Adam Silver Says He Has 'No Issue' with NCAA Paying College Athletes

NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn't have a problem with a payment model for student-athletes, though he does admit there are certain challenges to figuring out a fair system.  

In an interview with CNN's Ahiza Garcia, Silver said he would have "no issue at all" with the NCAA paying student-athletes before expanding to discuss some of the issues with a pay-for-play model. 

"If you try to compare it to a pro model, do players on this team all make the same amount? Or is there a scale?" he said. "You have Title IX issues, so do the women—where the television contract may not be as lucrative—do they make as much?"

Silver also noted that scholarships are "very much the equivalent of being paid" and is uncertain if giving student-athletes actual money would impact that part of the college game. 

USA Today's Steve Berkowitz reported Wednesday that the NCAA surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time ever during the 2017 fiscal year. 

The NCAA is currently embroiled in a scandal in which multiple documents and financial records indicate at least 20 Division I programs and more than 25 players could have violated the organization's rules on impermissible benefits, per Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde and Pete Thamel. 

NCAA president Mark Emmert told Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press on March 3 one potential consideration involves athletes being able to make money through endorsements.