The NBA showcased new technology with an LED court for All-Star Weekend in Indiana and it was hard to not notice this innovation.
While it was unclear beforehand how fans would react to the new look for the festivities, it didn’t take long for fans to immediately fall in love with what they saw at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Even though we won’t get to see the All-Star Game played on these fancy courts this year, fans seemed impressed with what the LED courts could do to entertain them during the festivities.
The Elam Ending, explained here, was initially considered a huge hit when it was first introduced to the NBA All-Star Game in 2020. But for a variety of reasons, some that had little to do with the format and more to do with a fear of players getting hurt, the games have not seen much competition of late.
“No one was happy about the experience last year, no one at all … It’s not me necessarily saying we expect you to be playing like it’s the Finals but we need a game.”
It was obviously time for a change and so Silver decided to shake things up.
But another reason why the league has moved back to the format, according to Silver, is a tribute to the city that is hosting the 2024 NBA All-Star Game (via Indy Star):
“It’s fitting with the entire theme of our season which essentially, ‘Back to basketball,'” Silver said. “… Since we’re coming back to such a traditional market, we’re going back to the classic format.”
Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Pacers, supported the idea. He said that Indiana is among the “purer basketball” places.
Whether you missed it or not, the traditional NBA All-Star Game is back.
Imagine your favorite movie ever. It doesn’t matter what it is — just imagine it.
Now, also, imagine your favorite NBA player. Or your favorite NBA team. Maybe your favorite player plays for that team.
Now, imagine smashing all of those things together into one. Your favorite NBA player is playing an NBA game that somehow looks exactly like a scene from your favorite movie. Wild, right? Right.
Adam Silver announced the new feature alongside Victor Wembanyama at an NBA presentation for All-Star weekend and, I’ve got to say, this has to be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.
They turned a Jazz-Pacers game into…an Into the Spiderverse movie? Yeah, man. Weird.
Adam Silver and Wemby unveil NB-AI at NBA All-Star Tech Summit in Indy – now you can use your voice to activate “movie mode” and make a live NBA game look like your favorite film pic.twitter.com/NItNQSvyTC
It’s kind of cool, honestly? Way cooler than just inserting yourself into a highlight, for sure. But still, it’s super weird. I’m not sure I’ll ever use this. But, then again, it’s clearly not for me. This is something the kids are going to love.
That didn’t stop people online from roasting this, though. You knew this was coming, Adam. You knew it.
The 2024 NBA Draft will feel different than the 2023 NBA Draft with Victor Wembanyama. One massive change is the event may get longer.
The 2024 NBA Draft will feel different than the 2023 NBA Draft with Victor Wembanyama. One massive change is the event may get longer.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2024 NBA Draft is “preparing to move to days” for this upcoming class. That means the first-round picks will hear their names called at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 26 and then second-round picks will get selected the following day on June 27.
While it’s not uncommon for a professional sports draft to last multiple days (with the NFL Draft spanning three days long), fans were not initially thrilled with the report about the switch in the NBA.
Here is how many reacted when they saw the long-rumored speculation confirmed by Woj.
Draymond Green was reportedly prepared to walk away from the game.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is nearing a return to NBA action following his latest suspension, but it nearly didn’t happen.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that in a yet-to-be-released episode of The Draymond Green Show podcast, the four-time NBA champion shared a fascinating conversation he had with league commissioner Adam Silver.
Wojnarowski reportedly received a clip of the podcast, in which Green says he told Silver that he planned to retire (via ESPN):
“I told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me. … This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me — and I’m going to retire.’ And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that.’
“We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”
Green has missed 14 games following an altercation with Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic. It was his second suspension of the season related to an on-court incident.
Although his actions have hurt his team, an early retirement decision would have been shocking. Green is currently in the first year of a four-year contract extension and was majorly impactful when his team won the 2022 NBA title.
While it is unclear what this means for the future of Green’s professional basketball career, Silver was able to prevent the former Defensive Player of the Year from making a decision he could later regret.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver comments on new OKC arena approval.
OKC voters approved the proposal to build a new downtown arena that will house the Oklahoma City Thunder for several generations on Tuesday. An overwhelming 71% of voters voted in support of it.
The arena proposal approved included a $900 million cost for the publicly-owned venue with $50 million contributed by Thunder ownership. At least $70 million will come from the MAPS 4 project.
Once completed, the Thunder have pledged to sign a 25-year lease. The venue is scheduled to open by the 2029-30 season.
In the aftermath, Thunder fans celebrated on social media. Notable figures such as Thunder owner Clay Bennett released a statement on the election’s result. NBA commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement.
