NBA commissioner Adam Silver has backed the idea of 10-minute quarters in the league, hinting of shortening the game by a total of eight minutes. Currently, four quarters, each of 12 minutes, are played in the league.
“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 matches in this season have run for 2 hours, 16 minutes on average, nearly identical to the past 15 seasons.
“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.
On the other hand, LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he is not in favor of shortening each quarter by two minutes.
“Not a fan. Not a fan. That’s not a good idea. We are the premier league, in the NBA. Why are we conforming to anyone else? It’s not a good idea,” Redick said in the pre-match presser.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also shared similar views and concurred with Redick.
“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.”
The Lakers registered a convincing 134-96 win against the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
