Adam Silver wants to change the language surrounding team owners.
For a while now, there has been a debate surrounding the term “owner” and whether or not it’s ethical to be calling those who have a stake in an NBA franchise by that word. In some respects, the word has a racial connotation that players like Draymond Green feel uncomfortable with. The term has received some pretty hefty criticism and some are urging the NBA to do away with the word entirely.
TMZ Sports recently caught up with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who spoke about the word “owner” and how the league has actually been done with it for years.
“I don’t want to overreact to the term because, as I said earlier, people end up twisting themselves into knots avoiding the use the word owner,” Silver explained. “But, we moved away from that term years ago in the league. We call our team owners ‘Governor the team’ and ‘alternate Governor.'”
Silver also noted that some players seem to be fine with the word, although others clearly aren’t and he is sensitive to that reality.
“I think a few players have actually spoken out and said the greatest thing that ever happened was when Michael Jordan was able to call himself an owner,” Silver said. “But, course, Draymond Green has been very public about the fact that we should be moving away from the term … and I completely respect that.”