Adam Silver
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently floated the idea of reducing the league’s game quarters from 12 minutes to 10, a move he believes could better cater to evolving TV viewing habits and bring the NBA more in line with international basketball standards.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Silver expressed his preference for four 10-minute quarters, though he quickly tempered the suggestion by acknowledging it would require extensive deliberation.
“I’m a fan of four 10-minute quarters,” Silver said, but added, “I’m not sure how many others are. It’s such a dramatic shift in the game, and something like this would need to be discussed in depth over time.”
However, the commissioner was clear that such a change isn’t actively on the NBA’s agenda. “It’s not quite at that level,” he said, addressing the possibility of rule changes currently being considered by league officials.
The NBA has kept its traditional 48-minute game format, but other basketball leagues, including Olympic and international competitions, use 40-minute games. Additionally, U.S. college basketball games are played in two 20-minute halves.
Silver also noted that shortening game length could align with modern broadcasting trends, where a two-hour game is more in sync with viewers’ schedules.
“What we’d like to see, over time, is a more consistent set of rules globally,” he said. “Putting aside what it would mean for records, a two-hour format fits better with current television habits.”
While the proposed change could help ease the physical toll on players over the course of the long NBA season, it might also make long-standing records difficult, if not impossible, to break.
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, however, wasn’t a fan of the idea. “I’m more of a traditionalist, so I’d hate to see that,” he said, citing concerns over the impact on historic records.
