Less than 24 hours after a horrific NBA All-Star Game, the league as apparently considering changes to the event.
According to a report by Ryan Glasspiegel in Front Office Sports, the league is discussing multiple changes to next year’s game including an earlier start time and a one-on-one tournament.
Next year’s All-Star Game will be the first in a generation to air on NBC, and the network is in for a busy start to its February. On top of airing the All-Star Game, NBC will begin the month by opening the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and shortly after will air Super Bowl LX from San Francisco.
And per Glasspiegel, the network is looking to optimize those high-profile events to help the All-Star Game. Instead of tipping off at its traditional 8 p.m. ET starting time, the league and NBC are reportedly discussing moving the event up to 5 p.m. ET. The move would allow NBC to use the Winter Olympics as a direct lead-in to the NBA All-Star Game, no doubt a move that would help viewership for the event. NBC would then air its Primetime from Milan Olympics recap show following the NBA festivities.
In addition to the time change, the league is also discussing a one-on-one tournament similar to the one recently held by Unrivaled. One source told Front Office Sports that a potential tournament could end in a $1 million grand prize for the winner.
Some star players have already expressed interest in participating, including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo who told the media, “If I had the chance to play one-on-one with anybody, I’d love to do it. Anything that can make the weekend more exciting, more fun, for the viewers and for the fans and for the players, I would love to participate.”
It goes without saying, but the NBA’s new-look format fell completely flat this year. It’s unclear whether the league will stick with the four-team mini-tournament that didn’t seem to solve any of the game’s competitiveness issues or scrap it for something entirely new.
Either way, the league needs to keep trying things until it finds something that sticks.
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