The NBA has always been known as one of the more progressive sports leagues in the NBA, and when it comes to legalizing sports betting that's no different.

After the ruling came down that the Supreme Court had overturned the ruling that made sports betting illegal, NBA commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement.

“Today's decision by the Supreme Court opens up the door for states to pass laws legalizing sports betting. We remain in favor of a federal framework that would provide a uniform approach to sports gambling in states that choose to permit it, but we will remain active in ongoing discussions with state legislatures. Regardless of the particulars of any sports betting law, the integrity of our game remains our highest priority.”

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For Silver, his biggest reason for wanting the legalization of sports betting was because of the way it could help grow the sport, not just the NBA, but all major sports in the United States.

And the intellectual property creators like the NBA, which invest billions of dollars per year creating their product [$7.5 billion in 2018 alone], should share in the proceeds. Legalized sports betting creates an opportunity to be compensated directly by selling our video and data. Silver broke down his resons in an interview with Strategy+Buisness:

Just as important, as we see from international jurisdictions and from what we know already goes on in the United States, regulated betting can lead to a dramatic increase in engagement.

The biggest battle for Silver now will be to make sure that is legalized in every state, in a way that still keeps the integrity of the NBA.