By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Revisiting the All-Star Game, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed teams separated between players from the United States and the rest of the world as a potential adjustment.
“We thought a lot about that,” Silver referred to introducing this format during an interesting conversation with Charles Barkley on CNN.
Resurfacing the West vs. East format marked the 2024 All-Star Game, after switching to voted captains selecting their teammates in a draft over the previous six installments of the annual exhibition contest.
“It was a great weekend, but it was not a basketball game,” Silver commented on the lack of competitiveness in the All-Star Game held in Indianapolis on February 18, “Had I not seen what happened this year, I think we were ready to do the US versus international.”
“I think maybe as opposed to trying to create a super competitive basketball game, which I am not sure the teams or the players really want, we should do different things and make it a celebration of basketball,” he added.
Teaming up Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic against counterparts from the United States would be intriguing, especially for fans in Europe.
“We are going to look at US versus international. I just think maybe we are past that point where we are going to play a truly competitive game,” confessed Silver.
Venues for the next three editions of the All-Star Game have been set in San Francisco in 2025, Inglewood in 2026, and Phoenix in 2027.