The approval likely means OKC is guaranteed to keep the Thunder for the long haul.
“A signature of the Oklahoma City Thunder, beyond the team’s success on the floor, has been their deep connection to their fans and their community. This vote for a new arena is another example of that bond,” per Silver’s statement.
“We are grateful to the people of Oklahoma City for the confidence they have shown in both the Thunder and the NBA as we embark on a new era of global sports and entertainment.”
The approval means the Thunder will remain in OKC beyond their current three-year arena lease. The Thunder franchise relocated from Seattle in 2008.
Adam Silver explains why the NBA has allowed Josh Giddey to play amid investigations.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained why the league has allowed Josh Giddey to continue to play amid investigations of reports he engaged in an alleged inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
Several videos and photos of Giddey and an alleged minor surfaced and went viral on social media last month. The 21-year-old elected to not comment on the allegations in his only public appearance since then on Nov. 24.
“I understand the question obviously, but there’s no further comment right now,” Giddey said. When asked about it again, he added: “I get the question guys, I completely understand you guys want to know about it but just for right now, I don’t have anything to say.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault also went the no comment route and said Giddey will continue to play until told the team was told otherwise by the NBA.
Since then, the NBA and Newport Beach police department opened investigations into the allegation. The league announced theirs on Nov. 24, and Newport Beach PD announced theirs on Nov. 29.
On Friday, Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews the league usually never suspends players based on accusations alone, and that officials usually wait until the police investigation results are announced before making a decision.
“I think if you look back, I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said. “So we have an allegation and then you have a police investigation and a parallel league investigation.
“I’ll also add that where there’s a criminal investigation, we take a backseat. You have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation — that impacts how the players and Players Association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights.
“I’m not going to say never ever, but I think this is the path we’ve consistently followed in the past. … That’s where things currently stand.”
"I can't think of many circumstances where we've suspended a player based on an allegation alone… where there is a criminal investigation, we take a backseat… That's where things currently stand."
Giddey is in his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being drafted with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. In 21 games, he’s averaged 11.7 points on 41.6% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Adam Silver is going on a press tour. And he should. That’s what you should do when you orchestrate a huge win. You gloat about it.
Make no mistake — the NBA’s In-Season Tournament is absolutely that. We have no idea what the ratings behind this thing are just yet, but that part doesn’t really matter. There’s been clear buy-in from both players and fans across the board. These games just feel like they matter more — the NBA has been searching for that feeling for years now.
That’s why it’s so confusing to see him talking about literally anything else during this press tour.
One would think that he’d appear on all of these different platforms and simply rattle off numbers and opinions about how successful his new tournament has been as well as what that means for the future of NBA basketball. One might also think he’d throw in a little elevator pitch for that next TV deal the league is so desperately searching for. It’s the perfect time, Adam!
McAfee asked Silver if he felt obligated to be a part of “international relations” with other countries considering how much of a global game the NBA has become. All Silver had to do was give a boiler plate answer about how global the league has become and leave it at that.
Instead, the man compared himself to Henry Kissinger. Yes, THAT Henry Kissinger.
Adam Silver is asked by Pat McAfee about the NBA's place in international relations and compares himself to Henry Kissinger, "one of the great global diplomats" before telling ESPN's audience he is a "big believer" in a strong military… pic.twitter.com/LHUCrgt4L4
“I will say, I was reading a lot of those long obituaries around Henry Kissinger’s death at 100. And, where he was an exemplar of one of our great global diplomats. I understand, I mean this is going to be far-field, maybe, to your question. I, of course, believe we have to have a strong military. I’m a big believer in it. At the same time…I think, through sport, through culture, through arts, it brings connectivity together with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds.”
Far-field might have been putting that kindly. A Henry Kissinger comparison is absolutely not where anyone thought that question was going. Of course, people are absolutely torching Silver online now. As they should be. This was legitimately weird. Things did not have to go this way.
Would you believe me if I said things actually got weirder here? Because they did.
Silver went on to talk about how the World Cup in Qatar was celebrated despite “whatever was going on in those countries. Whatever autocrat or dictator” was in power, everyone accepted the rules of the sport.
If you boil down the dictionary definition of tone-deafness into a single moment, this might be what that moment looks like. Its Adam Silver mixing a slimy heap of word salad that somehow conflates togetherness and community with rich people buying tickets to sporting events in autocratic countries. This is so silly. But it’s not unexpected. This is the same commissioner of the same league that has opened itself up to sovereign wealth funds. It is what it is. That’s just the way things are going in sports today. Adam Silver isn’t any different from any other league’s commissioner. You have to believe this gobbledygook to have that job. You don’t forsake money to preserve morality.
