Who will win the 2026 NBA All-Star Game between the Stars, Stripes and Worlds?
Preview predictions for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game as the Team Stars, Team Stripes and Team World compete in a new format
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a hard line against tanking during his NBA All-Star Weekend press conference, speaking at length about the hot topic that “has been a part of this league for a long time.”
Earlier this week, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violating player participation rules and conduct detrimental to the league. But they’re not the only team openly tanking ahead of the 2026 draft, which is considered one of the strongest teams in recent years.
Silver’s reaction Saturday at Intuit Dome was equally revealing.
“Will we see worse behavior this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, that’s how I see it,” he said. “That led to the payment of the fine. It led to my statement that we were going to look more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of the team’s actions, not just the fine, and we very intentionally wanted to bring attention to the team.”
In addition to the additional fine, Silver was asked if he would consider stripping draft picks from teams that continue to tank.
“All possible remedies to stop this behavior are currently being discussed,” he said.
Silver also noted that the league had economists examine the draft lottery system and point out how the incentives are perverse, with the worst-performing teams receiving the highest pick odds and teams that just missed the playoffs stuck in the middle.
“I think in the past there was a more classical view of it, where it was more like an understanding of behavior between partners,” Silver says. “I think what we’re seeing is the latest analysis where it’s clear that the incentives are misaligned. … For example, the worst place to be is to be a mid-major team, whether great or bad, because that helps you draft.”
“A lot of times there are fans of those teams. Remember, they don’t want to pay to see a bad performance on the floor, but they actually root for bad teams in some cases to improve their draft chances.”
Silver added that while the league is focused on short-term responses, both paying fines and reminding teams about tanking, it is also seeking long-term solutions to the evolving problem.
Former commissioner David Stern introduced the draft lottery system in 1985, and Silver said the league made adjustments “about five times.” Some media outlets have begun calling for the draft to be abolished entirely, an extreme move, but Silver acknowledged Saturday that it may be time for the league to reevaluate, or it may be past time.
“That’s a bit of a conundrum,” Silver said. “All-Stars are 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to reevaluate whether that’s an outdated approach or not. Ultimately, I think we need a system that distributes players fairly. I think it’s in the interests of not only the players but also the teams to have the same level throughout the league. There are so many jobs and so many cities.
“…What we’re doing, what we’re seeing right now, is not working. There’s no question about that. Yes, what else can I do? Have I tried to send a clear message that we’re not only going to respond to the behavior that we’ve seen so far, but we’re going to scrutinize everything that we see going forward? Absolutely.”
Adam Silver talks about prediction markets
Following the news of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent investment in Calci, Silver discussed a little about the league’s position on the prediction market.
“We’re looking at the prediction market in basically the same way that we’re looking at the sports betting market and sports betting companies right now,” Silver said. “We have rules that we collectively negotiated with the players association that allow players to minimize their investments in sports betting companies, and we apply the same rules to the prediction markets.”
The rules state that players cannot retain more than 1% in sports betting, and by extension, prediction market companies. As far as Silver knows, Antetokounmpo’s stake in Calci is “much less” than that, so it doesn’t violate league rules.
However, it is still an issue that silver is monitoring closely.
“It’s evolving rapidly,” he says. “Prediction markets, I don’t know how else to put it, have emerged fairly recently, like the major sports betting markets. I think ultimately it will be a matter for the courts and Congress whether prediction markets proceed in the way they are.”
“But even if those are gone, the league is now dealing with essentially 40 different jurisdictions that have legalized sports betting in the United States. It’s still a huge illegal market. Another category that I don’t hear people talk about much is that last I checked, there are probably 80 countries outside of the United States that have legalized NBA betting.”
