The NBA has been trying their best to bring back value to the All-Star Weekend for years now, especially as the ceremony has dropped in the ratings. The league has attempted to revive this once-grand competition by changing its format and including entertainment, but it seems to only be affecting them negatively.
This was certainly the case with the All-Star Game mini-tournament, of which commissioner Adam Silver has revealed will not continue next season. The four-team competition made up of All-Stars and another team of rookies and sophomores has reached its’ conclusion.
“We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and our players can be proud of,” the league executive admitted, as many decision must be taken as the game is shifting to NBC next season.
With the hopes of making the following All-Star weekend more exciting, Silver explained who the new network is already investing itself in finding better ways to create some competitiveness into the mix. “We’re a bit back to the drawing board,” he said.
This past February’s celebrations seemed to be the most ridiculous yet, as they included Kevin Hart as host, but his comments during the game seemed to be more of an unwelcome distraction, than a comedic relief.
As this year’s edition has been met with unprecedented criticism, Adam Silver decided to address it during a recent news conference from the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting in New York. “Sitting there, I thought this was a little better,” the commissioner told reporters last week.
“I think at the height of this, we sell competition,” Silver reiterated during the press conference. “And I think that our players recognize they’re not putting their best foot forward — when there’s a sense that they’re not all-in on playing an All-Star game.”
