Adam Silver on Caitlin Clark’s NBA All-Star Debut Question: “Obviously Everybody Is Excited..But..”

When Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu’s three-point challenge was announced as part of the 2024 All-Star Game, fans couldn’t wait for the weekend to happen. To add more flair to the All-Star break, Jaylen Brown signed himself up for the AT&T Dunk Contest. That was it! It felt like the All-Star Game that basketball fans had fallen in love with was back. Unfortunately, except for Steph and Sabrina, the rest was underwhelming, to put it mildly. And Adam Silver knows that too.

Joining Charles Barkley and Gayle King in CNN’s King Charles, Silver admitted that players no longer see it as a basketball game. Rather, they look at it as a time to rest their bodies or simply relax. So, instead of focusing on the competitive side, it would be a better idea to focus on the celebration of the sport. And it would seem like Curry and Ionescu have come to his rescue once again.

The NBA Commissioner had credited the 2x Three-Point Contest champion and his WNBA counterpart for the idea of the ‘Steph vs Sabrina – 3 Point Contest’. Seeing their excitement as well as the fans’, both Curry and Ionescu couldn’t wait for the next year. But apparently, they wanted it to do it as a best out of three. They also mentioned involving more players, which naturally opened the conversation to Caitlin Clark. “Obviously everyone’s excited about Caitlin coming into the league,” Silver concurred. “But there’s obviously some great talent that we are excited about.”

But with all the new and exciting changes that were supposed to provide entertainment to fans, the All-Star Game fell short of its expectations.

Adam Silver admits the harsh truth of the future of All-Star Game

When the All-Star Game was announced as being back to the East vs West format, everyone hoped for a glimpse of the competitiveness prevalent in the 80s and 90s. Fans were far from thrilled despite the LED courts, interactive crossover, and everything else.

“Players see it as a mid-season break, an opportunity to have fun, an opportunity to take a break from a very long season …  I just think maybe we’re past that point where we’re going to play a truly competitive game,” Silver was forced to admit. With such realities comes a need for positive change. And it looks like the way forward is a change in the structure and format, shifting the focus from competition to celebration.

What would you like to see in the upcoming All-Star Weekend? Drop your suggestions below!

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