NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2015 NBA
All-Star weekend took place in
New York City, where NBA headquarters is located. Adam
Silver, a native New Yorker
and the Commissioner of the NBA, had an exclusive interview with
Tencent.
The NBA and Tencent recently
announced a five-year digital partnership deal in China, making it the biggest deal ever outside
the USA. Silver gave an A+ for the
cooperation between Tencent and NBA
and expressed his confidence about the future.
"The best years are ahead of us in China," Silver told Tencent, "No question both of us will benefit. It
will be a win-win future for Tencent
and the NBA."
http://v.qq.com/cover/s/suryb0gncvth62u.html?vid=r00155pbqeq
Two hosting teams
"The participation of the Knicks and Nets make All-Star
weekend even bigger."
***The following interview
took place prior to the end of All-Star
weekend:
Tencent sports: Hi Mr.
Silver, nice to see you again. We are here having All-Star weekend
in your hometown New York City,
How do feel about that?
Adam Silver: Thank you for
being here with me. Actually I was born about a mile up the street
from here in New York City, so
this is very much my hometown. It is
a great honor to host All-star weekend here.
Tencent sports:
All-Star weekend is being co-hosted by two teams for the first
time in history. Where did this
idea come from?
Adam Silver: This
idea came about because both the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets had recently refurbished
or built new arenas in NYC. Madison Square
Garden is of course a historical arena, but they transformed
it into a modern arena in the last few years. Barclays Center in
Brooklyn is relatively new. So we
have two beautiful state-of-the-art
facilities located only a few miles away from each
other. And, we thought why not
have these two great NBA
teams cooperate and make All-Star weekend
even bigger in New York City.
As you may know, New York City
has five boroughs. We have Manhattan
and Brooklyn both involved. And
Queens, the Bronx and Staten
Island will be hosting
All-Star events as well. All of New York City is involved in this
All-Star weekend.
Tencent sports: All-Star Weekend was last held in New York
17 years ago. MJ and Kobe had a
great matchup and it seemed
like a handover ceremony between
two generations. Which player from
the young generation will take over from Kobe this
year?
Adam Silver: I think we
only know a handoff transpired from Michael
Jordan to Kobe when we look
back, after we see how many champions Kobe subsequently won after that All-Star Game.
And I don't think back 17 years ago, people were making the same
declaration. At that point, Kobe
was just another great young player. It's too early to say whom the
mentor will pass the torch to.
Ultimately it's determined by who wins the championships. We know
though there are several incredibly great young players who will be
on the floor on Sunday.
Tencent sports: Which of
them do you expect the most from in
the All-Star Game?
Adam Silver: I like
all the players so much, that I don't want to name one single
player. I think ultimately one
great thing about sports is greatness is determined by what they do
on the court, not the proclamation the Commissioner makes.
Tencent sports: We notice
there is a huge change in the Rising-star Challenge. There is a
brand new format this year, USA
players vs. International players for the first time. How will the change make
the game more exciting?
Adam Silver: I
think the change makes the game more exciting because the game becomes
so global. There are still many more great players from the United States in the NBA than from other
countries. And, from an Olympic and
national team standpoint, the
United States has been very
dominant. Within great growth of the game outside the United States, for example in China and in other great countries around the
world, we thought it would create
even more excitement if these great USA players were playing against their colleagues who come from other
nations. So that's something we are
trying for the first time this year and we think it will be a thrilling and
exciting matchup.
Tencent sports: Have you
predicted which side will have a
better performance?
Adam Silver: I have
my own thought, but I'm not prepared to tell you.
Tencent sports: Will the
All-Star Game follow this change in
the future?
Adam Silver: That's
a really good question. I think it is something we would look at.
The issue is, for All-Star
weekend, we want the All-Stars to be the very best players regardless
of where they are from. And, if we
decide that the event should involve a US vs. International game, it might not
create the same opportunity for every player to be an All-Star.
But having said that, I am sure that is something we will look at
depending on how Friday night's
game goes.
Ups and Downs of Big Teams
"I'm a fan of all 30
teams, every team has a chance to win the title."
Tencent sports: Since the
All-star game is held in the NYC, we found that
several big city traditional
powerhouses such as the Knicks, Lakers, 76ers and Celtics are not having a great
season. Do you think it is a coincidence?
Adam Silver: I
think it is a coincidence. What you have in a 30 team league is the ebb and flow or cycle of winning and
losing. Every team goes through a rebuilding stage at some point. I
think it just so happens that those
teams you mentioned are rebuilding. Other teams in big cities, like
the Los Angeles Clippers are having a wonderful year and the Chicago Bulls are rapidly becoming
an elite team in this league. So it is just the nature of the
league. Not every team can be great
every season.
Tencent sports: I heard
that you have been a fan
of the Knicks since you were a
child. What do you think about their performance this season?
Adam Silver: As a
child, I was a Knicks fan. But because I now I am working for the
league office, I'm a fan of all 30
teams.
Tencent sports: On the
other hand, this has
been a very unpredictable season. Some unexpected teams
such as the Hawks, the Warriors and Raptors are having a great
season. How did this happen?
Adam Silver: I will
say it's why they play the game. One thing so special about
a team sport like the NBA, is you never know what will happen until the players come together on the
court, regardless of what their individual statistics are,
as so much is determined by the
chemistry that is created among
those players. Until they actually
play in games together in a real game situation, you don't know how
they are going to perform. I think this is why sports are so
exciting, because the outcome is not predetermined.
