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Tag: Adam Silver

  • NBA to consider sweeping anti-tanking reforms after rising concerns

    NBA to consider sweeping anti-tanking reforms after rising concerns

    Tanking has long been a contentious undercurrent in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but this season the issue has moved squarely into the spotlight. Recent fines issued to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for holding out players in games the league believed they should have participated in before the All-Star break have intensified scrutiny around competitive integrity.

     

    The optics of teams managing lineups late in the season are nothing new, particularly when playoff hopes dim and draft positioning comes into focus. However, league officials believe the current environment has crossed a line — one that threatens fan trust, broadcast value, and the spirit of competition.

     

    Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the matter candidly during a recent media availability, acknowledging both the historical roots of tanking and the league’s growing concern about its current trajectory.

     

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    “It’s been part of this league for a long time. Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we have seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view. What we are doing, what we are seeing right now is not working. There is no question about it,” Silver said on the issue.

     

    Silver’s remarks reflect a belief inside league offices that previous reforms — including flattened lottery odds introduced in 2019 — have not fully eliminated incentives for teams to bottom out in pursuit of premium draft selections.

     

    According to ESPN and NBA insider Shams Charania, the commissioner has already begun laying the groundwork for significant structural changes. Charania reported on X (formerly known as Twitter):

    “Commissioner Adam Silver informed the league’s 30 general managers on Thursday that the NBA plans to make anti-tanking rule changes for next season. Stakeholders have intensified dialogue about combatting tanking.”

     

    The discussions, which reportedly took place during a general managers meeting and a late January Competition Committee session, explored a wide range of proposals aimed at curbing the incentive to lose intentionally. Among the concepts under review:

    • First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+ 
    • Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date 
    • No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes 
    • Teams can’t pick top-4 the year after making conference finals 
    • Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records 
    • Lottery extended to include all play-in teams 
    • Flatten odds for all lottery teams 

    While none of these measures have been finalized, their scope underscores how seriously the league is treating the issue. Some proposals would directly limit how frequently struggling franchises can capitalize on poor finishes, while others aim to dilute the marginal advantage of finishing with one of the league’s worst records.

     

    The broader objective, as reiterated during the GM meeting, is to safeguard competitive balance without punishing legitimate rebuilding efforts. Tanking often exists in a gray area — teams may cite player development, injury management, or long-term roster planning as justification for decisions that ultimately improve draft positioning. But when high-profile players sit despite being healthy, the league’s credibility and fan confidence come into question.

     

    Silver, league officials, and all 30 team executives reportedly emphasized their shared responsibility to preserve the integrity of the sport. With television partners, sponsors, and fans increasingly vocal about late-season competitiveness, the NBA appears poised to pursue tangible reform.

     

    Whether through lottery restructuring, draft pick limitations, or multi-year performance evaluations, change appears inevitable. For a league that prides itself on parity and star power, the message from the commissioner’s office is clear: the current system is not producing the desired competitive outcomes — and the status quo will not stand for long.

     

     

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  • Adam Silver eyes football-style fandom in new European league amid talks with PSG

    Adam Silver eyes football-style fandom in new European league amid talks with PSG

    NBA commissioner Adam Silver has confirmed that the league is taking concrete steps—alongside FIBA—to establish a new professional basketball league in Europe, a development that could dramatically alter the global hierarchy of the sport. The plan, long speculated but never officially acknowledged, represents one of the NBA’s most ambitious international ventures to date.

     

    Silver addressed the topic during the NBA’s showcase series in Berlin, a fitting backdrop given the city’s deep basketball roots and Germany’s current dominance on the world stage. The nation holds both the FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket titles, achievements that Silver described as emblematic of a “golden era” for German basketball. While he stopped short of offering a launch date, the decision to speak openly about the project during the Berlin events underscored the league’s renewed commitment to expanding its European footprint.

     

    The commissioner emphasized that the proposed European league wll be built with the same kind of fan intensity and cultural significance that define European football. He made clear that the NBA and FIBA are not merely hoping to create another regional competition—they intend to establish a league with the kind of intergenerational loyalty that drives some of the world’s most storied football clubs.

     

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    “We want to design this European League for success, it means that the partners who invest in this league will understand that any revenues that exceed expenses, will need to be reinvested in the enterprise and to grow the sport,” Silver said, noting that long-term sustainability—not short-term profit—will guide the league’s structure.

     

    He expanded on the cultural aspirations behind the project, pointing to the singular passion seen among European football supporters:

    “To even dream of creating this sort of relevance that these top European football clubs have, that’s something that we don’t necessarily experience in the US, the depth of the religious fervor of some of these clubs, the way that the traditions are passed down from generation to generation. It is something that I wish every American sports fan could experience,” he added.

