“I haven’t been successful in the last couple of years” – Silver admits he has struggled with improving the competitiveness of the ASG originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The NBA All-Star Game has lost its relevance, and league Commissioner Adam Silver knows it. He is aware of the criticism that it has received, particularly regarding the format and the selected players’ lack of competitiveness when they take the floor.
Advertisement
“I haven’t been successful, frankly, in the last few years. We tried some new things in San Francisco. Part of it was there was a format issue….But I think the game lost all its momentum,” Silver acknowledged on the “Dan Patrick Show.”
The 2025 All-Star Game experiment was a colossal flop. Adam admitted they tried to go the entertainment route, hoping to give the fans something new. However, this only worsened the situation and failed to address the game’s primary problem — the desire to compete.
Players just don’t care anymore
There was a time when being selected to be an All-Star meant so much. But with modern-day players, the annual games have taken a back seat. For former NBA player Gary Payton, two things have led to this: friendship and money.
Advertisement
“The Glove” pointed out that these two have resulted in players not taking the games seriously. They would rather showboat than prove to fans who is the better player.
“We were at each other during the All-Star Game, because the simple of what? We wanted to be the best. We wanted the West to be the best,” Payton pointed out on the “Knucklehads” podcast.
Some players also prefer to take it easy to avoid injuries. For most, the regular season games are more essential since there are bigger stakes on the line.
Winning the championship is vital, and it would reward them with bonuses in the end. Aside from that, earning a ring becomes a bargaining chip for players once their contract runs out.
Advertisement
USA vs. World ASG holds no promise
A suggestion often heard is to make the annual All-Star game pit American-born players against those born outside the USA. The league already did this in 2015, using it in that year’s Rising Stars Challenge. Silver admitted that they plan to do this in 2026 in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome.
“So we’re looking now, next year we’ll be in L.A. We’ll be in the Intuit Dome where the Olympics are going to take place in ’28. So if ever a time to move to USA-World, it’s now,” the league Commissioner added.
Advertisement
However, Adam admits that staging the USA vs. World ASG alone won’t cut it. He believes further discussions are needed, and meetings are now being done with the NBA Players Association.
“What we’re toying with now and working with Andre Iguodala at the Players Association is what’s the right format? Because straight-up, I don’t think USA-World probably won’t work,” Silver added.
Whatever they come up with, fans will certainly not want to experience the delays that the 2025 ASG had. Adding a dash of entertainment wouldn’t hurt. But at the end of the day, NBA fans and personalities want just one thing — a basketball game featuring players aching with the will to compete to determine who is the best of the best.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.