NBA commissioner Adam Silver makes feelings clear on 2025 All-Star Game changes

The NBA attempted to increase player competitiveness and generate fan excitement by revamping this year's All-Star Game into a mini-tournament. However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was less than satisfied with the results and plans to abandon the format.

During a Thursday press conference following the NBA's board of governors meeting, Silver took questions about the league's future. This included touching on widespread concerns surrounding fading enthusiasm about All-Star Weekend, particularly its headline event.

Lack of player drive has long been a hot topic of discussion, with All-Star Game scores ballooning year-to-year amid limited defensive effort. The NBA has made numerous attempts to solve the issue, including drastically changing this year's competition.

The 2025 All-Star Game featured a four-team mini-tournament. Three squads featured the league's 24 All-Stars while the fourth incorporated the rookies and sophomores who won the Rising Stars event on All-Star Friday.

Each matchup had a target score of 40 points. Shaq's OGs, a team consisting of seasoned stars, including event MVP Steph Curry, emerged victorious.

While the change arguably slightly improved the on-court product, according to Silver, the league still has plenty of work to do.

"I thought we made almost an immeasurable amount of progress — sitting there, I thought this was a little better — but it was a miss," Silver said. "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."

Silver added that while the structure switch-up was "well-intentioned," "the long stoppage in play in that final game didn't work for anyone."

Next year's All-Star festivities will shift from TNT to NBC as part of the NBA's new 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal. Thus, Silver and Co. face extensive pressure to get everything right.

"We're a bit back to the drawing board," Silver said. "... (NBC is) very enthusiastic about the All-Star Game as a marquee property."

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Adam Silver on possibility of incorporating international theme into 2026 NBA All-Star Game

During Thursday's press conference, Adam Silver was asked about the possibility of the 2026 All-Star Game becoming an international-themed competition. While he essentially dismissed the idea of the U.S. facing the rest of the world, he left the door open for international squads' involvement.

"People floated USA (versus) World. I'm not sure that makes sense with the level of development, if that's fair to lump all the other countries together these days," Silver said. "Maybe we can single out if there are some international teams that can compete."

The LA Clippers will host next year's All-Star Game at their new state-of-the-art Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. So, the league should have an ideal venue to showcase whichever format it lands on next.

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