Adam Silver Says NBA May Need to Delay Broadcasts to Censor Cursing

With no fans in attendance during the NBA's restart at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, game sounds will come through in a whole different way without the usual ambient noise to drown them out.  

That means trash talk will be easier to hear than ever, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thinks the league may have to address, in some manner, the more colorful language that could make it onto television broadcasts, as he told Sean Gregory of Time: 

"I think there's got to be some limits on the language. I think often players, they understand when they're on the floor, they're saying certain things to each other because it's so loud in the arena, they know a lot of it is not being picked up. They may have to adapt their language a little bit knowing what they say will likely be picked up by microphones and in all seriousness, we may need to put a little bit of a delay."

Add it to the list of complications the NBA will be facing in its late-July restart.

Twenty-two teams are quarantining from the rest of society and, in many cases, leaving their families behind. There's the consistent testing they'll do to ensure they don't have COVID-19 and don't spread it. There's the resumption of the season after a four-month layoff, essentially an entire offseason jammed into the middle of the NBA calendar. 

How will teams adjust to the lack of a home-court advantage without any fans to cheer them on? Will players get restless remaining in quarantine for several months? Will there be more injuries than usual given the long layoff and the need for players to work themselves back into game shape?

And how much of that trash talk is going to make it through into the broadcast?

It's going to be an unusual, unprecedented close to the season. Whoever wins the title this year will have overcome a lot of adversity.

"I feel like this is going to be the toughest championship you could ever win," Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday. "Because circumstances are really tough right now. Whoever wants it more is going to be able to go out there and take it."

He added: "You go somewhere without your family for three months and you haven't played basketball for three-and-a-half, four months. Whatever team wants it more has got to be mentally prepared for this situation. And has to go out there and execute. Teams got to be in shape. So whoever took care of themselves for these four months we weren't able to play, [they are] gonna be in a better position."