Sometimes it takes just two words to avoid a crisis

Lifetime ban.

Two words I actually didn’t expect to come from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver yesterday concerning Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racist rant. Especially since just three days before, Silver said the Sterling crisis deserved “due process.”

I expected a hefty fine, of which Silver delivered to the tune of $2.5 million. The two words I thought would come out of yesterday’s press conference were “suspended indefinitely.”

But Silver, with the NBA in full crisis mode during the peak of its season, went further. And in doing so, he’s getting rave reviews for his handling of the crisis.

All too often, companies, personalities or brands stumble when a major crisis knocks on their door. They wait too long. They fail to apologize, or when they do, they often sound disingenuous. They don’t hear the voice of their supporters or fans.

In this case, Silver appears to understand his most important group – the players and coaches, who not only have voiced their concern, but also were protesting with the very real possibility for much bigger protests. An indefinite suspension likely would not have been enough for this group. And even though the story will continue to linger for months and maybe years, an indefinite suspension would have done even less to resolve the issue. It also would have opened Silver and the NBA up to much more PR backlash.

Silver’s lifetime ban was a swift and bold decision. In terms of crisis communications, he made it look like a lay-up