NBA commissioner Adam Silvers says lawsuit against Spurs, Josh Primo reinforces need for 'safeguards'

A lawsuit filed by a former psychologist for the Spurs against the team and Josh Primo after the teen guard allegedly exposed himself to her in private therapy sessions reinforced the NBA’s need to safeguard the safety and well-being of its employees, commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday. “I think it is the responsibility of the league, working with our teams, to ensure we have appropriate training, safeguards, best practices in place, and that when there is an incident we all deal with it in the appropriate way,” Silver said. Speaking at a press conference before the Spurs’ game with Miami in which he addressed a variety of topics, Silver was asked whether the league conducted its own investigation into Hillary Cauthen’s lawsuit alleging that Primo exposed himself several times in her presence.

Without offering details, Silver said the NBA “worked in conjunction with the Spurs on that particular case.” “I think most importantly, and one of the things we’re constantly learning, is that as a league we have to ensure that for 30 teams that every team is living up to a set of values that are promulgated as part of this league,” Silver said. Cauthen reached a settlement with the Spurs and Primo that her attorney Tony Buzbee announced Nov. 17. In her lawsuit, filed in state district court in Bexar County on Nov. 3, Cauthen contended that Primo, 19, exposed his genitals to her nine times during counseling sessions, and that despite her complaints to Spurs executives, the team took no action against the second-year player. The suit accused Primo and the Spurs of gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and it sought compensatory and punitive damages. The Spurs waived Primo without explanation on Oct. 28 just four games into the lottery selection’s second season. Six days later, Cauthen filed her lawsuit. Cauthen began working for the Spurs under contract in September 2021. Her duties included “developing integrated mental performance models and wellness programming” for players, staff members and their families, her lawsuit said.