Adam Silver is clearly concerned about the recently passed North Carolina law banning anti-LGBT legislation, but the NBA commissioner doesn’t seem to know what to do about it.
Speaking on ESPN’s Mike and Mike on Thursday, Silver reiterated that the NBA could move the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte if North Carolina doesn’t repeal or change its law.
Adam Silver says the NBA has been clear that if the status quo in North Carolina remains in place the All-Star Game would have to be moved.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 21, 2016
Here’s the audio:
NBA Commish on @MikeAndMike: “Problematic for us to move fwd w our ASG if there is not a change in the law" #ncpol https://t.co/5d6mzSW35X
— Jared Leopold (@jaredleopold) April 21, 2016
Silver says the NBA is “working very closely with the business community down there and the governor and the legislature to make it clear that it would be problematic for us to move forward with our All-Star Game if there is not a change in the law,” but it would be interesting to hear him elaborate on what back-and-forth is going on there. Does the North Carolina legislature really care enough about hosting the All-Star Game to reverse a law in which it feels strongly? The reference to the business community suggests Silver could be trying to form a coalition with North Carolina-based corporations to together pressure the government into change, which could make an impact, but the threat of losing All-Star Weekend probably isn’t going to change minds.
But in his Mike and Mike interview, Silver also raised the stakes a little bit, bringing the presence of the entire Charlotte Hornets franchise into the equation. Via ESPN:
“I’m only saying that whatever we do, we have to keep an eye on the fact that we have one of our 30 franchises operating in that state. We have a much bigger issue in North Carolina than the All-Star Game: It’s the ongoing operation of our team.”
As unlikely as it seems that the NBA’s strong-arming would for the governor of North Carolina to change his tune on LGBT rights, it seems even more unlikely that the league would remove an entire franchise to protest the law.
While Silver’s stand is admirable, and the NBA continues to be North America’s most progressive sports league, the commissioner seems to be in danger of making empty threats. If North Carolina legislators call Silver’s bluff (or just don’t care as much about basketball as they care about depriving LGBT people of their rights), will the Hornets really skip town? Stay tuned.
