Charlotte still has shot at hosting
All-Star Game could return if HB2 is changed
Commissioner Adam Silver made one thing clear in his annual State of the NBA address at All-Star weekend: The world is round.
Other than that moment of levity, inspired by Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving ’s recent comment about the world being flat, clarity was hard to come by when it comes to the league’s weightiest topics. Basketball was a side story. The NBA’s view on the country’s politics was front and center.
Silver addressed why this event was in New Orleans rather than Charlotte: the North Carolina legislation, House Bill 2, that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the state. After announcing in July that the All-Star Game would be moved and, in essence, the law isn’t consistent with the league’s values, Silver has expressed his desire to return to Charlotte in 2019 if it is changed.
“We’d very much like to get back there,” Silver said. “We had a discussion (Silver and Gov. Roy Cooper), so I understood, certainly, his position, when he was running for office, was anti-HB2, the bill that ultimately led to our leaving. So I really was talking to him more to understand, from his standpoint, how he was hoping to move forward in terms of changing that law.
“Clearly, though, the laws of the state, ordinances, and cities are a factor we look at in deciding where to play our All-Star Games.”
Silver was asked whether Texas’ Senate Bill 6, which has been compared with North Carolina’s HB2, might eventually exclude Houston, Dallas and San Antonio from hosting an All- Star Game.
“I think the issue is we’d have to look at the specific legislation and understand its impact,” Silver said. “I’m not ready to stand here today and say that that is the bright-line test for whether or not we will play All- Star Games in Texas.
“What we’ve stated is that our league-wide values in terms of equality and inclusion are paramount to this league and all the members of the NBA family, and I think those jurisdictions that are considering legislation similar to HB2 are on notice that that is an important factor for us.”
Silver addressed President Trump’s travel ban for the first time, expressing concern but also noting that the decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to block it this month has left the league in monitoring mode.
The league takes pride in its diversity, with a record 113 players from 41 countries taking part this season.
“I do have concern about travel bans,” Silver said. “Putting aside the justification for them for a second, because I don’t have access to the same intelligence obviously or security information that people in the government do, but we are a business based on global mobility.
“So government restrictions on travel, I am concerned about. It goes against the fundamental values and the fundamental ingredients of what make for a great NBA, and that is the very best in the world coming here.”