Since being named commissioner of the NBA back in 2014, Adam Silver has worked tirelessly to improve the product. The All-Star Game has been one of his biggest points of emphasis, with more change possibly being on the horizon.
This year, Silver implemented the newest format of the All-Star Game by making it a mini-tournament among four squads. After this layout was not met with positive feedback, he’s gone back to the drawing board. Looking ahead to 2026, Silver might be taking a page from a different sports league’s playbook.
During a recent interview with The Athletic, Adam Silver touched on the All-Star Game becoming a more international-based competition. This comes on the heels of the NHL having great success with its “4 Nations Face-Off.”
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“Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris,” Silver said. “We’re discussing concepts with the players’ association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.”
Seeing that a large portion of today’s stars hail from outside the United States, this kind of format could also work in the NBA. It would also provide players with another big stage to represent their home country, which should result in more invested competitors.
Adam Silver exploring idea of building new basketball league in Europe
Adam Silver’s willingness to give an international spin to the All-Star format isn’t shocking given his bigger plans. Along with tossing around the idea of NBA expansion, he also wants to build an entirely new league in Europe.
A few weeks ago, reports first emerged of Silver’s plans to establish a new basketball league overseas. This venture would work hand-in-hand with FIBA, and feature clubs in big markets all across Europe. Still in the early stages of planning, Silver feels this could be established by as early as 2026.
When speaking about the idea of a new league, Adam Silver said it has been met with a warm reception from NBA owners.
“We feel now is the time to move to that next stage,” Silver said Thursday. “At our board meeting today, there was enthusiastic support from our club owners about continuing to explore this opportunity.”
Silver has always been a man of innovation, and wants to leave his mark on the sport with this new venture. With basketball being more of a global game than ever, another league would only help further expand its outreach.
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Edited by Kevin McCormick
