NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke with the media before Saturday night’s All-Star festivities at Chase Center.
SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.
So why wasn’t Curry a star attraction Saturday night, on the Warriors’ home court, in a potential rematch of last season’s 3-point challenge with Sabrina Ionescu, a Walnut Creek native and WNBA star for the New York Liberty?
“Last year was so magical about the competition, it was starting to feel forced,” Silver said an hour before Saturday night’s All-Star festivities at Chase Center. “It got to the point we just collectively weren’t feeling it.
“It was such a unique moment last year that people were anticipating, and both shot the lights out,” Silver continued. “They felt, and I agreed, it just didn’t feel right. We looked at different permutations and ways to do it. It just felt forced. It lost that special feeling that it had last year.”
One reported option was to pit Curry and Ionescu alongside Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson ina a 2-on-2 format, but Clark declined and wanted her first 3-point contest to come as a WNBA All-Star.
On the eve of Chase Center’s first All-Star Game in its six-year history, fans crowded in to instead watch the standard 3-point Contest in which Oakland native Damian Lillard sought a third straight victory, with that event wedged between the Skills Challenge and the Dunk Contest.
Earlier in Silver’s press conference, he addressed criticism of “The 3-point Revolution,” and called it an “egalitarian shot” that rewards those talented enough to launch shots beyond the arc, at least 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket. If there’s a way to fix the barrage of 3-point attempts while improving the game, well, Silver has yet to hear a solution, but continues to listen.
Silver addressed several other topics:
On San Francisco being the “epicenter of the basketball community” this week, with a nod to the Oakland Arena also hosting some All-Star festivities. Silver: “The national media is covering the renaissance we’re seeing here in San Francisco. Always enjoyed coming to this community but do sense more energy last couple days here than I have a long time, a true sense of optimism the community is turning the corner, under Mayor Daniel Lurie.”
On the criticism Dallas Mavericks are receiving for trading Luka Dončić last week to the Los Angeles Lakers: “In terms of anger in the fan base, I’m empathetic and understanding,” said Silver, who said he was surprised by the trade and insisted that Dallas made the deal with the best interest of the franchise’s long-term success with “no ulterior motives.”
On television ratings: Silver claimed that ratings are rebounding and that the league’s massive social media following can only help as an “additive” to getting fans engaged with content. “The challenge is how to move to live games,” said Silver, noting that the league must work with content creators and also improve broadcasts, similar to how the NFL and the Olympics have done on recent streaming services.
On officiating: Silver noted that “officiating unhappiness” will never go away but the league welcomes feedback and future “technological solves” that could help on out-of-bounds and goaltending calls. Asked what he would do if he were a player for a day, Silver quipped: “I would stop complaining about officiating.”
SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.
So why wasn’t Curry a star attraction Saturday night, on the Warriors’ home court, in a potential rematch of last season’s 3-point challenge with Sabrina Ionescu, a Walnut Creek native and WNBA star for the New York Liberty?
“Last year was so magical about the competition, it was starting to feel forced,” Silver said an hour before Saturday night’s All-Star festivities at Chase Center. “It got to the point we just collectively weren’t feeling it.
“It was such a unique moment last year that people were anticipating, and both shot the lights out,” Silver continued. “They felt, and I agreed, it just didn’t feel right. We looked at different permutations and ways to do it. It just felt forced. It lost that special feeling that it had last year.”
One reported option was to pit Curry and Ionescu alongside Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson ina a 2-on-2 format, but Clark declined and wanted her first 3-point contest to come as a WNBA All-Star.
On the eve of Chase Center’s first All-Star Game in its six-year history, fans crowded in to instead watch the standard 3-point Contest in which Oakland native Damian Lillard sought a third straight victory, with that event wedged between the Skills Challenge and the Dunk Contest.
Earlier in Silver’s press conference, he addressed criticism of “The 3-point Revolution,” and called it an “egalitarian shot” that rewards those talented enough to launch shots beyond the arc, at least 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket. If there’s a way to fix the barrage of 3-point attempts while improving the game, well, Silver has yet to hear a solution, but continues to listen.
Silver addressed several other topics:
On San Francisco being the “epicenter of the basketball community” this week, with a nod to the Oakland Arena also hosting some All-Star festivities. Silver: “The national media is covering the renaissance we’re seeing here in San Francisco. Always enjoyed coming to this community but do sense more energy last couple days here than I have a long time, a true sense of optimism the community is turning the corner, under Mayor Daniel Lurie.”
On the criticism Dallas Mavericks are receiving for trading Luka Dončić last week to the Los Angeles Lakers: “In terms of anger in the fan base, I’m empathetic and understanding,” said Silver, who said he was surprised by the trade and insisted that Dallas made the deal with the best interest of the franchise’s long-term success with “no ulterior motives.”
On television ratings: Silver claimed that ratings are rebounding and that the league’s massive social media following can only help as an “additive” to getting fans engaged with content. “The challenge is how to move to live games,” said Silver, noting that the league must work with content creators and also improve broadcasts, similar to how the NFL and the Olympics have done on recent streaming services.
On officiating: Silver noted that “officiating unhappiness” will never go away but the league welcomes feedback and future “technological solves” that could help on out-of-bounds and goaltending calls. Asked what he would do if he were a player for a day, Silver quipped: “I would stop complaining about officiating.”
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