Chris HerringJan 29, 2025, 08:17 PM ET
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that he likes the idea of shortening games to 40 minutes by going from 12-minute quarters to 10.
"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 an afternoon 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."
NBA games this season have run 2 hours, 16 minutes on average, nearly identical to the past 15 seasons (2:15, according to data from ESPN Research).
"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's remark came in response to Patrick's question about something tangible league officials have discussed potentially changing in the future. Silver also said that awarding two free throws to shooters who are fouled on 3-point attempts has been mentioned in conversations.
Altering the length of the game -- which, at 48 minutes, has been the same throughout the league's 78-year history -- could have a drastic impact on the sport in ways big and small.
"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."
A number of single-game and single-season records probably would become untouchable, and a number of the league's stars could credibly play entire games more frequently. (Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks currently leads the NBA in playing time, averaging 38.4 minutes.)
Even if players couldn't go the distance, their ability to play a greater percentage of the game's minutes could have a cascading effect on how much role and end-of-bench players are paid, as they would hold less significance on a team's roster with less needed from them.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose teams squared off Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, both expressed their dislike of any potential changes.
"I'm more of a traditional guy, so I'd hate to see that," Thibodeau said, citing how shortening the game would hinder the ability to break leaguewide records.
Malone said he respected the NBA's willingness to pay attention to viewership trends. But he also said there was a risk to going too far to cater to them.
"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."
ESPN Research's Matt Williams contributed to this report.
