Zion Williamson was all ears when he and NBA commissioner Adam Silver crossed paths at last month's NBA Draft Lottery. The projected number one pick is no stranger to profiteers trying to cloud his judgment. In Silver's line of work, the goose is normally good for the gander. The benchmark for the NBA's brand potential is set by its star personnel, and in Zion Williamson, they most certainly have a box office attraction on their hands.
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With that said, Silver's conversation with Zion was centered around helping the young pivot identify the resources that he would benefit him in the coming months. The commissioner summarized the exchange during a recent broadcast of the Associated Press' Sports Now podcast. As you'll see, Silver tried in earnest to maintain the code of ethics required of him as the commissioner.
"My counsel was, focus on your game first and foremost the other stuff will come after it," Silver says just before the 15-minute mark of the podcast. "'But, this is a special moment in your life...to the extent you can remain in the moment.... There's so much attention focused on you and at the end of the day this is a game and you now have the opportunity to play it at the highest level. There's tremendous resources available to you no matter what team drafts you.'"
In closing, Silver reiterated his confidence in the new Pelicans' spearheaded by David Griffin, obviously in the hopes of dispelling rumors of a potential holdout. "Obviously hiring David Griffin is a real important move for that franchise, and my sense is Griff is the right guy at the right time to right the ship," Silver maintained, whilst also praising the previous regime for the diplomacy they showed in handling Anthony Davis' trade request last season.
