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Fox Sports
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
NBA All-Star Game: Could Team World actually beat Team USA?
On Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver teased a potential change to the NBA All-Star Game format that could shake up the outlook of the league and reinvigorate a spectacle that's been desperately lacking competition. Appearing on Fox Sports' Breakfast Ball, Silver was asked about whether the All-Star game could adopt "the concept of USA vs. the World" — in other words pitting the NBA's best American players against its best foreign players — to which he responded with a resounding "Yes." While not official, the idea of a USA-versus-the-World All-Star game has been gaining momentum for years. The NBA first implemented this format with its Rising Stars Challenge in 2015, as the best rookies and second-year players from America faced off against their foreign counterparts. That concept remained for six years, with the two sides splitting three victories apiece before they disposed of it altogether, introducing different variations of a four-team tournament. Discussions comparing foreign basketball to the American game heightened during the Paris Olympic Games last summer as Team USA traversed one of the toughest fields of competition, and had battles with the Serbian and French National teams. Then, when the 2025 All-Star Game came around, the squads, which were selected by TNT's Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, incorporated a semblance of American stars teaming up against foreign stars as Barkley drafted a team called the "Chuck's Global Stars". Despite that, the game lacked competitive flare and player buy-in — as it has for most of this decade — so projected changes continued to fly around. It also didn't help the NBA that the NHL, whose schedule runs parallel, had success with the 4 Nations Face-Off, which led to multiple scintillating matchups between Team USA and Team Canada. "Our Olympic competition was a huge success," Silver said on Breakfast Ball. "I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was (also) a huge success." With all those factors, a USA-vs-the-World All-Star Game format has become undeniable. But will it truly increase competition? That depends on the players. Do they buy-in, and can the teams be equal enough to produce an exciting close game? Let's take a look at the potential rosters: Team World Starters G: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) G: Luka Doncic (Slovenia) F: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) F: Victor Wembanyama (France) C: Nikola Jokic (Serbia) Reserves Pascal Siakam (Cameroon), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Alperen Sengun (Turkey), Franz Wagner (Germany), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Ivica Zubac (Croatia), Jamal Murray (Canada) None of this is official, as Silver said, so the stipulations for this exercise exclude any player who's played for Team USA. So, even though Joel Embiid was born outside the USA, he wasn't included on this team. With that said, six of the last seven NBA MVPs came from players on this hypothetical Team World. Those superstars would headline a strong starting lineup, which would be rounded out by the best NBA's prospect since LeBron James, in Wembanyama, and the 2024 Western Conference Finals MVP in Doncic. Team World's bench, though, could be an issue as the depth of American talent buzzing throughout the NBA seemingly outweighs the foreign pool beyond its top stars. Team USA Starters G: Stephen Curry G: Anthony Edwards F: Jayson Tatum F: LeBron James C: Anthony Davis Reserves Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Devin Booker All 12 of Team USA's All-Stars are firmly within the NBA's top 20 players. Curry and James showed their worth to Team USA while leading it to a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. Because of that, and their combined eight NBA Finals rings, they're locks for this starting lineup. (Yes, Jayson Tatum will be recovering from an Achilles tear next season, but this is all hypothetical, anyway.) Then, take your pick of the NBA's best young guards. That's where Team USA has the advantage. What it gives up in top-end talent, it makes up for the amount of dominant scorers it has that will attack you in different ways. As we saw in the Olympics, foreign clubs were highly motivated to take down the almighty Team USA. While a gold medal won't be on the line here, this All-Star Game format would incorporate that overall pride, and potentially equip Team World with enough talent to actually take down the American stars. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA commissioner Adam Silver hints All-Star game will have new format
NBA commissioner Adam Silver hints All-Star game will have new format Unless something unexpected happens, the Los Angeles Lakers should have two All-Stars next year in LeBron James and Luka Doncic when the NBA All-Star Game takes place in Los Angeles at Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Interest in the NBA All-Star Game has plunged in recent years, and just about everyone agrees that it needs to be fixed, as there has been a startling lack of competitiveness. The league changed the format this season to consist of four teams, one of which was a team of rising stars, but it didn't seem to work too well. League commissioner Adam Silver went on FS1's "Breakfast Ball" on Wednesday and strongly suggested that the 2026 midseason classic will institute some form of a "USA vs the World" format. "So next year, as part of our new media deal, the All-Star Game returns to NBC where it was when we were younger," Silver said. "And it so happens that, next season will be smack in middle of the Winter Olympics. So the game will be on NBC and the very day we're on, the lead-in will be Winter Olympic events and then coming out of the All-Star Game, which is now gonna be in the afternoon instead of the evening, there'll be more Olympic events, so what better time to feature some form of USA against the world. I'm not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did which was a huge success." This type of format is something the NHL has used in its All-Star game, first in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This year, it featured a "4 Nations Face-Off" format, where Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States competed. There are so many NBA players, not just the run-of-the-mill variety but also legitimate superstars, from foreign countries, that this setup could work well. In each of the last seven seasons, the NBA's regular-season MVP has been awarded to a foreign-born player, and this year, it went to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who spent most of his childhood in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'You'd celebrate this in the Super Bowl': Adam Silver praises NBA's bold shift from superteams as Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers chase first-ever title