But, man. Here’s the thing: Did we really have to talk about this today, Adam?
Maybe next time instead of comparing yourself to “controversial” foreign diplomats, you can just keep it chill and talk about your shiny new tournament.
Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today! We appreciate you.
Adam Silver needs to call for an emergency press conference at some point today and just do the Gladiator thing the entire time. “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?” Because that man deserves to take a victory lap around the success of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.
Adam Silver has done a lot of good things for the NBA. Players are raking in obscene amounts of cash now. The league is making more money than ever before. He’s also managed to ditch not just one, but two, problematic owners through his tenure as commissioner.
But, as far as basketball goes, the In-Season Tournament has got to be Silver’s crowning jewel as a commissioner. Whenever he chooses to step down, this tournament will be the thing he leaves behind.
There’s something about single-elimination sports tournaments that just works so well. Every single time. There are automatically stakes and drama, even without an extra $500,000 on the line.
Oh, and by the way, enough with saying the players won’t care about that. Look at how excited some of these dudes on the Pacers’ bench are knowing they’re about to advance. Tell me they don’t care about that money.
look at that bench. the Pacers have 10 players on the books who make less than $3 million in salary this season (3 two-way contracts). $500k per player to the winner of the tournament. get nuts. https://t.co/B4jPrZlPuR
The courts are wonky. The jerseys are goofy. But this basketball is good, man. It was great to watch Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers get excited about cooking against one of the best defenses in the league. It was fun to watch the Pelicans put together a complete win without an incredible game from Zion Williamson. That’s the stuff the fans need to see. It’s the most important function of this tournament.
Earlier in October when the season started, Adam Silver said he wanted to change the way the NBA is covered. There wasn’t enough talk about the game — at least not compared to all the fluff around it.
This tournament changes that. It brings the focus back to basketball again. Honestly, watching it has been extremely refreshing.
I don’t know how the rest of this thing is going to go throughout this week. But I’m confident enough in what we’ve seen already to say this: The NBA In-Season Tournament works.
When this is over, can we do this again in March? Please, NBA?
Jake Browning just earned himself a contract, didn’t he?
I had no idea who Jake Browning was before last night, but I absolutely know who he is now. And so does the NFL after his stunning performance against the Jaguars on Monday night.
Browning kept the Bengals’ playoff hopes alive in a 34-31 win over the Jags that came down to a last-second field goal. Browning was brilliant in this one, completing 32 of his 37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. He’s the first undrafted player to put up numbers like this at quarterback since 1967, per ESPN.
Per ESPN Stats & Info: Bengals QB Jake Browning is the first undrafted player since 1967 (Common Draft Era) to throw for 350 passing yards and complete 85% of his passes in a game.
Like I said, the NFL knows who he is now. It’s just one game, so he’ll have to keep this up. But I totally expect this dude to get the Matt Flynn treatment down the line.
Speaking of backup QBs, the Jaguars seem to have a situation on their hands now with Trevor Lawrence spraining his ankle. C.J. Beathard is the current backup and seemed decent. But will he be able to keep the Jaguars afloat at the top of the division? We’ll see.
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Apparently, the Jets want to name Zach Wilson the starting quarterback for the team. But, in a wild twist, he doesn’t appear to want the job? Even after Aaron Rodgers tried to convince him to take it, he said no.
But Wilson — outside of contractual obligations, of course — owes the Jets nothing. Never mind that at seemingly every turn, they’ve been determined to undermine the former No. 2 overall pick: why would Wilson want to play and risk his personal health for a team that’s demonstrated it probably doesn’t care all that much about him?”
It’s hard to blame Wilson here, honestly. He stinks. We know that. Wilson playing won’t make a difference. His future isn’t with this team and we learned that when Robert Saleh went in a different direction with Tim Boyle. From Wilson’s perspective, that’s the choice the organization made and it’ll have to live with it now.
While load management may have some legitimacy in preventing injuries and improving performance, the data is inconclusive per Silver.
In a recent conversation between NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and former NBA player JJ Redick on the latter’s podcast, the two discuss the influence of load management on the league and player participation. Silver acknowledges that social media, particularly NBA Twitter, has had a significant impact on decision-making regarding load management and resting players.
While load management may have some legitimacy in preventing injuries and improving performance, the data is inconclusive per Silver. The league has seen a decline in player participation, which affects fan interest, ticket sales, and ratings. He emphasizes the importance of star players being on the floor unless injured. Redick raises the issue of load management culture, suggesting that it is not driven by the players themselves but by training staff and external pressures.
To hear more of this intriguing conversation on load management, check out the clip embedded below from the “Old Man and the 3” pod.
