NBA's Adam Silver Says He Respects Peaceful Protest Ahead of Restart Opener

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league plans to "respect peaceful protest" when games resume Thursday night, implying players will not be punished if they kneel during the national anthem.

"I respect peaceful protest. I'm not sure what our players will do when they come out tomorrow night, and we'll of course address it at the time, but I also understand these are highly unusual times," Silver said Wednesday on Good Morning America.

The NBA has had a policy in place since 1981 that requires players to stand during the national anthem. The league suspended Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1996 for his refusal to stand for the anthem.

Several teams are expected to protest during the anthem when games resume this week in Orlando, Florida. Malika Andrews of ESPN reported the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz, who play in the opener at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT, are planning a collaborative protest around the league's Black Lives Matter painting on the court.

Silver's middle-ground response to the question seems a bit odd given the league's transparent commitment to social justice. The commissioner could have definitively said the league would allow players to peacefully protest without consequence and changed NBA policy on the anthem. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who once worked to quell player protests, has even changed his tune on the matter in recent months.

The NBA and WNBA are the only two major professional sports leagues with a rule that requires players to stand for the anthem. However, WNBA players have knelt in the past without punishment.