Adam Silver is a hot commodity. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the NBA commissioner has been lobbied over the last few years by both NFL owners and Fortune 500 companies to leave his position with the NBA and accept a similar role with the NFL or in the private sector.
While Silver did not explicitly confirm that he had been approached by NFL owners, sources close to the situation told ESPN that several NFL owners have tried to persuade Silver to run their league over the course of his five years as the NBA's commissioner. Silver has also been approached by a number of Fortune 500 companies, according to sources.
ESPN previously reported that an associate of an NFL owner reached out to Silver in August 2017 to gauge his interest in replacing Roger Goodell as the NFL's commissioner, an approach that Silver immediately rebuffed.
Silver assumed the role of NBA commissioner in February 2014 after spending the preceding eight years as deputy commissioner to David Stern. He ingratiated himself almost immediately to players, owners, fans, and more in the spring of 2014 by forcing the ouster of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who had been recorded making racist remarks, shedding public light on a longstanding open secret in both the basketball world and elsewhere.
Silver further positioned himself and the league as a champion of social justice after he pulled the 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte, NC due to the state legislature passing a bill that prevented transgender people from using bathrooms in accordance with their identity. League revenue has increased almost twofold since Silver become commissioner, too.
Considering Silver's accomplishments, it makes sense that other high-powered outfits would try and poach him from the NBA. But he's proven a perfect fit as the league's commissioner thus far, and nothing suggests he plans on taking another job anytime soon.
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