Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone slammed NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s idea of trimming two minutes off each quarter for a total of 10 minutes per quarter, a move the commissioner floated in a radio interview in hopes of appeasing the shorter attention of modern TV viewers.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Says A Two-Hour Format For A Game Is More Consistent With Modern TV Habits
“As we get more involved in global basketball, the NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. And I would be — I am — a fan of four 10-minute quarters,” Silver said during an afternoon appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I’m not sure that many others are. Putting aside what it means for records and things like that, yeah, I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver floats the idea of changing the game from 12 to 10 minute quarters #NBA pic.twitter.com/ymajYHTgi4
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) January 29, 2025
This means each NBA game would be shortened from 48 minutes down to 40 minutes, going from 12-minute quarters to 10. Games this season have run 2 hours, 16 minutes on average, nearly identical to the past 15 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Nuggets Coach Michael Malone Wants To Keep The Game Pure
In response, Malone said he respected the NBA’s willingness to pay attention to viewership trends. However, he also emphasized the importance of keeping the game pure and not changing things just to keep viewers.
“I give the league credit, because they’re always trying to find ways to keep the fans engaged,” he said before the Nuggets’ 122-112 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “But I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters. I hope we don’t put in a 4-point line.
“I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey, or do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there’s a greatness and a history to this game, and a purity to this game that I hope we can find a way to stay true to.”
Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau Prefers 12-Minute Quarters
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is also against Silver on his potential 10-minute quarter plan.
“I’m probably more traditional so I’d hate to see that,” Thibodeau said. “That’s just a personal [opinion]. I haven’t really thought about it just because of the records and things of that nature. I think we have a great game. And I think what people want to see is competition.”
If the NBA were to implement Silver’s 10-minute quarter idea, single-game records from the past would likely become untouchable. It’s already challenging for a player to score 50 points in 48 minutes. With eight minutes taken away, the league would have to establish a new record book for the 10-minute era.
This is one idea that Silver should forget about.
