In one fell swoop, Adam Silver praised Amazon Prime Video’s initial NBA programming—and took a veiled shot at other league partners.
The NBA commissioner appeared with Prime’s studio team in conjunction with the NBA Cup final between the Spurs and Knicks Tuesday night. He touched on a bevy of newsy topics, including the impending launch of NBA Europe, and punted on delineating a solution for what would happen if the Heat attempted to trade Terry Rozier, who is sidelined amid a federal gambling investigation.
On the sports media front, Silver was effusive in his praise for Prime’s studio show, featuring Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin, Udonis Haslem, Dirk Nowitzki, and Steve Nash.
“Of course I’ve been watching it,” Silver said. “By the way, in all honesty, I love the chemistry of you guys. It’s obvious why you did so well in a team sport. The chemistry’s just fantastic, and I’ll also just say quickly as a fan I think you do a great job educating other fans about the game. 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.’ When you guys are explaining like ‘Why can’t a guy get a shot off?’ [or] ‘Why is a particular defense working?’ I think the studio you guys built is off the charts. … When you guys go out on the floor and demonstrate things, I can tell you as a fan I love that part of the coverage.”
The subtle jab at other league partners stood out, and confirms reporting from FOS’s Michael McCarthy from earlier in the season. “[H]appiness is what the NBA wants from media partners Amazon Prime Video, NBC Sports, and ABC/ESPN this season,” McCarthy wrote.
While it wasn’t clear whom Silver may have been referring to when he criticized other league coverage on Prime Tuesday night, the former players on Inside the NBA, particularly Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, can be biting in their criticism of current performers. So, too, could Stephen A. Smith, who is no longer a fixture on ESPN’s NBA Countdown. Smith has emphasized that he wasn’t “yanked” from the program, and that he didn’t want to be a regular part of it anymore. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Silver was crestfallen with the change.
Beyond positivity, the stylistic breakdowns that Prime’s show does is something Silver previously lamented the lack of in coverage of his sport.
“Sometimes I think they don’t spend enough time talking about why people love this game,” Silver told Kenny Beecham and his crew on the Numbers on the Board podcast earlier this year. “Recently I was at a meeting with Mike Krzyzewski, the former coach at Duke. He condensed it with this headline. He said we should educate people about the game—and celebrate the game. Educate and celebrate. I wish there was more of that.”
