Adam Silver recently announced that the NBA will shift to a Team USA vs. Team World format, rather than dividing into teams based on conferences. Stephen A. Smith, the NBA analyst from ESPN, was not happy with this decision and claimed it would cause the end of NBA All-Star weekends altogether.
Kevin Durant, the 15-time NBA All-Star, feels Stephen A. Smith is being too overzealous in his reaction to Adam Silver’s latest announcement. He went on social media and expressed his feelings about Smith’s response in one word.
Dramatic https://t.co/6l250nqCAL
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 5, 2025
“Dramatic,” wrote Durant on an X post with Smith’s quotes.
Adam Silver went on FS1’s ‘Breakfast Ball’ and confirmed that the 2026 All-Star Game will feature the Team USA vs. World format in some way or another.
“So next year, as part of our new media deals, the All-Star Game returns to NBC, where it was when we were younger. And it so happens that next season, we’ll be smack in the middle of the Winter Olympics.”
“The game will be on NBC, and the very day we’re on, the lead-in will be Winter Olympic events, and then coming out of the All-Star Game, which is now going to be in the afternoon instead of the evening, there will be more Olympic events. So what better time to feature some form of USA against the World?”
In response to this announcement, Stephen A. Smith went on ESPN’s “First Take” show and tore into Silver’s decision. He seemed to love the decision from Adam Silver but his response indicated an underlying unhappiness with the players. Smith claimed that even Magic Johnson did not care about the All-Star weekend, and this will be a way to make the best players in the world play competitive basketball.
However, he later implied that this was a last-resort option for the NBA, and we could witness the end of the All-Star weekend if this new format does not lead to competitive basketball.
What Other ESPN Analysts Said About The New NBA All-Star Format
Brian Windhorst and Jay Williams also appeared on the First Take segment with Smith following this decision. Windhorst agreed with Smith and said that this is a way to “shame” the players into playing competitive basketball. He even recalled a Kevin Durant incident during the Olympics, where some of the European players claimed American basketball is only entertainment, and Durant questioned whether it’s entertaining at all.
Jay Williams was not at all skeptical about the decision and claimed this would bring accountability to players. He feels that when they go up against major European players like Antetokounmpo, Jokic, or Wembanyama, it will spark a sense of patriotism that will fuel the best basketball American players can also play.
Do you think this changed format will help the NBA All-Star weekend generate more viewership ratings? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