Tencent sports: For
teams like Oakland, Memphis,
Toronto, who are from maybe not the
biggest market. When they have a chance to win the title, will the
games be more exciting?
Adam Silver: I
think the NBA is exciting is because every team has the
opportunity to chase the title. For example, last year, the San
Antonio Spurs won the championship. And San Antonio is located in Texas which is a very small market relatively
in NBA. Ideally, we want a system
where players can compete for
championship, regardless of where
they are drafted or end up, if the team he is playing for is well managed and well
coached.
What it's like being the NBA commissioner ?
"The Clippers' issue was the
toughest moment I've had and I hope
to keep improving the league."
Tencent sports: Earlier
this month, you just had your
one-year anniversary as the Commissioner. How do you feel about
the past year?
Adam Silver:
Looking back, it was a very
eventful year. There was a lot of excitement around the league
and we saw the great growth of basketball around the
world. We had our fair share of issues to deal with. When we are
looking back, the league dealt with these issues in an appropriate
way. And, the game is even stronger
than a year ago.
Tencent sports: Which moment was the most challenging one for
you in terms of having
to make a difficult decision?
Adam Silver: It's
well known that we had some issues regarding the Los Angeles Clippers. No question
that was a very challenging time for me. I also look back on some
exciting moments for me personally. I had the opportunity to be
present when Spurs won the championship. I had the honor of handing
out their championship rings to the team. In November, when the
season began, one great privilege was drafting Isaiah Austin, who planned to play in the NBA but at the last minute was unable to because of a disease. We
had a draft ceremony for him. That was a very
special moment for me.
Tencent sports: You just
mentioned the Clippers' issue, was that a tough decision to be
make at that time?
Adam Silver: I did
what was in the best interest of the league. But, I think it was a difficult time for
everyone in the NBA.
Tencent sports: It seemed
almost everyone thought you
handled it very well then. Both Mr. Stern and Mark Cuban gave you an A+ for your first year's
performance, how would you grade yourself?
Adam Silver: I will
leave to others to grade me. I'm pleased that Mr. Stern and Mr.
Cuban felt this year went well. And overall, it's just important to
look forward and make sure the league continues to operate in a first class manner. My goal is
always to improve.
Partnership with Tencent
"Tencent gets an A+ and plans
to make every game available to Chinese fans"
Tencent sports:
Tencent just signed the biggest
exclusive digital partnership deal with the NBA in China, also the biggest one in global
industry, Why did the NBA choose Tencent?
Adam Silver: We
chose Tencent because we have a
five-year partnership with Tencent
and have had fantastic success with
them. We have a terrific relationship with the senior executives of
Tencent. We know our fans in
China love consuming our content
on Tencent. And, when we look at the broad number of platforms that
Tencent has to reach out to our
fans, such as QQ.com and
WeChat, we know this is a fantastic
platform to continue growing basketball in China.
Tencent sports: Does the
NBA feel satisfied with the performance of Tencent in last five years?
Adam Silver: In the
same way others graded me, we would grade Tencent an A+.
Tencent sports: Thank you
for the great comments. In the next
five years, Tencent and the NBA will
launch NBA LEAGUE PASS for the first time
ever in China,
including NBA Game Time. Furthermore, Tencent will also launch NBA Community and
e-commerce on Tencent's platform. Among the services mentioned
above, which one do you think will appeal to fans most?
Adam Silver: I
think all the services will,
especially the League Pass. Fans in
China can get any game, anytime. That's an incredibly popular
feature here in the United States,
when we can watch NBA games from around the league on our tablets
or smartphones. Especially because
the time zone difference in China,
when maybe early morning people are
in the process of getting to work, the ability to watch the
game on whatever device they have will be a huge attraction.
Tencent sports: The League
Pass might be a huge revolution for fans in China to watch the game, along with the NBA
Summer League and the NBA Draft on PCs and mobile devices. Someone
said the Chinese fans are much happier than the American fans. What
do you say to that?
Adam Silver: It's
hard to make comparisons. But with a platform like Tencent in China, I can understand why the Chinese fans
will be very happy. Because Tencent
has put enormous resources into insuring every game is available to
all our fans in China.
Tencent sports: With
Tencent and the NBA both being
leaders in their respective industries, how will this deal help
both companies capture future growth?
Adam Silver: By two
great organizations like NBA and Tencent, putting their minds together, putting
their resources together, to reach our fans in China in the best possible ways. No question
both companies will both benefit. It will be a win-win situation
for both sides.
Tencent sports: What do you think about the NBA's growth in China in the next five years with the
partnership with Tencent?
Adam Silver: I
think our best years are ahead of us in China.
Tencent sports: How do you
think of the development of China's sports
economic growth in the next five years? How will the NBA benefit from that?
Adam Silver: Sports
as an industry in China is going
to experience rapid growth in the next five years. Not just with
the NBA, but with other sports, with other industries. There is a
lot of focus on the opportunity for development of business of
sports in China.
Tencent sports: Thank you,
Mr. Silver. Thanks for the time you shared with us. Enjoy a great
All-Star weekend here with the
All-Stars.
Adam Silver: Thank
you for having me on your program. We
appreciate all our friends from Tencent making the trip all the way from
China, to be here in
New York for All-Star weekend. Thank you very much.
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SOURCE Tencent