Adam Silver on proposed lottery reform: ‘Losing should be uncomfortable’

Adam Silver didn’t introduce anything new. He just said it out loud.

“We should have a system where you should hate to lose,” Silver said on a recent Competition Committee call, via ESPN’s Shams Charania. “It shouldn’t be a badge of honor. Losing should be uncomfortable.”

That’s been the league’s stance for a while now. What’s changed is how direct it’s getting.

The NBA is pushing toward a revamped draft lottery, one that would flatten odds and penalize the very worst teams. The message behind it is simple: Too many teams have gotten used to the idea that losing late in the season can actually help.

Silver isn’t alone in thinking that needs to go.

Around the league, there’s growing support for changes, even if some view them as an overcorrection. The goal is to make games matter deeper into the schedule and give teams a reason to keep competing instead of pivoting.

That’s where this quote lands. Not as a surprise. More as a reminder.

The NBA doesn’t just want to discourage tanking. It wants to make sure teams feel it when they lose.