On Thursday (Oct. 1), ESPN First Take Stephen A. respond to Adam Silver addressing diversity in the NBA.
FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. "agrees" Silver says NBA "can do better" with diversity among head coach
Stephen A. tells Max and Molly: When have you seen black players speaking on behalf of black coaches?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during his annual NBA Finals media address on Wednesday night that, while he does not believe in forcing teams to make diverse head coach hirings, he expects the league to improve in this area.
“I don’t see a way to operate a league where the league office, the commissioner is dictating to a team who they should or shouldn’t hire or who they should or shouldn’t fire, frankly. That’s the other side of the coin,” Silver said. “Having said that, I know we can do better. We have six openings right now. We’re in discussions with all of those teams about making sure there’s a diverse slate of candidates. We’ve looked at what might be an equivalent to a Rooney-type rule in the NBA, and I’m not sure it makes sense. I’m open-minded if there are other ways to address it.
“There is a certain natural ebb and flow to the hiring and firing, frankly, of coaches, but the number is too low right now. And again, I think we should — let’s talk again after we fill these six positions and see where we are, because I know we can do better, and I think we will do better.”