New All-Star format binned after one season with Adam Silver admitting it was ‘a miss’

Commissioner Adam Silver had introduced a new four-team format at the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend to try and improve competition.

New All-Star format binned after one season with Adam Silver admitting it was ‘a miss’

Adam Silver bins 2025 NBA All-Star game format after one attempt

Adam Silver is aware that the NBA has been losing a lot of viewers over the past few seasons. He also knows that there is no quick fix to this. At the same time, he believes that certain tweaks could help spice up the All-Star game, which is brought the new format to the 2025 edition.

When the new format was announced, the likes of Kevin Durant and other players immediately voiced their displeasure. They believed it was not going to help bring back competition in the way the league wants.

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At the end, that format ended up being an even bigger disaster as fans yawned throughout the proceedings. They immediately voiced their concerns about how the league missed the point and that was one of the questions Adam Silver was asked after the board of governors meeting.

I thought we made almost an immeasurable amount of progress. Sitting there, 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 and that our players can be proud of.

Adam Silver said

This means the league has binned the new format after just one attempt. Silver acknowledged that the format ended up not being something that they had hoped it would be. It did not promote competitive basketball which the fans would have appreciated, and they are now back on the drawing board to look at options.

Adam Silver acknowledges All-Star game breaks were too long

One of the prime problems faced during the 2025 All-Star game was the unending breaks in between each game. Fans were critical of the amount of screen time other activities received whereas the actual players involved were in the background. Adam Silver had something to say about this.

We recalibrated for this year’s All-Star game in San Francisco around more of an entertainment product, and don’t think it worked. The breaks were too long. And I get it. It was opportunity to celebrate TNT. The long stoppage in play in that final game didn’t work for anyone. So, we’re a bit back to the drawing board.

Adam Silver said

The commissioner acknowledging that the attempt to make the All-Star game an entertainment product did not work out, is a start. He admits the breaks to bring in that entertainment did not help matters. But they did that with the intention of celebrating their work with TNT. But now they have to think differently.

NBA looking at expanding into Europe

Now that they are looking to improve the league, the board of governors also brought up the agenda of expansion. Several cities in the country would like to have a team. When reporters asked Adam Silver asked about it, he said.

I’m particularly pleased today along with my colleague Andreas (Zagklis) to announce that we are ready to go to the next stage. That is to explore a potential league in Europe with FIBA as our partners.

Adam Silver said

While saying this, Silver was sitting with FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis. This is essentially the green light that the NBA is looking to expand into Europe. They are looking to create a new league in Europe.

The game of basketball is the second most followed sport in Europe. The NBA and FIBA are trying to take advantage of that and help grow the game. They are exploring how this would come about and expect announcements as and when it happens.