The league seems to be in panic mode as it tries to mitigate the plummeting ratings. Open to any suggestions at the moment to keep fans from losing interest, Commissioner Adam Silver is doing his best to keep the audience engaged by increasing the competitive intensity of the exhibition games. From incentivizing players with prize money to changing game formats, the Commissioner isn’t leaving any stone unturned.
Almost all players, coaches, analysts on television have chimed in with their own proposals on how to deal with the issue. Amongst them is also Sir Charles Barkley. Known for his forthright speech and interesting takes on the renowned Inside the NBA show, Barkley made some compelling arguments during his interview with Dan Patrick on how to get the league back on track.
I think we need to seriously consider starting on Christmas because listen you’re wasting your time going up against the NFL and College Football, they own the weekends now. If we start at Christmas, there’s no other sports that we have to compete with. College Football would be over, pro football is winding down, we’d have the entire calendar, late December, January, February, March, April, May, June to ourself.
Charles Barkley suggested on Dan Patrick show
“I think we need to seriously consider starting on Christmas because listen you’re wasting your time going up against the NFL and College Football, they own the weekends now… We’d have the entire calendar to ourself.”
-Charles Barkley on changing the start to the #NBA season pic.twitter.com/uJasfWlO3D
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 18, 2024
He also mentioned the 2011 season, when, due to a strike, the season had to be shortened to only 66 games, resulting in over 9 million views for the All-Star Game. Charles Barkley explained his intentions to do anything in his power to revive the game he loves. Blaming the mix of load management and excessive three-point shots for the NBA’s current predicament, Barkley described how bored he once felt during the Dallas Mavericks vs. Warriors game.
Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith named honorary GMs for the upcoming All-Star games
The NBA is shaking up its traditional All-Star Game structure to create a more engaging and competitive experience for its fans. The new format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game will consist of a mini-tournament, which will include a series of three games, with two semifinal matches leading up to a championship game. The team to first reach or surpass 40 points will win the game.
NBA AND NBPA ANNOUNCE NEW FORMAT FOR 2025 NBA ALL-STAR GAME
• Mini-Tournament Features Four Teams and Three Games
• Three Teams of NBA All-Star Selections Joined by Castrol Rising Stars Champion
• TNT’s Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith Draft Rosters of… pic.twitter.com/VKuRyvLs2O
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2024
There will be four teams competing in the mini-tournament, each consisting of eight players. One of these four teams will feature rookies and sophomores from the Rising Star Challenge, led by honorary general manager Candace Parker. Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley will be the honorary GMs for the remaining three teams, each drafting their own roster.
The new All-Star tournament will feature a $1.8 million prize pool, with each player on the winning team receiving $125,000. Second place will receive $50,000 each, while third and fourth place will receive $25,000. The new format was created following complaints about the lack of competitiveness in recent All-Star Games. Starting February 14th, it will be fun to see how this new format unfolds.
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