Adam Silver is confident in the Grizzlies’ staying power in Memphis but wouldn’t mind an increased presence in Nashville.
The NBA commissioner appeared on Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast on Wednesday and was asked about LeBron James’ recent disparaging comments about Memphis and the suggestion that the Grizzlies should move to the more populous Tennessee city of Nashville.
Silver said that, while Grizzlies governor Robert Pera has made it clear that he has “no interest in moving the team out of Memphis,” Silver does wish the Grizzlies could have more of a presence in the state’s capital.
“Nashville is a city on the rise,” Silver said. “There’s incredible things happening there. If it were up to me, I’d love for them to play a few games a year in Nashville and sort of be Tennessee’s team to the extent they can.”
While golfing on the “Bob Does Sports” YouTube show earlier in April, James remarked that many NBA players dislike playing in Memphis. He also said he thinks the team should move to Nashville because of the city’s more ingrained sporting culture, with several other professional teams already there, including the NHL’s Predators and the NFL’s Titans.
“Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old, you think I want to do that s—?” James said. “Being in Memphis on a random-a– Thursday. I’m not even the first guy to talk about this in the NBA. We’re all like, ‘You guys have to move.’
“Go over to Nashville,” the four-time MVP said. “… They got everything.”
Silver countered this stance on “Pardon My Take,” saying he’s gotten a different sense from players.
“First of all, players I talk to all the time like playing in Memphis,” the commissioner said. “I’ve never heard that issue of players not wanting to be in Memphis.
“… Memphis has been a great market, historically for the NBA, amazing history in that city, amazing culture.”
There is precedent for teams playing slightly out of market for greater regional activation. The San Antonio Spurs do so with nearby Austin, Texas. In 2025-26, the San Antonio Spurs played two regular-season home games at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, as part of their I-35 Series.
However, the difference is that 77 miles separate the Spurs’ traditional San Antonio home, the Frost Bank Center, from the Moody Center in Austin. Memphis’ FedExForum sits 213 miles from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where the Predators play.
Regardless of desires to create a greater presence in the Tennessee capital, Silver still believes in Memphis as an NBA city going forward.
“From my standpoint, there’s no reason why the Memphis Grizzlies can’t be successful,” he said.
The Grizzlies’ lease for FedExForum, which opened in 2004, three years after the franchise relocated from Vancouver, ends after the 2028-29 season.