The Pardon My Take podcast welcomed Adam Silver as a guest Wednesday, and after some serious conversation, the interview took a bizarre but fun turn that showed another side of the NBA commissioner.
Co-host Dan “Big Cat” Katz expressed surprise Silver had agreed to appear.
“What was the sell process for you to come on this show?” Katz said. “Did someone have to tell you, ‘Hey, these guys actually aren’t the worst?’ Because I can’t believe you’re on. We’re excited to interview you.”
“You guys are fun to watch and listen to. You guys do an incredible job,” Silver said.
Silver then tackled some serious topics, such as All-Star Weekend, and touched on hypothetical situations, such as his recent proposal for the NBA to adopt 10-minute quarters.
“We have to stay on our toes and be open-minded about changes,” Silver said.
That offered the perfect segue for Big Cat to pounce with a proposal.
“I have to pitch you my one idea that I’ve had for many years,” Katz said. “You’ve got to think about it. … there’s obviously been issues at times with fans getting a little unruly, maybe talking too much to the players, that whole experience. My rule is very simple: Every single player when the season starts, gets one chance to call out any fan they want, and they just get to beat the f*** out of them in the middle of the court.
“Once they use it, they can’t use it again for the rest of the year. Thoughts on that rule?”
“Not a good idea,” Silver said, looking serious.
“You’re not seeing the vision,” Katz persisted. “When you see Kevin Durant, and you decide to say something really mean to him, it’s like, ‘Wait, does he have his one-fight-a-fan left this year?’
“You lost me on the beat the s*** out of them part,” Silver said. “I sort of was with you up to we single out one fan and then we’ll review that fan’s conduct.”
“Think about the ratings,” Katz said. “‘Oh my god, we’re going to Sacramento and DeMar DeRozan has called someone out from the 10th row and they’re … stopping the game to fight.'”
Now Silver, who is known for his serious demeanor and looks more like a physics professor than someone who’d swap jokes with you at the local tavern, could have kept things straight. Then again, he’d agreed to appear on the podcast, he knows how they roll. So he played along.
“We’ll bring a cage,” Silver said, embracing the joke. “Is the fan allowed to fight back?”
Katz: “Yes.”
“Oh, you know, I didn’t fully consider your idea,” Silver said.
Obviously, don’t look to see that proposal instituted, ever. But what a good move for Silver to not only appear in a venue outside the traditional media space, but to play along with the joke.
Katz seemed pleased Silver had listened, posting on X: “Feels good to have my idea heard by the NBA Commissioner. He thought about it.”
Feels good to have my idea heard by the NBA Commissioner. He thought about it
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) February 12, 2025
