NBA commissioner Adam Silver encouraged people attending the Sports Business Awards "not to stick to sports." Silver was accepting the trophy for League of the Year when he made the comments.
"I think there's never been a time when sports has been more impactful on society then it is today," Silver said.
He added that, "what we all do in this room matters," before encouraging people to embrace it and "use sports to build bridges and bring people together."
The comments come amid a divisive year in which the world of sports and politics have come to a head.