Moments after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in their championship-clinching Game 6 victory in the 2019 NBA Finals, Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri was involved in an altercation with an Oakland police officer who prevented him from stepping into the court to join in on the celebrations. At the height of the investigation, NBA commissioner Adam Silver went on the record to criticize Ujiri for his actions, who at that time was being charged with assault.

Right now, though, Silver hopes he could take back what he said. He's even gone as far as issuing a public apology to Ujiri for his statement two years ago after a counter-suit against Ujiri was dropped earlier this month.

“When I watch that last bit of the interview, in light of what we now know, I would love to take those words back,” Silver told Michael Grange of Sportsnet during a recent phone interview. “[Masai] and I at this point have probably talked about that night 100 times since then. He has my full and unequivocal support.

“But I apologize to Masai for what I said in that interview…. Believe me, when I look at that now, I cringe when I watch it.”

Details of the incident came to light when footage of the encounter surfaced. Masai Ujiri is seen shoving the officer after he was physically prevented from taking the court because the officer did not recognize him. The officer received backlash for his actions, which many considered to be racial profiling.

In 2019, Silver came out with these comments pertaining to the incident:

“It’s part and parcel of what comes with someone who is living on the edge a bit and is hard-wired to sort of march forward with incredible energy,” said Silver in an HBO interview. “Lessons learned for him – without assigning culpability or blame to anyone – as a leader, those are the kinds of situations he needs to learn to avoid.”

Two years later, Silver completely regrets his statements:

“I should have known better, as a lawyer, not to comment on a pending investigation, which was the case at the time,” he said. “Even as I watch myself in that interview, I can see myself searching for the appropriate words and now see that I clearly misspoke.”

This just goes to show that even Silver himself, the top official in the league, is not immune from making mistakes. What's admirable here is Silver's willingness to humbly accept his error and apologize for the same. Nevertheless, this is something he can no longer take back.