Yeah I think the decline in NBA popularity coincides with how people have less interest in Hollywood stars nowadays. The NFL being a team sport is not as affected. People just don't care as much about NBA stars. I mean there were quite a few empty seats in SF last night. About 15 years ago, the all star game had 80k packed in there (DFW 2010).
It was going mostly fine up until that idiotic "Inside the NBA" tribute segment - let's stop everything for 10 minutes to give a bunch of shiny baubles to a bunch of old men who we've all heard enough from already, topped off by that Dad joke gone fishing thing. It would have been dumb regardless but they're just... Changing networks
The fact that the NHL can have an international series in the middle of their season, proves the NBA is doing it wrong. I don't watch much Ice hockey but the electricity of the crowd of the US vs Canada made me wish I was tuning into that rather than the Allstar game. Those three fights in the first 9 seconds was awesome to see. Set the tone and all they got was 5 mins in the penalty box. In the NBA you are probably getting suspended many games for what they were doing. NBA needs to toughen the F up
The entire event was ALLL about TNT and Turner. They slowed down the actual gameplay with a MASSIVE amount of commercials. Like I think Clutch clocked one "Time Out" at 35 minutes or something crazy like that. It was insane, and such an obvious cash grab on their way out the door. The production team is corny as hell, and always has been to. They are still stuck in what was funny back 20 years ago with photoshop gags. Inside the NBA is all they care about and they let us know it, and let us know why the NBA had to move on from their corny production that wasn't even that great 20 years ago. Before the game for like 25 minutes they aired Ernie Johnson giving this weird poem to NBA media people that nobody cares about. An EN VOGUE concert in the middle of a game is just nuts. Anyone who thinks that is what people wanted to see is delusional. Then there was Kevin Hart.... .good lord people. The TNT production crew obviously is star struck, and thinks people are going to be soooooo impressed that an actual celebrity will want to be part of their show that they just can't help themselves. TNT, and the NBA people who work with them are corny, and out of touch... and makes sense why they are losing their jobs. Hopefully Amazon who whoever owns this product moving forward has some actual talented people who know how to produce something people actually want to watch other than the same stupid ads over and over again, and fcking annoying a$$ Kevin Hart.
There is a bit more defense, so that helps. But the incentive is still too weak. The long delay/commercials/mini-events interrupting the games were annoying (the guy winning the 100k is pretty cool though). Division All-Star Playoff - 6 Teams composed of the "all-star" players selected (via fan voting and/or coach selection) / 6 players per team with 1 reserve - Teams are coached by the head coach of the team with the best regular-season record in each division First Round - The top 2 teams (based on regular-season strength and results) get a bye - The remaining 4 teams face off in single-elimination first to 50 games Incentives - Monetary Rewards for Players - cash bonus for all players and coaches on the winning team - Playoff Seeding Advantage for Teams in the Winning Division - Tiebreaker Advantage: Teams from the winning division get priority in seeding tiebreakers - Home-Court Advantage: Teams from the winning division automatically earn home-court advantage in the first playoff round when facing teams from other divisions - Wildcard Spot (seed 7-10): team from the winning division automatically earn home-court advantage in the play-in tournament - Draft Pick Incentive - One 2nd round draft pick swap between divisions - The division with the worst loss (by point differential) loses a 2nd round draft pick to the winning division - A lottery determines which specific team in the losing division gives up the pick and which team in the winning division receives it
Yeah I’ve read quite a few responses and this seems to be the consensus. And while I love Barkley for calling out Draymond, pretending their show is about analysis and showing respect to players: hell no. The league and Silver for all their public commitment to improving the competition either allowed this, because they’re clueless, and TNT is just pushing their own agenda or it’s all a big facade. In conclusion: players were annoyed, Inside the NBA got their props - unnecessary because they are not going anywhere - fans were treated to a lot of commercials, ads and anything but basketball. Btw Lebron & Ant douchebags for not allowing a replacement.
Lebron and Ant did the wrong thing here by waiting till the last minute but i suspect that they didn’t know about the delays and inability to warm up till the last minute. So in a way I understand why but still if they are dealing with injuries they shouldn’t have waited to be a game time decision anyways. But making players take 17 minute time outs was insane. You are just asking for pulled muscles or sprains if heaven forbid they did go all out. I’ve generally approved of Adam Silver but I think he was complicit enough here to warrant being fired if the owners wanted to take a look at replacing him. His whole thing for years has been about improving the game and then let’s this happen last night where the NBA and TNT make it crystal clear that they are just as much if not more to blame for the decline in their product. The cluelessness or the brazenness to think it’s okay to have 17 minute time outs for a game that lasts 5-8 minutes today is ridiculous, and a slap in the face to the fans and players.
