What did NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talk about about at his news conference on All-Star weekend?

Once again, the issue of ‘tanking’ has been named as a top priority as the NBA looks to ensure that teams are discouraged from under-performing to snag a prime position in the NBA Draft. Commissioner Adam Silver spoke on Saturday at an All-Star Weekend event and made clear that the league is looking to crack down on tanking.

“It’s time to take a fresh look at this and to see whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it,” Silver said, referring to the NBA Draft Lottery. As it stands, the 14 teams that do not reach the playoffs are entered into a weighted lottery to decide the order of the first 14 draft picks. Finishing lower in the regular season standings gives teams a better chance of a prime draft pick.

Earlier this week the NBA fined the Utah Jazz ($500,000) and the Indiana Pacers ($100,000) for removing key players unnecessarily, a method by which teams seek to lower their league finish to gain a better chance in the NBA Draft Lottery. But despite the threat of fines teams have not yet stopped the practice and Silver believes that further change is needed to ensure fairness.

“I think part of the problem is that if you step back, the fundamental theory behind the draft is to help your worst performing teams restock and be able to compete,” Silver explained. “The issue is if teams are manipulating their performance in order to get higher draft picks, even in a lottery, then the question becomes, even if teams were rewarded for draft picks purely according to predicted odds of the lottery, are they really the worst performing teams?”

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.