Commissioner Adam Silver joined the ABC broadcast crew as the NBA Finals reached game three on Wednesday. Among many other things surrounding the big occasion, another one came up: the NBA All-Star game. Silver previously promised an improved game during the All-Star weekend, but this time, his words were much different.
The demise of NBA legend Jerry West, who played in every All-Star game in his career, came up during the pre-game show. Adam Silver was asked what or who was standing in the way of a game featuring the USA vs. International All-Stars.
Silver replied, “My concern about U.S. vs. International is that we may be just past the point where guys and teams are incentivized to play a competitive All-Star game in the middle of the season. It’s the nature of the league.”
Silver’s comments indicate that he has given up on trying to make it competitive, as the players seemed disinterested in going hammer and tongs in the middle of the season. The lax nature of the game has drawn criticism in recent years, with demands for intervention from Adam Silver.
While the USA vs. International All-Star game is not on the table, it will be hard to draw eyes to the event as the numbers keep plummeting each passing year. While the All-Star game has lost its shine, there are other ways of compensating for it, and the NBA commissioner recently discussed one of the ways.
Adam Silver Looks to Broaden NBA Horizon
During the annual press conference before the 2024 NBA Finals, Adam Silver hinted that the league is looking to expand. While the cities have yet to be decided, the NBA aims to broaden its horizons beyond the USA.
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“At some point, we’d like to look outside the United States. In addition to Canada. This may not be the right moment to do that, but I’m thinking long term as well,” said Silver. The 62-year-old also stressed that adding more teams might dilute the current player pool in the NBA. Though his concerns were valid, the expansion idea has been in and around the league for years. The last expansion happened back in 2004 with the Charlotte Hornets. (Then Bobcats)
As the NBA season is in its final stage, Adam Silver and his front office colleagues will have a long summer to think about the next steps in the possible expansion and a fix to the NBA All-Star weekend. But there’s not much to look forward to as Silver made the harsh reality obvious.
Also Read: 12-Time All-Star Pays Emotional Tribute to Jerry West After Lakers Legend’s Death
