NBC might be the last bastion of hope to rejuvenate the NBA All-Star game when it takes over rights to the midseason exhibition starting next season.
In an appearance at the Associated Press Sports Editors commissioners meetings on Monday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that the network is pushing for an internationally themed All-Star game. Foreign-born stars have won the past six MVP awards, and fans have long clamored for the game to recognize international players’ influence on the league. The NHL crafted a “best-on-best” four-team tournament called the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year that broke through as a major sports event and delivered massive viewership.
With NBC broadcasting the Winter Olympics in Milan next February alongside NBA All-Star weekend, it hopes to cash in on a similar event for basketball.
“Our All-Star Game will return to NBC next season in the middle of their coverage of the Winter Olympics. Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players’ association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.”
The commissioner added that the NBA has interest in generating awareness for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The basketball tournament will be played at Intuit Dome, home to the Los Angeles Clippers — and next year’s All-Star game.
“It presents an enormous opportunity for us to do something with an international competition instead of the traditional All-Star formats that we’ve used,” Silver said.
One issue with a format built around international players competing against the best American stars is that, while the league’s very best players may largely be foreign-born, that roster would lack depth. Of the 26 All-Stars this past February, just six were born outside of America.
NBC broadcasted the All-Star game from 1991-2002. And rather than inherit a broken event in a ratings slump that forced the NBA and TNT to experiment with a live player draft and mini-tournament in recent years, the network is apparently taking matters into its own hands.
“NBC is very much leaning into it, given their role,” said Byron Spruell, NBA president of league operations. “Looking to do something new and different yet again, but excited about the possibility.”
In the early 2000s, the NBA All-Star game routinely drew 8-10 million viewers. Recent iterations drew half that.
Led by Mike Tirico and Reggie Miller, NBC wants to make a splash in its long-awaited return to NBA broadcasting. That clearly includes putting its own touch on the marquee midseason clash of the league’s best players.