Image via David Dow/ Getty Images With the 2025 NBA Finals tipping off Thursday night in Oklahoma City, a unique storyline has taken center stage — two small-market franchises are battling for the championship, and league commissioner Adam Silver is embracing the moment. The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder aren't just unexpected contenders — they're a reflection of the NBA's shifting power structure. As the era of superteams fades, Silver believes this evolution was no accident but the result of purposeful changes made to level the playing field. Image viaAdam Silver praises NBA parity , says league's built for every team as small markets rise During a Wednesday appearance on Breakfast Ball , NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the league's evolving landscape, using the Pacers-Thunder Finals as a case study in what he calls intentional progress. 'If we were going into a Super Bowl and it was Packers vs. Steelers , you guys would celebrate that,' Silver said, drawing parallels between how fans perceive smaller NFL markets compared to the NBA. 'People wouldn't talk about Pittsburgh being a small market.' Image via X Silver's comments came just ahead of Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers , two franchises chasing history. The Thunder are eyeing their first NBA title since moving from Seattle in 2008, while the Pacers are still searching for their first championship since joining the NBA after winning three ABA titles. 'When you look at where the league is today, the depth of competition, it's no coincidence,' Silver noted. 'It's been intentional to create a CBA that allows more teams to compete.' Over the past seven seasons, the NBA has crowned seven different champions, from first-time winners like the Toronto Raptors (2019) and Denver Nuggets (2023), to the Milwaukee Bucks breaking a 50-year drought in 2021, to dynasties like the Golden State Warriors (2022) and storied franchises like the Boston Celtics (2024) and Los Angeles Lakers (2020). Despite occasional chatter about potential ratings dips, Silver is optimistic. 'At the end of the day, we are a league of relatively small markets,' he said. 'The goal is to have a league where every team is in position to compete.' Image via X He pointed out that this spring's playoffs included the most-watched NBA game of the season, underscoring the league's robust health ahead of its new $76 billion media rights deal with Amazon, Disney, and Comcast. Also Read: LeBron James raves about Tyrese Haliburton ahead of Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Finals for first-ever NBA title As Oklahoma City and Indiana prepare for Game 1 of the Finals, Silver's message is clear: this matchup isn't a step back — it's a glimpse of the NBA's future. In that future, competitive balance isn't a hope — it's the plan. And with two small-market teams on the league's biggest stage, that plan looks like it's working.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Adam Silver reveals massive change to NBA All-Star Game
The NBA All-Star Game is changing again. Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday on FS1's 'Breakfast Ball' that the 2026 All-Star Game at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles will feature a new format with USA vs. the World. Full details on how things will shake out, though, are to be determined. Advertisement 4 NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaking at the SBJ CAA World Congress of Sport. AP This change comes after the NHL introduced the Four Nations Face-Off in lieu of a traditional All-Star Game this year. Advertisement The first meeting between the United States and Canada drew over 10 million viewers while the finale drew an astonishing 9.3 million on ESPN alone — a hockey record for the network. Silver admitted in March that the NBA's revamped 2025 format, which was a tournament, was 'a miss.' 4 Adam Silver on FS1's 'Breakfast Ball' show. @BrkfstBallOnFS1/X He also took note of the success of the Four Nations and used it as inspiration for reshaping the NBA's All-Star Game. Advertisement 'What better time to feature some form of USA against the World? I'm not exactly sure what the format will be yet,' Silver said. 'I paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did, which was a huge success.' 4 Kevin Durant of Team Shaq and Karl-Anthony Towns of Team Chuck go up for the opening tip off during the 74th NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NBAE via Getty Images Another interesting part of the new All-Star Game — taking place on Feb. 16, 2026 — is that it will take occur in the middle of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, which are running from Feb. 6-Feb. 22. NBC, which is getting the NBA TV rights back this coming season, will air both the All-Star Game and the Olympics. Advertisement 'The very day we're on, the lead-in will be Winter Olympic events.' Silver said. 'And then, coming out of the All-Star Game, which will now be in the afternoon instead of the evening, there will be more Olympic events.' 4 Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Team Chuck look on during the 74th NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NBAE via Getty Images With the new format emerging, it will provide fans with a matchup between the USA's best players against the top ballers from across the globe. Players like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum could, in theory, match up against the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Adam Silver Addresses 'Small Market Teams' Amid Pacers vs Thunder NBA Finals
Adam Silver Addresses 'Small Market Teams' Amid Pacers vs Thunder NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. This month, the NBA will crown its seventh different champion in as many years. It is a stretch that began in 2019, when the Toronto Raptors upended the Golden State Warriors to win their first-ever title; the Denver Nuggets joined them as first-time champs in 2023. Advertisement The Boston Celtics (in 2024) and the Los Angeles Lakers (in 2020) also added to their title-rich histories during this span, while the Warriors claimed the 2022 championship one year after the Milwaukee Bucks ended a 50-year wait for a title. When the Finals tip off in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, the Thunder franchise will seek its first championship since its 2008 relocation from Seattle. The underdog Indiana Pacers are chasing their first NBA championship, having won three ABA titles before the two leagues merged in 1976. The variety among recent champions has been interpreted as the end of the NBA's "superteam" era. Though traditional powers in Boston and Los Angeles have reached and won the Finals in recent years, "small market" teams are enjoying more sustained success than ever before. Advertisement According to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, this is the byproduct of a very intentional process. "If we were going into a Super Bowl and it was Packers vs. Steelers, you guys would celebrate that," Silver said Wednesday on "Breakfast Ball." "People wouldn't talk about Pittsburgh being a small market. It's been intentional to create a CBA that allows more teams to compete." In a league well known for dynastic championship runs, Silver believes the most recent collective bargaining agreements have made parity the name of the game in the NBA. And last year, the league signed off on an 11-year broadcast rights package with Amazon, Comcast and Disney – an agreement that is worth an estimated $76 billion. In short, Silver is not worried about low ratings, especially as the league's most recent playoff game was this spring's most-viewed. The Pacers-Thunder matchup proves to him that the NBA is in a healthy place. Advertisement "At the end of the day, we are a league of relatively small markets," Silver said. "The goal is to have a league where every team is in position to compete." Related: Shaquille O'Neal Predicts Winner of Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
