The NBA is one of the world’s premier sporting leagues and China was the NBA’s fastest-growing market. In 2019, Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, was rocked with protests by a pro-democracy “separatist movement”. Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted his support for democracy in Hong Kong. As this occurred, NBA players scheduled to play in China had promotional events canceled, as the Chinese government and public turned against the NBA. This tweet was a PR disaster for the NBA and led to hundreds of millions in lost revenue from China. Adam Silver was the face of the response and current NBA Commissioner. Throughout his tenure Silver has been praised for his strong leadership and is revered by NBA executives as well as players, for handling “potentially divisive issues with openness, fairness, and integrity” (Abdul-Jabbar, 2015).
Although Adam Silver’s main responsibility is ensuring the NBA continues to grow in popularity and profitability, Silver has consistently made decisions based on his morals. A key example of this was his response to, Houston Rockets executive, Daryl Morey’s tweet supporting democracy in Hong Kong where it was reported that China pressured the NBA to fire Morey. Instead of choosing the more financially responsible option, Silver supported Morey’s right to free expression, stating that “there’s no chance we’ll even discipline him”, despite the financial ramifications. Silver’s support of Morey led to “strong dissatisfaction and opposition” from the Chinese, leading to the NBA to lose hundreds of millions in revenue as Chinese companies withdrew their sponsorships and the NBA lost the support of the Chinese public. Silver maintained that regardless of the consequences “it’s critically important we adhere to those values”. This highlights the Silver’s willingness to overlook external pressures in favor of maintaining the league’s core values, one of which is free expression, a cornerstone of Silver’s tenure as Commissioner. Silver’s decision not to reprimand Morey may have ruined the league’s relationship with China, but his choice highlights that his decisions are guided by his internal moral rather than external pressures, which is a key attribute of authentic leadership. Throughout his tenure, Silver has consistently led according to his morals, which “builds credibility and wins the respect and trust of constituents”. By consistently following his internalized moral perspective, his followers are able to assess and validate his authenticity as a leader. Consistency in one’s behaviors and morals, not only allows followers to assess authenticity but also “identify and take on the positive core values of their leader”. Thus, by following his morals, Silver improves his attractiveness and credibility as a role model to his followers. Silver’s consistency in making decisions guided by his morals, an attribute few league commissioners share, highlighting the authentic nature of his decision-making.
As NBA Commissioner, Silver assesses all relevant information for the situations facing the NBA. When faced with the decision regarding his stance on China, Silver was aware of the social and political implications of his decision. Silver considered the desires of all the various stakeholders as well as the “financial consequences” before making a decision. Silver has established a reputation as “The thoughtful contrarian” throughout his career, often considering alternative perspectives before making decisions. Silver chose to stand by the leagues morals and not punish Morey after assessing the consequences of his options. Silver exhibited balanced processing as he analysed “all relevant [the] information before making a decision’’. Furthermore, after Silver told players they were to speak to the Chinese media and act as “ambassadors” for the league to repair the damage done by the tweet, he later allowed players to choose whether they would speak to the media or not after getting more information. Players explained that they were reluctant and unprepared to discuss the situation. Silver was able to accept negative feedback in a non-defensive manner, which is a key characteristic of balanced processing. When authentic leaders are able to respond to feedback non-defensively, this “promotes trust among follows”. Silver has adopted “a more diplomatic approach than his predecessors” as he treated his followers more like partners, and has been open to listening to alternative stances before making decisions. Silver’s rhetoric has pushed inclusivity, as opposed to the paternalistic rhetoric of his predecessor David Stern. Stern’s paternalistic rhetoric was representative of the paternalistic masculinity of social structures that exist within the NBA’s hierarchy. In contrast, Silver is open to the various perspectives of his followers and is praised for “his ability to forcefully and convincingly explain his viewpoint” when they have disagreements. This leads his colleagues to respect his decisions as they are able to understand why he made those decisions. By taking the concerns of his followers into account, Silver has created a culture of empowerment as his followers are willing to voice their concerns as they are likely to be heard. This culture of player empowerment is a key sign of authentic leadership and is especially important when considering the largely African-American group of NBA players whose voices have been undermined in the past by white masculine power structures. Although he may not have all relevant information, Silver consistently makes attempts to analyze all the information he possesses before making decisions. Silver’s ability to listen above all else is one of the key attributes he possesses that makes him one of the most influential and praised leaders in sports.
