NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Intends To Evaluate ‘Trend’ Of Star Players Missing Games

NBA commissioner Adam Silver indicated to reporters he is concerned with star players missing game during the course of the regular season.

Silver specifically referred to it as a “a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games,” adding he hopes that the league and players’ union can discuss the matter.

“I’m not standing here saying I have a great solution,” Silver said at a news conference in New York after meeting with the NBA Board of Governors. “Part of the issue is injuries. One of the things we have focused on at the league office and we’re spending — we had begun to spend a lot of time on pre-pandemic — are there things we can do in terms of sharing information, resources around the league to improve best practices, rehabilitation?

“The other way we can get at it, in terms of player participation, is creating other incentives. The play-in tournament, I thought, was a beginning of creating renewed incentives for teams to remain competitive and be fighting for playoff position. It might be through in-season tournaments and changes in format where we can get at it.”

Silver has hinted previously that the league could consider shortening the 82-game regular season, if the league determines it’s something that could help curtail injuries.

“I also have said in the past, if we have too many games, that’s something we should look at as well,” Silver said. “It’s something, as we sit down and we’re looking at new media deals and looking at a new collective bargaining agreement, we will be studying. There wasn’t any banging of the table or anything like that.

“From my discussions with players, they recognize it’s an issue, too. The style of the game has changed in terms of the impact on their bodies. I think we’ve got to constantly assess and look at a marketplace going forward and say, what’s the best way to present our product and over how long a season?”