Adam Silver: NBA All-Star Game will present “a certain form of American format against the world”
The NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed a new star format on Wednesday that has been launched since the disaster which was the February star tournament.
The game of next season will feature a USA format against The World. Silver announced the decision while speaking on “Breakfast Ball” of FS1.
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The format will make its debut on NBC during the first season of the network return to cover the NBA as part of the League’s media rights agreement. It will take place in the Winter Olympic Games which will also be broadcast on NBC.
“What better time to present a form of United States against the world?” Said Silver.
Silver said he was “not exactly sure in the format”. He noted that he “paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did” during his stars break this season.
NHL’s success against the NBA All-Star Tournament
The NHL abandoned its traditional All-Star format in February for an international tournament called the four confronted nations which was a great success among fans and players. It was contrasting with the beginnings of the mini-tournoi at four NBA teams who attracted general contempt alongside the coverage of the event.
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The confrontation of the four nations presented four teams of players representing their native countries in the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. The round tournament took place over several days in several places in the United States and Canada. Canada has won a prolongation victory against the United States in Boston which capped a competitive tournament and well followed throughout.
Adam Silver, seen here during the NBA 2025 stars weekend, announced that a new format would make its debut during the star match next season. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
(Thearon W. Henderson via Getty Images)
In the midst of the confrontation of the four nations, the NBA started a mini-tournament with four teams with three teams of All-Stars written by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal of TNT. The fourth team was not even made up of All-Stars, but a list of players who emerged from a separate ascending stars tournament which presented non-stars of first and second year and the Gague G.
The games and the final in particular were neither competitive nor convincing. The broadcast of the final which presented several prolonged breaks and a failed comedy routine from Kevin Hart were largely ridiculed. The failure of the event was contrasted with the success of the confrontation of the four nations, which ultimately inspired the NBA to bring another change to its All-Star format.
Can the NBA finally get the game of stars?
The NBA Star Match has long fought with a lack of defense and competition and producing a product to watch. Players are generally not motivated to play. Hope with the new tournament is that players representing their country will be inspired to play a competition game.
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The makeup of the NBA players’ pool would not allow a four -team tournament like the NHL. There are not enough international star players to invent three lists representing three different international countries.
The format will more likely include an American All Stars team and a team of international stars representing several nations. An international list features this year’s MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous -Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside Luka Dončić would be great – but only if the NBA understands the right formula to inspire a competition game.
