Speaking to reporters on Thursday following a board of governors meeting, Silver said the league will look for ways to improve the mid-season event, which this year drew 4.7 million viewers across TNT platforms – down 13 percent from last year.
The only NBA All-Star Game with fewer viewers came in 2023, with 4.6 million.
“I thought we made almost an immeasurable amount of progress,” Silver said.
“I thought this was a little better, but it was a miss. We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of, that our players can be proud of.”
This season’s format featured four teams competing in a three-game mini-tournament, with 24 All-Stars divided among three teams in San Francisco.
The fourth team was the Rising Stars event winner, which was held two nights before the All-Star Game. Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, a late scratch, was not among the participants. Anthony Edwards also scratched.
“We recalibrated around this year’s All-Star game in San Francisco, around more of an entertainment product, and I don’t think it worked,” Silver said.
“The breaks were too long. And I get it: It was an opportunity to celebrate TNT, as they were gonna have their last All-Star Game. It was well-intentioned.”
Next year’s All-Star Game will be broadcast on NBC, which takes over following a 23-year run by TNT.
The commissioner added that despite the success of the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off, the NBA doesn’t appear to be set on adding a USA vs. World format for next year’s All-Star Game in Inglewood, California, which will be the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers. (Reuters)
