"Inside the NBA" star Kenny Smith is showering NBA Commish Adam Silver with praise for being the FIRST major sports official to suspend the season -- telling TMZ Sports it was a true leadership moment.
Of course, Smith is back in L.A. because with the NBA on ice, so is his show -- "We're on hiatus just like the NBA."
That's when Smith went on to talk about how lucky the NBA is to have a leader like Silver -- who made a tough decision before other major sports leagues.