Which Sports League's Commissioner Has a Last Name That Can Be Found On the Periodic Table?

The answer is Adam Silver of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adam has served as commissioner of the NBA since 2014, when he was elected to the role by the NBA Board of Governors.

Quick Facts about Silver (Commissioner)

• Attended Duke University & University of Chicago Law School
• Elected unanimously to Commissioner
• Forced Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell for racist remarks
• Held previous jobs with the NBA (ex. Chief of Staff)
• Helped spearhead the NBA Bubble in the pandemic
• Joined the NBA in 1992
• Earns $10,000,000 per year as commissioner

Quick Facts about Silver (Element)

The element Silver is considered to be a lustrous white metal. It is commonly used in jewelry, kitchen utensils (silverware), and solar panels. Silver is valued and traded like stocks, as well as taking the form of currency itself. Silver is considered a metal of antiquity. It is also associated with the Moon and the day Monday.

• Atomic Number: 47
• Symbol: Ag
• Melting Temperature: 1763 °F | 961 °C

Silver Pro Sports Championship Trophies

Well how about that, winning each of the four major sports championships gets you a silver trophy, the Stanley Cup being the greatest of all.

Championship Trophy Values

You can bet that all that raw silver costs a lot on its own. But what are the values of the individual trophies themselves once made?

• MLB Commissioner's Trophy = $19,000
• NBA Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy = $13,500
• NFL Vince Lombardi Trophy = $10,000
• NHL Stanley Cup = $23,000

If a city won all four Pro Sports Championships in the same year, they'd have hoisted $65,500 worth of trophy collectively. Boston and Philadelphia have probably come the closest to pulling this off. Philly had all four teams make their respective finals, but only the Phillies pulled off the W. Boston saw the Red Sox and Patriots win, only to watch the Bruins lose in 7 to the Blues in the Stanley Cup. As an honorable mention, the Celtics made the playoffs, so the potential was there.

Other Professional Sports Commissioners Names

None of the other major sports have a commissioner whose last name is on the periodic table - only the NBA's Adam Silver. However, if the question were, "Which sports league's commissioner has a last name that is a color?", then both Silver and Sandy Brown of Major League Lacrosse would be correct.

• Cathy Engelbert (WNBA)
• Don Garber (MLS)
• Gary Bettman (NHL)
• George Killebrew (MLR)
• Rob Manfred (MLB)
• Roger Goodell (NFL)
• Sandy Brown (MLL)

Wrapping up

We were hoping to make a silver fox joke, but Commissioner Silver sports a neatly trimmed (if not, shorn) head of hair. Anyway, at 59 years of age, we envision Adam to continue for several years in his current capacity leading the NBA.

Speaking of 59, didn't Wade Boggs drink 59+ beers on a cross country flight once?

Sources

1. Investopedia. The Most Expensive Sports Trophies
2. NBA. Adam Silver