NBA boss Adam Silver happy with league’s first half ahead of All-Star Game

Kenyan basketball fans are expected to have a late night on Sunday, or early morning on Monday – whichever way you wish to look at it – with the NBA All-Star night scheduled to be televised live by NTV.

The Nation Media Group on Friday announced it had signed a multi-year free-to-air partnership with the NBA in which NTV will televise over 25 games through the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season.

Sunday night’s programme is lined up to start at 2.30am (Monday morning), Kenyan time, with the NBA Skills Challenge and three-point contest followed by the NBA All-Star Game from 4am.

Addressing global media – including Nation Media Group’s sports journalists -  ahead of the All-Star night at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was happy with the first half of the season despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said while some officials of the NBA had received their doses of Covid-19 vaccines, none of the players had been vaccinated, but stressed that the NBA league’s priority has been the safety of the players, officials and fans.

“Throughout this pandemic, we've sought to find the right balance between the health and safety of our players, the community that's involved in producing NBA basketball, and of course our fans, along with the economic interests as well of our community,” he said.

Silver also noted that international travel for NBA players could resume after two years, with the Olympic Games in Tokyo in July and August the biggest exception.

“In all likelihood, we won't travel internationally until the following season at the earliest. But the plan remains to try to resume our season as close to so-called normal as possible next year,” he said.

The NBA Commissioner diplomatically waved off the question of Los Angeles’ Lakers’ forward LeBron James’ comments that proceeding with the All-Star Game was a “slap in the face.”

“It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to say to LeBron that you should speak out on issues that are important to you, but not ones when you're critical of the league,” he said.

“We're all part of a community. I respect him and his point of view. Also, at the same time, I appreciate his professionalism.

“My sense is he's going to be here, as he always is, as a top-notch professional and engaged in the game.”

Silver also said he’s confident that the Olympic Games will go ahead as scheduled in Japan and that the NBA league has been working closely with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) in the build-up to the Tokyo Games.

“We have an excellent relationship with them (Fiba). We're partners in growing the game on a global basis. We anticipate the Olympics going forward as scheduled in Japan,” he said. 

“Again, that's of course an election for our players to make should they want to participate.

“Sometimes people think in terms of the NBA, of course, about the U.S. team, but our players compete for dozens of teams internationally.”

Silver said the NBA would most probably not go into another bubble for the end-of-season playoff as witnessed last season.

“We're not considering going back to a bubble right now,” he said. 

“I don't rule anything out just because one thing we've all come to understand over the last year is that the virus is firmly in charge. We need to adjust to circumstances as they present themselves,” he added with a lot of optimism.

“I'd say maybe for the first time in the past year I'm fairly optimistic right now that as we see fans returning to our arenas, as we see public health officials across the country begin to open up sporting events, theaters, restaurants, other forms of entertainment, I feel pretty good that we're going to continue apace. 

“By the time we reach the playoffs in mid-May, things will even be considerably better than they are now. 

“Also, obviously here in the United States, we've been making excellent progress in terms of vaccinations. That will be very helpful in getting people back in the arenas.”

Silver said he doesn’t expect all the players to have been vaccinated ahead of the play-offs, stressing instead that necessary protocols will be followed.

“Well, I think it is realistic, even if we didn't have required vaccinations, because of course no one, none of the players have been vaccinated now, and we've only had to postpone a relatively small percentage of our games. 

“We know that for the most part a testing protocol, together with mask wearing, and all of other precautions we're taking, largely works. 

“The NCAA Tournament is going to be played this year, again without vaccinations for their players. 
“To me, we'll make additional progress if players get vaccinated, but it certainly doesn't require that they all get vaccinated.”