I watched the replay so without commercials, so did not know it was this bad until I read it later. Insane and my guess is since Silver realizes it’s beyond saving, just making sure they get their money. I don’t know how many time-outs a regular all-star game had but this definitely felt like a lot. 40 points was also ridiculously low, so yeah, they have no interest in truly improving it.
They aren't going to fire Adam Silver for the All-Star game when the TV packages he just negotiated are triple the previous ones. However, if/when the NBA's popularity and revenues start declining, Silver's buns will start feeling the heat.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6142903/2025/02/18/nba-player-poll-all-stars-changes-2025/ Was the new All-Star tournament a good idea? Yes: 12 No: 2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, All-Star: “If you’re asking where my stance is, I would love to play like a pickup game, like we do in the summertime.” Garland: “It has its good and its bad. But I mean, I think it’s cool to highlight the Rising Stars playing against some of the All-Stars. I think that’s cool. It’s a cool experience for the younger guys.” Risacher: “I feel like that was a good idea because it changed a little bit, and I think change was good. At the same time, I don’t know if this edition was as good as the last one.” Young: “I don’t think so. I don’t think it was a great format. Obviously, I feel like the long breaks were a lot on the players and things like that. Obviously we’re trying to stay warm and play hard and play as much as you want us to be competitive. I mean, it’s not easy on your body when you’re taking that long of breaks in between.” Mobley: “I think it was a good idea. I think it got us more engaged, more involved and (got) the intensity up a little bit.” Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons, Rising Stars: “I like it, definitely. It’s more of a motivation to play a little harder. Anytime they can boost the competition, it’ll make (the All-Star Game) more exciting to watch. So that’s always fun.” Lillard: “I think that’s probably why they put this type of format in, to kind of heighten that sense of pride and not wanting to be on the wrong end of that.” What’s the easiest way to convince players to care about competing in the All-Star Game? More incentives: 7 U.S.-World Game: 2 Play for the fans: 2 Rule changes: 1 Young: “I feel like the way to make it better is to go back to East-West and then give the winning team a very high incentive and then the losing team little to nothing. I feel like pride will kick in.” Powell: “Doing it for the fans. This is what this whole weekend’s about. They support us throughout the course of the season, and they’re coming out here to see the best of the best compete against each other. I think that’s when the All-Star Game was in its prime. You know, when it was East and West. It was simple. They were competing. They’re getting after it. And that’s what the fans want to see.” Garland: “A million dollars per player.” Camara: “The buildup to the games is important. Maybe on game day, not having many things to do before the game.” Pate: “Put some real money on the line. I bet they start going 100 percent.” Wembanyama: “(U.S. vs. World) — My opinion is that it’s more purposeful. There’s more pride in it. More stakes.” Dunn: “Have more incentives or something (that) favors the winner. If you win, you get home-court advantage in Game 1 (of the playoffs) or maybe a cash prize. Something like that, that can make people say, ‘All right, I want to play for that.’” Spoiler Team USA JAYLEN BROWN JALEN BRUNSON CADE CUNNINGHAM STEPHEN CURRY ANTHONY DAVIS KEVIN DURANT ANTHONY EDWARDS DARIUS GARLAND JAMES HARDEN TYLER HERRO JAREN JACKSON JR. LEBRON JAMES DAMIAN LILLARD DONOVAN MITCHELL EVAN MOBLEY JAYSON TATUM KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS JALEN WILLIAMS TRAE YOUNG Team World GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER KYRIE IRVING NIKOLA JOKIĆ ALPEREN SENGUN PASCAL SIAKAM VICTOR WEMBANYAMA Yeah, that’ll totally work!
Nobody cares about Sunday... Saturday is the most interesting day to stage something.....and move Dunk Contest, 3 pt Contest etc to Friday! Cut all commercials except a few selected....funny ones. And then immediately play a RS game on Sunday or Monday.....doesn't have to be more than 1 or 2 games.
On the 1:1 tournament proposal, if NBA is serious about it, I do hope they really think it through on all the rules and likely outcomes. If the rule is make-it, take it, where the person who scores, gets the ball to go again: a big might have inherit advantages. That big can just keep low posting to the basket to score, (and grab rebounds if miss). Kind of like what dads can do to their 10 yr old kid at the driveway.
I find the idea of a million dollars reward disgusting and spitting in the faces of fans. Powell at least gets it. Also acting like some interviews and rest makes it hard to get up and play is ridiculous. You are a pro, I get it was annoying, but you could still play hard. To act like being competitive requires a checklist is exactly what’s wrong with their motivation and attitude. Ask Tari, Amen or Rodman what they need(ed) to work at it.
