in the past about some coverage when it’s sort of reduced to one side wanted it more or this side played harder.

Adam Silver told the Prime Video team

This was the Commissioner’s opinion when he met up with Prime Video’s NBA coverage team ahead of the NBA Cup Finals. From his words, it seems Adam Silver subtly dissed the ‘old heads’ from other networks who would always bring in negativity.

As recently as this past offseason, he expressed his disappointment as to why networks did not give the NBA the same coverage as other major sports leagues get. Now that the new media rights deal has kicked in, it seems Silver is glad it has worked out for the best.

Adam Silver details how Prime Video has managed to win over fans

Adam Silver was taking shots at the crew of Inside the NBA, and some other ‘old heads’ who played a major part in influencing fans to believe that the game was not as good as it was in the past.

Prime Video's NBA team have done a good job so far
Prime Video’s NBA team have done a good job so far (Image via Facebook)

Now, with Prime Video and NBC joining the fray, fans have been absorbing all the knowledge coming from the plethora of former players on both networks.

When you guys are explaining like why can’t a guy get a shot off, why is a particular defense working… When you guys go out on the floor and demonstrate things, I can say as a fan, I love that part of the coverage

Adam Silver said

It seems the league’s commissioner is ecstatic that basketball fans are able to understand why a certain player or team failed or was successful in a certain situation, rather than just basing their opinion on wins and losses.

The impact on basketball fans has been such that ESPN, who have been present during the past media rights deal, has now been forced to incorporate some of the explanatory methods employed by Prime Video and NBC.

Adam Silver’s NBA could usher away from ‘hot take media’

A few weeks ago, LeBron James lauded ESPN’s move from its traditional ‘hot take’ approach to something that brought more details about the game to basketball fans.

The Lakers star was ecstatic that change was coming, as he and many in the league have been targeted repeatedly by the likes of ESPN and TNT’s Inside the NBA crew as a means to boost ratings. Even though there is a fine line between giving out too many details that would bore a fan and talking about topics that would enhance knowledge, the effort from these networks has been well-received.

So much so that fans have been trolling legacy media members for repeating their old mantra of garnering views. However, Adam Silver also knows the results will not be immediate.

NFL, MLB, and NHL coverage has proved that one can celebrate all eras of the sport. In the NBA’s scenario, the turnaround will take time, but Adam Silver needs the end result to be like what other sports leagues enjoy.

Otherwise, as his leading superstars inch closer towards retirement, the last thing he would want is for legacy media to create a negative narrative that destroys the NBA’s global reach.

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