     

    As part of the planning phase, Silver has initiated conversations with top European football organizations—many of which have diversified into multi-sport operations. Among them is French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, which already operates a successful handball program and has explored basketball expansion in the past. According to Silver, PSG is one of several clubs evaluating the opportunity.

     

    “They are certainly one of the clubs we have had conversations with. We have enormous respect for their operating capabilities. They are obviously operating at a premier level of competition. We know that they have the know-how to operate a basketball club at the highest level, should that be of interest to them. The direct answer is yes. They are an organization we have had discussions with,” Silver continued.

     

    The commissioner also signaled an unusually broad investment strategy for the league—broader even than what is permitted within the NBA’s existing ownership rules. Although sovereign wealth funds and private equity are restricted in the NBA, the European project will adopt a more flexible model in order to accelerate growth and infrastructure development.

     

    “We are talking to families that currently invest in sports, some who have not had the tradition of investing. In addition to talking to sovereign wealth funds, there are more traditional investment funds that have had some experience investing in sports, and then some just more traditional private equity funds that see sports as an asset class,” he concluded.

     

    If executed, the league could represent a transformative moment for international basketball. It would provide a unified NBA-FIBA framework for elite European clubs, potentially reshape player development pipelines, and strengthen the NBA’s influence in one of the world’s most talent-rich regions. For fans, it could mean something even more profound: a new cross-continental competition built on the passion, heritage, and identity that define European sport.

     

     

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  • Adam Silver confirms NBA–FIBA plans for new European league

    Adam Silver confirms NBA–FIBA plans for new European league

    NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Thursday, January 15, that the league is moving forward with an ambitious plan—together with FIBA—to launch a new professional basketball league in Europe, signaling a major shift in the global structure of the sport.

     

    Silver made the announcement during the NBA’s showcase games in Berlin, a city steeped in basketball history. Although he did not reveal a definitive timeline, the commissioner’s decision to discuss the project in Germany was symbolic. Germany currently holds both the FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket titles, marking what Silver described as a “golden era” for the sport in the country.

     

    “We are the fastest-growing sport right now in this country. There’s, in essence, a golden era, I would say, of the sport. The 1936 Olympics here in Berlin, that’s when basketball was first introduced into the Olympic movement. In fact, James Naismith came here to Berlin for those games and purportedly tossed up the ball for the opening tip of the Games. So, there is that long history here,” Silver said, acknowledging the deep historical roots of basketball in Europe.

     

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    While many key details are still being finalized, early reports indicate that the NBA and FIBA are targeting October 2027 as a tentative launch date. The proposed structure includes a 16-team league, with 12 permanent franchises and an additional four clubs qualifying through a competitive process, creating a blend of stability and opportunity similar to international football competitions.

     

    Silver emphasized that the interest from European clubs, corporate sponsors, and media networks has been strong, fueling optimism that the project will materialize on schedule.

     

    “I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it. We have been meeting with clubs that are interested in participating in our league. We have been in discussions with other potential stakeholders, including media companies that would like to cover it, potential media partners and traditional sponsors who want to work with us on the league,” he said.

    He added that the NBA and FIBA are also assessing arena infrastructure across Europe, aiming to elevate facilities to NBA standards while supporting the long-term sustainability of the project.

    “We are looking at the opportunity to grow the arena infrastructure, not just here in Germany but throughout the continent. It’s something that we are enormously excited about.

     

    “I think it’s critically important that we respect the traditions of European basketball, we are trying to find the best combination of the old and new, tradition and innovation. I think frankly, that’s what the NBA brings to the table. I think it’s also why it’s important not only to have FIBA as our partner but existing basketball organizations who understand the culture of European basketball, understand the traditions, the history, what makes European basketball unique in so many ways,” Silver added.

     

    The NBA-FIBA partnership is expected to focus on major markets across the continent. Potential franchise locations reportedly include:

    • England: London, Manchester 
    • France: Paris, Lyon 
    • Spain: Madrid, Barcelona 
    • Italy: Rome, Milan 
    • Germany: Munich, Berlin 
    • Greece: Athens 
    • Turkey: Istanbul 

    These cities represent some of Europe’s largest basketball markets and strongest fan bases, offering the infrastructure and commercial appeal necessary for a global league.

     

    If the plan proceeds as envisioned, the new European league could significantly reshape the international basketball landscape—providing a pathway for elite European clubs to operate under a unified NBA-FIBA framework, enhancing talent development, and expanding the NBA’s global footprint in one of the world’s most basketball-rich regions.

     

     

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