Adam Silver calls Memphis 'a great market for the NBA,' says owner Robert Pera has no interest in moving team

Matt Infield: Notable comments here from Adam Silver on the Grizzlies: -Calls Memphis “a great market historically for the NBA” -Reiterates Robert Pera has no interest in moving the team -Does say he’d like to see the team play a few games in Nashville a year to be “Tennessee’s team”

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More on Adam Silver: Recent HoopsHype Rumors

Adam Silver: And right now, basketball is the number two sport in Europe, but from a commercial standpoint it generates about 1% of the revenue.” Craig Carton: “Second to soccer, I assume.” Adam Silver: “Second to soccer, yeah. But from a commercial standpoint, it’s minuscule. And so the marketplace sees a big opportunity in basketball. I mean, we’ve already talked about, you know, some—you know, of course, Luka, whether it’s—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian, he’s not European—but the number of international players we have now, you know, Giannis, Wemby, some of our very best players, you know, Jokic—I could keep going on. — 4/18/2026 YouTube

Adam Silver: “I still think the (65-game) rule is working. Remember, even when we came together with the union and passed this rule, one-third of all NBA players, the season before we put this rule in place, did not play 65 games, which is crazy. And remember, from the union standpoint, it’s zero-sum. In our collective bargaining agreement, if we pay out 50% of the revenue, we pay out 50% of the revenue. Where this becomes important is not just, I think, for players who deservedly want to be eligible for these honors, but it also has an impact on their contract. To the extent one player doesn’t get the money, another player does. So the union’s always on both sides of these things, and we always knew anywhere you drew the line, there would be guys who would both be disappointed, and some people might say it was unfair. Now, I guess your point is, you could just say, ‘Just make it 65. Don’t listen.’ But when we negotiated, we said, ‘Exceptional circumstances.’ So I understand it. — 4/18/2026 YouTube

Adam Silver explains how he could foresee an NBA European Division, especially with advancements in supersonic air travel. — 4/18/2026 x.com

“Let me ask you about my favorite player to talk about, LeBron James. Obviously, he’s the only player that’s ever been given his own patch—a couple of them—as he’s achieved things no other player has achieved. Has he talked to you guys yet about coming back for one final year? Do you have any insight into his plans in that regard? I assume you want him back.” Adam Silver: “You know, I want LeBron to play as long as he actually wants to play. I mean, he’s not just a 41-year-old player in the league with the most points ever in so many different categories, but he’s still playing at an incredibly high level. It’s not like he’s just sort of out there.” Craig Carton: “Yeah, it’s unfortunate that Austin Reaves got hurt and Luka got hurt, because they started playing their best basketball of the year and got to the three seed before those two guys got hurt.” Adam Silver: “Yeah, but he—no, I haven’t talked to him since the season ended. I mean, I have every indication that he plans to keep playing next season.” — 4/18/2026 YouTube

“So, [NBA Europe] would be a standalone league,” Silver said. “But, I would just say over time… There’s a company called ‘Boom’ that is saying by 2030 they’re going to have supersonic jets.” “Because travel is a big concern,” Carton said, to which Silver agreed. “Long term, I could definitely imagine we could have a division in Europe,” Silver explained. “And, obviously, this is a very global game.” — 4/18/2026 Awful Announcing

During an appearance on The Carton Show (on WFAN and SNY) with Craig Carton on Friday, Adam Silver explained the appeal of a standalone league, but he proceeded to suggest the possibility of a future NBA European Division. The first concern with that expansion idea would, of course, be the idea of travel for NBA teams going to and from Europe during a season, and Silver mentioned the advancements in supersonic air travel as a way to make that feasible. — 4/18/2026 Awful Announcing

The next few months could test that opinion. Silver must find tweaks for a draft lottery system that has failed to discourage tanking. He must adjudicate a Clippers investigation that has rivals screaming for blood. And he must find a solution to injury issues that have plagued the regular season. It is, says one high-ranking team executive, “an opportunity.” While the ink is still wet on the 11-year, $77 billion broadcast rights deal that kicked in this season, it’s never too early to think about the next one. “Getting this stuff right is his legacy,” says the exec. Adds another, “This summer Adam is going to be very busy.” — 4/17/2026 Sports Illustrated

Silver has navigated turbulent waters before. In 2014, after tapes surfaced of then Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments, Silver, less than three months into his tenure as commissioner, banned Sterling for life. In 2020, the NBA was the first major sports league to shut down operations during the COVID-19 pandemic … and the first Big Four league to find a way back, re-opening in the Florida bubble in July. He has negotiated two labor agreements, dealt swiftly with threats to game integrity and signed the most lucrative broadcast agreement in NBA history. Says one longtime team executive, “Adam is one of the best commissioners in history. Not basketball history. Sports history.” — 4/17/2026 Sports Illustrated

During a recent appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ Smith spoke about how the Jazz haven’t benefitted from any supposed tanking since he’s been team owner, and how the approach the NBA is taking needs to be refocused a little bit. “I’m also taking over a franchise that’s never won the lottery, never moved up in the draft. At some point the math’s got to start mathing,” Smith said. “We’re gonna figure out a solution. I trust Adam, the ownership group is incredible around the league, we’re not afraid to battle it out. There’s options about flattening it, options about putting restrictions in there, but the most important thing is, what is the rebuild experience for the NBA, and how long do we want these teams to come in. “When you go out on the court, I don’t care who you are, our players are playing to win … you saw that with us, we didn’t finish with the worst record … our guys want to win every single night.” — 4/17/2026 Clutch Points

Buddy Hield was on that Pacers team. He believed he had a long-term NBA home and said Carlisle, who he considered "a mentor," visited his house several times and assured him the franchise would take care of him that summer, despite a plan in the final weeks to move Hield to the bench and significantly reduce his minutes for the betterment of the organization. "It was an extension year," Hield said. "Then when it comes to extension talks, it was like, 'Oh, the numbers, X, Y, Z.'" Hield believed his value had been manipulated and, three years later, wonders whether that brief late-season tanking strategy sent his late prime down an altered path. "It f---ed up the money," Hield said. "Me and Rick are still close, but that really rubbed me in the wrong way. Tanking just f---ed everything up for everybody." — 4/8/2026 ESPN

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Adam Silver calls Memphis 'a great market for the NBA,' says owner Robert Pera has no interest in moving team