Despite the secrecy demanded in his position, Silver has maintained unrivaled levels of transparency. Throughout the situation with China, Silver was challenged by players and team executives, many of whom had financial stakes in the situation. Players, like LeBron James, questioned why Morey wasn’t being punished, as he believed, if a player were to do the same, they would be reprimanded. In a meeting with the NBA players in China, Silver was “vulnerable and transparent” about the reasoning of his decisions when questioned. Months later, James praised “Adam Silver the Great” for his leadership, despite sharing opposing perspectives on the China situation. One of Silver’s “guiding principles coming in [as commissioner]” was improving “transparency in how decisions are made at the league office” and in this situation, he informed everyone that the league supported Morey’s right to “free expression”. By explaining his stance, Silver exhibited relational transparency as he went beyond legal and regulatory requirements when disclosing information and tried to help his followers understand why he was making his decisions. Silver openly acknowledged that it wasn’t “a position any business wants to be in, but those are the results”. Relational transparency, like that displayed by Silver in this case, builds and solidifies follower trust, and is “a key determinant of perceived leadership”. Consequently, Silver’s transparency further increases his “attractiveness and credibility” as a role model for his followers. Silver has built a culture of free expression which he has cultivated through his own transparency. Thus, Silver serves as a role model, encouraging his followers also to be open with their opinions. Consequently, Silver’s authentic leadership has “encouraged players to speak their mind”, empowering his followers, leading them to believe they have more power over decisions. All of this culminates in a culture of empowerment within his workforce, where players and executives have been able to openly express themselves on social and political issues. Silver has shown that he is transparent to his followers as well as the public, even when the outcome is negative, demonstrating relational transparency, a key attribute of an authentic leader.
It is impossible to talk about Silver’s leadership without talking about the context. It is somewhat ironic that the league commissioner for America’s “blackest” league is white with much of the NBA league office and league management also being a majority white. As a white man, Adam Silver has been in an advantageous position to gain power throughout his life and during his time in the NBA league office due to the prevailing discourses of leadership silently sustaining white power and privilege. In a predominantly white organization, like the NBA League office, leaders who are white, do not encounter the “racially insensitive micro-aggressions” that their African American counterparts face. Silver is able to more openly express his beliefs without fear of these micro-aggressions, unlike his African-American counterparts who must “negotiate between their black selves and the identity that is expected”. Thus, Silver’s African-American counterparts are held back from exhibiting authentic leadership traits as they must “control their emotional response [in] fear of exacerbating” negative African-American stereotypes. Therefore, Silver at an advantage as a white male, thus fitting the NBA’s mold of an NBA League Office Executive, and thus he is able to exhibit the traits of authentic leadership, without jeopardizing his leadership position due to the higher freedom of expression afforded to him. Furthermore, we must consider the fact that Silver is leading a group of players, 81.9% of which are African American. In the past, the league used “paternalistic rhetoric to maintain control of players” thus undermining the voice and expressions of NBA players. This paternalistic rhetoric perpetuated the perceived “protective” role white people play within social structures. The NBA went as far as banning players from expressions of hip-hop culture in its dress code, highlighting the presence of racial structures within the NBA. Therefore, when examining the leadership of Adam Silver, we must consider his followers and their relationship with Silver.
Due to a single tweet, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver faced an international incident that put up the NBA against one of the world’s most powerful nations. Through his actions, Silver has demonstrated three core traits of an authentic leader and the situation between the NBA and China is a prime representation of Silver’s thoughtful approach to leadership. Despite the immense political and financial pressure, Silver made decisions according to his morals while also adopting balanced processing of information. Furthermore, Silver demonstrated relational transparency by being openly explaining the reasoning behind his stance. It must be noted that Silver’s authentic leadership traits may have been cultivated by the freedom of expression afforded to him by his privilege, an experience his minority counterparts would not experience. Although privilege played a role, there is a reason Silver is the most respected commissioner in sport. Silver’s authentic leadership traits have built trust and loyalty from his followers and established a culture of empowerment and free expression. He has treated his followers as partners rather than subordinates, stopping the paternalistic rhetoric that was commonly used in the past, paving the way for players and executives like Morey to openly express their opinions. Despite the rocky road the NBA has faced during his leadership, Silver has steered the league based on morals and empowerment, while still improving league performance. In the face of the Coronavirus, he took the lead, suspending the league despite the ramification and the rest of the country followed. Silver has time and time again showed why he is the most respected and greatest leaders in the world of sports.
