NBA Commissioner Adam Silver offended many hardcore basketball fans when, in response to both the rising costs for consuming the product and the league's prominent presence on social media, he referred to the NBA as a highlights-based sport. While there are some analysts like Tim Legler who emphasize nuance and strategy, Silver's remarks illustrate how the game is perceived more as a viral, narrative-based viewing experience rather than a multi-layered competition.
Well, now he is explaining his comments, which he believes were taken out of context. “A portion of the question {at the end} was about the impact of social media, that's what I was answering,” Silver told Front Office Sports' “Tuned In.” “And what I was saying in a very positive way… I think it's an additive to those who watch our games live, and {it} increases the likelihood that they'll watch our games live.
“By saying highlights-based, I meant, when I watch the traditional SportsCenter and they have the Top 10 Plays and five of those are NBA plays, I'm like ‘Yeah!' I'm not thinking like, ‘oh damn, more highlights are being promoted from our league.' It's a live game full of highlights.”
"There is this community of social media followers… how do we then ensure that we're converting a highlights based fan to a live game viewer? … We don't want it to be a substitute."
Adam Silver cleared the air on his "highlights-based sport" comment.
pic.twitter.com/P8ApAeoQal— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 16, 2025
What Adam Silver seeks to accomplish in this current NBA-watching world
Silver is grateful that legions of people view a LeBron James dunk or a Tyrese Haliburton game-winner on their social media platform of choice, for he knows the massive business benefits that come with that far-reaching exposure. Once someone clicks on a clip and catches a glimpse of what the NBA has to offer, the hope is that they will become a new fan and commit to watching games from start to finish.
However, Adam Silver acknowledges the challenges of completing that conversion process, which have only intensified since the league decided to start broadcasting games on subscription-based streaming services like Amazon Prime and Peacock.
“There is this community of social media followers, globally estimated around two-and-a-half billion people {who} connect with the NBA in some way,” he said. “Now, I think the challenge for the league office, and this is something I've been talking a lot about with my colleagues internally, how do we then ensure that we're converting a highlights-based fan to a live game viewer? We don't want it to be a substitute.”
Regardless of what the commish thinks about the influential role of highlights, it is obvious that many young fans choose to see the NBA through only a highlights-centric lens. Considering how short our attention spans have become in this never-ending technological craze, the idea of clips serving as a gateway to a more focused and comprehensive viewing experience may be unattainable.
We shall see. The new era of NBA coverage officially tips off in October.
