Adam Silver addresses NBA technology, relationship with China

In an interview with Time magazine, Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the growth of the NBA, its relationship with China, and a number of other topics. 

"I often look at things from the vantage point of a wannabe technologist," Silver said in the Q&A. "When new technologies come, and whether that’s a smart phone or Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, we’ve been very quick to embrace those new technologies. And to then work with those companies to see how they can be customized for an NBA experience. That’s something we continue to do. And Blockchain and NFT just being the latest."

Silver suggested that Blockchain could apply to ticketing in the future, though this was only a thought at the time. 

The Commissioner also discussed the state of the NBA's relationship with China.

"We continue to televise our games in China. Our most significant television partner is Tencent, which is a streaming service in China. And we have hundreds of millions of fans in China who we continue to serve. I’ll take a step back there and restate the NBA’s mission, which is to improve people’s lives through the game of basketball. And we think exporting NBA basketball to China and to virtually every country in the world continues to fit within our mission.

"The political science major in me believes that engagement is better than isolation. That a so-called boycott of China, taking into account legitimate criticisms of the Chinese system, won’t further the agenda of those who seek to bring about global change."

The NBA was listed as one of Time's 100 most influential companies.