The 2024 NBA All-Star Game broke some records.
It was the highest-scoring All-Star game of all time, as both teams combined for 397 points. The Eastern Conference finished with 211 points, the most of any team in the history of the midseason exhibition game.
But one record the game didn't break was viewership. The 2023 All-Star Game saw the lowest viewership of all time at just 4.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen. This year's game was up to 5.4 million viewers, an increase of 18%.
But that was still the second least-watched NBA All-Star Game in history.
The NBA All-Star Game attracted well over 10 million viewers in the 1990s. That number fell in the 2010s to about seven to eight million, but the game has not eclipsed over 6.3 million viewers in the last four years.
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This is despite efforts from the NBA to change the format. From 2020 to 2023, the league added an "Elam Ending," which put a set number for teams to reach to finish the game. In 2018, the league also tried going away from the traditional East vs West format when it allowed team captains to draft their teams from a pool of selected players. That ended this year as well.
One of the most significant issues is that the players no longer take the game seriously. The last few years have seen players prioritize staying healthy rather than winning a game that had no effect on NBA season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver tried to convince the players to work harder during this year's All-Star game. During the press conference the night before, he said that he expected to see "a good game."
That did not happen as players were not playing a lick of defense and taking bombs from beyond halfcourt in the middle of the game.
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— BrickWrld (@BrickWrld_) February 19, 2024
After the game, Silver told Charles Barkley and Gayle King on CNN that he took "responsibility" for the poor showing at the game.
"I think particularly the young players, they see it as a midseason break," Silver said.
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NBA Commissioner hints that the All-Star Game format could be changed
Last night, Silver was a guest on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" before Game 3 of the NBA Finals and hinted at changes that could be made to the All-Star Game format. After he failed to convince players to play with effort during last year's game, he may have given up on that solution.
"We may just be past the point where guys and teams are incentivized to play a competitive All-Star game in the middle of the season," Silver said.More NBA:
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Silver instead focused on the most successful part of last year's All-Star Weekend which was the three-point shootout between the NBA's Steph Curry and the WNBA's Sabrina Ionescu. It was the first three-point shooting showcase between an NBA and WNBA player during the All-Star weekend, and it ended up as the most watched portion of the Saturday showcase.
The Commissioner said that these are the kinds of events that the league is looking to doing more of, and seemed to hint that the All-Star Game itself could be scrapped.
"We have to do something that's a little bit different, frankly," Silver said. "That recognizes this is about entertainment. People want to see the players put their best foot forward, but it has to be something more than just a game."
The NBA All-Star Game has been around since 1951, so losing the game would certainly be a loss of a one of the league's iconic traditions. However, other leagues have moved away from a traditional exhibition game for their All-Star showcase such as the NFL which holds a flag football game and other skills events for its Pro Bowl Games.
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