The NBA All-Star game format has been a sore subject over the last decade, and commissioner Adam Silver has seemingly been doing everything he can to find a viable solution.
The traditional East vs. West format, having players pick the teams themselves or even a mini-tournament this season with drop-ins from famous stars such as YouTuber Mr. Beast and Kevin Hart, have all flopped.
With the latest rendition of the NBA All-Star game not working out as planned, one day before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, Silver announced on Wednesday that the league would be drawing inspiration from the NHL's "4 Nations Face-Off."
Starting next year, the NBA All-Star Game will pit the best American players against the best international players.
While this was a smashing success for hockey, with 16.1 million people in North America tuning in, fans on social media are skeptical that it will have the same effect for the NBA.
"Team World has the tryhards and Team USA has 32+ year olds who just ready to go home. It's not going to be any good still lmao," predicted one fan.
"At this point just give the players a week off," said a second.
"So what if there is a bunch more all-stars from team-world or vice versa? We just gonna leave out deserving all-stars so teams can be even? Oh and this not fixing the ASG," added another.
"The minute u start copying other sports its serious problems wit ur league," commented another.
"It’s not that it’s a bad idea, it just takes buy in from the players. 4 Nations worked for the NHL because the players chose to care about it. Would love to be proven wrong, but I just don’t see the NBA players caring enough to make it even close to what the NHL 4 Nations was," pointed out another.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
© Reuters via Imagn Images
While fans seem to doubt the overall buy-in from the players, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo called for this exact format last month on social media.
Ultimately, it's up to the players, and how serious they want to take it, but you can't say Silver isn't trying to save what has become a lost cause of an event.