NBA abandons All-Star tournament format

NEW YORK – It is unclear what the 2026 All-Star Game will look like, but commissioner Adam Silver said the National Basketball Association (NBA) is “a bit back to the drawing board” as it moves away from the three-game mini-tournament that was implemented this season.

Speaking on March 27 following a board of governors meeting, he said the league will look for ways to improve the mid-season event, which in February drew 4.7 million viewers across TNT platforms – down 13 per cent from 2024. The only NBA All-Star Game with fewer viewers came in 2023, with 4.6 million.

“I thought we made almost an immeasurable amount of progress,” Silver said.

“I thought this was a little better, but it was a miss. We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of.”

This season’s format featured four teams competing in a three-game mini-tournament, with 24 All-Stars divided among three teams in San Francisco.

The fourth team were the winners of the Rising Stars event, which was held two nights before the All-Star Game. Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, a late scratch, was not among the participants. Anthony Edwards also scratched.

“We recalibrated around this year’s All-Star Game in San Francisco, around more of an entertainment product, and I don’t think it worked,” Silver added.

“The breaks were too long. And I get it: It was an opportunity to celebrate TNT, as they were gonna have their last All-Star Game.”

Next year’s All-Star Game will be broadcast on NBC, which takes over following a 23-year run by TNT, and will occur during NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

Silver added that despite the success of the National Hockey League’s Four Nations Face-Off, the NBA does not appear to be set on adding a US v World format for the 2026 All-Star Game in Inglewood, California.

“I’m not sure that makes sense, with the level of development, to lump all the other countries together these days,” he said.

In other news, the commissioner also confirmed that the NBA will explore the creation of a new professional league in Europe in partnership with world governing body Fiba, which would be a direct challenge to the existing EuroLeague.

“Had discussions around potential opportunities in Europe literally for decades,” he said.

“But we feel now is the time to move to that next stage and that’s to explore a potential league in Europe with Fiba as our partners.”

Silver indicated that current discussions would see the creation of a European league with 12 permanent franchises, regardless of performance, and four clubs that would be subject to annual changes.

“But this could change as talks progress,” he added. “We want continuity (in the new league) for certain clubs because... it provides an incentive to build new arenas, build a brand.”

Neither Silver nor Fiba secretary-general Andreas Zagklis would elaborate more on the project, with Silver noting that “nothing has been decided yet”.

Meanwhile, in NBA action on March 27, NBA scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander netted a game-high 37 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 125-104 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies for a team-record 61st victory in a season.

The Thunder also had 20 points from Jalen Williams plus 18 points and 11 rebounds from Isaiah Hartenstein in stretching their winning streak to eight games and breaking the team’s single-season winning mark.

“It feels good,” said Canadian guard Luguentz Dort. “It just shows how much we’re getting better throughout all the years – and we’ve got to run through the finishing line.

“We started getting our groove in the fourth quarter and started moving the ball, getting some steals and going up and down. Just have to go out there and compete and give everything to make it tough for them.”

Oklahoma City improved to a league-best 61-12 and have already clinched the Western Conference title, while Eastern Conference leaders, Cleveland Cavaliers, improved to 59-14 with a 124-116 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs. REUTERS, AFP