NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared on Wednesday that he supports the idea of shortening games to 40 minutes by reducing the length of quarters from 12 to 10 minutes.
“As we get more involved in global basketball, the NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. And I would be — I am — a fan of four 10-minute quarters,” Silver said during his appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I’m not sure that many others are. Putting aside what it means for records and things like that, yeah, I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits.”
This season, NBA games have lasted about 2 hours and 16 minutes on average, which is similar to the past 15 seasons.
“I think of a television program being two hours, Olympic basketball being two hours. And college basketball, of course, is 40 minutes,” Silver told Patrick.
Silver made these comments in response to a question about possible future changes in the league. He also mentioned that the idea of awarding two free throws to players fouled on 3-point attempts has come up in discussions.
Changing the length of the game, which has been 48 minutes for the entire 78-year history of the NBA, could have a major impact on the sport in both big and small ways.
A number of single-game and single-season records might become unbreakable, and some of the league’s star players could play entire games more often. (Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks currently leads the NBA in playing time, averaging 38.4 minutes per game.)
“I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey, or do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there’s a greatness and a history to this game, and a purity to this game that I hope we can find a way to stay true to,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
Even if players couldn’t play the whole game, having the chance to play more minutes could affect how much teams value role players and bench players. With less need for those players, it could change how much they are paid.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose teams played each other Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, both expressed their dislike of any possible changes.
“I’m more of a traditional guy, so I’d hate to see that,” Thibodeau said, mentioning how shortening the game would affect breaking league records.
Malone, while respecting the NBA’s efforts to keep fans engaged, said there is a risk in going too far to please viewers.
“I give the league credit, because they’re always trying to find ways to keep the fans engaged,” he said. “But I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters.
I hope we don’t put in a 4-point line. I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey, or do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there’s a greatness and a history to this game, and a purity to this game that I hope we can find a way to stay true to.”
