Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris issued a show of support for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during Silver's interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols concerning the state of the league in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jay Bilas tweeted his own response to Silver's interview, saying “this is what real leadership looks like” while also saying Silver possesses a “global perspective beyond the NBA itself.”
The Sixers star quoted the tweet, replying with a “100” emoji.
— Tobias Harris (@tobias31) March 18, 2020
Silver's interview was full of notable tidbits. He said he remained optimistic the NBA season would be finished, though he also noted play would not continue without the approval of public health officials.
NBA games will resume “when public health officials give us the OK,” Silver says.
Asked about fate of awards and statistical records in the event of season cancellation, Silver says, “I’m not there yet.”— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 18, 2020
One of the more interesting parts of the interview came when Silver told Nichols about the idea of holding a possible exhibition game for charity, saying basketball fans need a “diversion.”
On ESPN, Adam Silver floats possibility of an NBA exhibition game played for charity, with a small subset of players, while league waits for opportunity to resume. Says he thinks fans especially need the diversion now.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 18, 2020
Silver has received praise for his handling of the situation. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Silver's decision to suspend play was instrumental in addressing the seriousness of the issue and increasing public awareness (via Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports):
“It took some time for everybody to come to grips with this. But the NBA coming to a halt helped a lot of people come to grips. It was one of the tipping points where society at large knew how serious this was,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said:
It appears the players — or at least Tobias Harris — are in alignment with adam Silver's decision as well, even if it means the NBA season is put on hold for a few months.
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