The NBA produced many changes in the All-Star Weekend’s format this year to try and spice things up and improve the ratings, but still seem not to have found the perfect formula in between entertainment and competition. This is why commissioner Adam Silver revealed that a U.S. vs. World matchup might be in the cards.
Players like Victor Wembanyama have already played against the United States in international events, including last summer’s Paris Olympics when he led his nation to the gold medal contest. Despite losing that game to the Americans, he seems to like the idea of being placed in that position more often.
Same goes to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who admitted that he loved the idea of this matchup taking place every year as the All-Star Game. With talks around the league about this upcoming possibility, the Spurs big man said it is “more purposeful,” as “there’s more pride in it. More stakes.”
Adam Silver says a USA vs. The World format for the NBA All-Star Game “may be a possibility in the future.” 🌎👀
(via Marc J Spears) pic.twitter.com/eroAqEWIMi
— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) February 14, 2025
The Milwaukee superstar, who is Greek, shared a similar sentiment. “I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” he shared this weekend. “I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I’d take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.”
This idea couldn’t come at a greater time, as the latest format for the All-Star Game has received mixed reviews. This time around, we witnessed a a four-team, three-game mini-tournament with all contests being of the first-to-40-points-wins variety. However, fans want to see a true competitive nature.
During this past weekend in San Francisco, the league tried to mimic what was already in place with the Rising Stars event for first- and second-year players, after years of openly asking for more competitive games.
The NBA decided to try the tournament approach, which mimics what was already in place with the Rising Stars event for first- and second-year players, after years of openly asking for more hard-fought games. However, last year’s 211-186 final score was the final straw.
Kevin Durant simply said that now the event is more about celebrating the sport. “I think that when you get events like this, All-Star Weekend, we don’t worry about the competition,” said the time All-Star. “It’s just more about celebrating the basketball family and the community around this time.”
