Adam Silver has established himself at the helm of the NBA since being passed the baton from the previous commissioner, David Stern in 2014. Being the de jure head of the NBA, Silver currently stands as the third highest-paid commissioner among the big four sports leagues today.
Advertisement
Despite his high ranking, Adam Silver earns approximately $54,000,000 less than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is the highest-paid sports commissioner in the United States. As per Marca, Silver earns an estimated salary of $10,000,000 per season and will earn $100,000,000 by the end of his tenure.
Adam Silver is the 3rd highest paid commissioner among the BIG 4 sports leagues
Adam Silver has been working as an executive with the NBA since 1992. Silver held many different positions before becoming league commissioner, including Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner under his predecessor, David Stern. When Stern retired in 2014, Silver was believed to be his imminent successor and assumed the office of the NBA commissioner the same year.
Since taking up the role as the league’s commissioner in 2014, Silver made an average annual income of $10,000,000. His contract was then extended in 2018, running through the 2023-24 season. By the time of this stipulated tenure, Silver will have pocketed roughly $100,000,000 from his salary alone.
On the other hand, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earns much more as the highest-paid sports commissioner in the United States. The NFL compensates Goodell handsomely for making the league the most-watched one in the United States. During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Goodell pocketed $64,000,000 after securing a new labor agreement and lucrative broadcasting rights contract. Goodell recently even earned a contract extension, which hints at a solid $1 billion earnings by 2027.
Rob Manfred of the MLB recently signed a contract extension with the league, binding him till 2028. Though the exact details of Manfred’s salary are unknown, NBC Sports reports that the MLB commissioner earned an estimated salary of $17,500,000 last year. And putting his bonuses into the mix, the amount is likely even larger.
Adam Silver has achieved numerous awards and achievements during his tenure serving various executive roles in the NBA. In 2016, Silver was even ranked No.1 by the Sports Business Journal in the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business list. In 2015, Silver was also named in Time’s 100 Most Influential People, and the Executive of the Year by the Sports Business Journal. These are major testaments to the fact that Silver is one of the most influential voices in the modern sports world.
Adam Silver brought in some significant changes to the NBA
Ahead of this season’s start, Adam Silver took the podium to address fans on the new changes coming into the league this year. The NBA announced their new big venture- the In-Season Tournament, which will get underway this season. Though the initial reactions to this new format of the tournament were skeptical, Silver’s success rate makes many believe in a rather fruitful implementation of this new venture.
Besides this, Adam Silver has also suggested new changes to the current format of the All-Star games. Silver seeks to return to the historical East vs. West format instead of the currently followed captain-draft notion. However, there is nothing concrete coming from Silver’s hints at the moment. It is still unclear when the league will finalize any such changes to the All-Star games.
