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Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant grilled the NBA’s recent decision to change the format for All-Star teams after a spree of uneventful All-Star Weekend events. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league brain trust wanted to shake things up, but the changes have yet to land with the fans and players.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 28: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns reacts during the second half of game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Footprint Center on April 28, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 122-116 and win the series 4-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – FEBRUARY 19: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talks after the 2023 NBA All Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“I hate it, I absolutely hate it,” Durant commented Tuesday following the league’s announcement.
KD criticized the NBA for departing from the simple East versus West format.
Durant’s criticisms pile on the NBA at a time when ratings are dramatically down and stars’ “load management” strategies hurt fan intrigue.
“Terrible. All-Star Game format changing, all the formats — terrible in my opinion. We should just go back to East-West. Just play a game. I think we’ve been trying to bring that flare back somehow with All-Star Weekend, I think we just keep the tradition. We’ll see how this one works.
“You never know, I might be wrong, I’m just another guy with an opinion, but we’ll see how it works.”
The NBA announced on Tuesday that All-Star Weekend 2025 will feature massive changes. A statement by the league read:
“The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association announced today a new format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“The reimagined event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, and air at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. …
“The NBA All-Star Game will feature a mini-tournament with four teams and three games. Two teams will meet in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will meet in the other semifinal (Game 2).
“The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at All-Star Weekend 2024. (Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski-Getty Images)
For players like Durant, having to play more meaningless games sounds like a drag. The special events do the NBA no favors in bumping up viewership numbers, which players acknowledge and are starting to call out. Simply put, no one is watching the NBA’s weakened product.
The NBA fails to generate excitement, and Adam Silver’s repeated face-lifts for All-Star Weekend have not paid off.
OutKick’s Clay Travis sounded off on the league’s declining viewership numbers: “NBA ratings are down 48% since 2012. Down 28% this year alone on ESPN. Every other sports league is setting ratings records. Total disaster.”
Adam Silver and the NBA have a major problem on their hands.
Clay also posted last month:
“NBA ratings continue to tank. Down 28% on ESPN to all time lows so far this season. Maybe LeBron, Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr need to start celebrating dunks with the Trump dance? Woke sports destroyed the NBA fan base.”
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