Thank you to our event sponsors: 360 Live Media, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cigna Corporation, Howard University, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Stafford Foundation, TD Bank
The Commissioner of the National Basketball Association joined David Rubenstein for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges the league faces today and in the future. Silver highlighted the NBA's initiative to bring more women referees and coaches into the league, noting that his goal is to have women make up 50 percent of all new officials entering the league. He also discussed future rule changes such as the "one-and-done" rule, which currently holds the minimum age for entering the league at 19, and how his current stance is to lower the age to 18 beginning in 2022. "It’s a tough one because not all the teams agree with me on this... I think it would be 50/50, frankly if I polled our teams. But I've changed my position to 18 [years old]. The Players Association has historically [argued] that it should be 18." Silver also discussed the importance of mental health for NBA players and the league's implementation of mental wellness components in youth programs. "When people who are perceived as having everything, and then especially in something [like] professional sports... the stigma, historically, has been 'suck it up'... Regardless of how much money you're making or your position in life or your family... it cuts across all socioeconomic groups."
