"It wouldn’t be balanced" - Adam Silver shuts down USA vs World game proposal to boost NBA ratings with puzzling explanation

During the 2025 Fanatics Fest, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared as a guest on the "Club 520 Podcast." Hosted by former player Jeff Teague, Silver discussed the league and their approach to improving viewership. The commissioner shared his thoughts on doing a new format for the All-Star game.

During the 2024-25 season, the league introduced a new All-Star game format. There were four teams, three of which had All-Star players. The fourth team was the winning team of the Rising Stars Challenge. Then, to compete, it featured a tournament style between the four teams.

Following that, there have been talks that Silver and the league could introduce a new format. One format is for the NBA to do a USA vs. World, similar to what they did with the Rising Stars Challenge from 2015 to 2021.

However, Silver shut down the rumors.

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"If it were just a straight-up USA vs. World game, as much as fans would love that, I’m not sure it would be fair to the players. Roughly 30% of the league is from outside the U.S., so it wouldn’t be balanced. 30% versus 70%," Silver said.

"But we’re looking at different formats. We’re talking to the Players Association—we’d need their agreement. But the goal is to recreate that passion around USA vs. other countries or regions of the world."

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Adam Silver believes the international stars wouldn't have enough to build a 12-man roster. Additionally, there would be players who would get snubbed.

Adam Silver speaks on a potential league expansion

Talks of adding another team in the NBA have been a significant topic. During Adam Silver's recent appearance on Teague's podcast, he spoke highly of Seattle being an "incredible market" for expansion.

"We had a team in Seattle before and it's such an incredible market," Adam Silver said (13:54). "Many of my years at the NBA were spent in Seattle when there was still a team and there's no doubt about the love of basketball there."

The Seattle Supersonics were part of the NBA before their franchise was relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. Many people from Seattle want to have their basketball team back.

Right now, the leading destination for league expansion is Las Vegas. However, Seattle could be heavily considered given how loyal the fans have been to the league and their team.

About the author

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline.

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

Beyond basketball, Reign enjoys gaming with friends and watches comedy shows and films.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash