Is Adam Silver Preparing To Introduce a Drastic NBA Change That Could Completely Transform The League?

Adam Silver reportedly considers a major change to NBA game length© FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images

Adam Silver may be warming to a 40-minute NBA game. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix says the commissioner likes the idea of cutting games from 48 minutes to 40, with four 10-minute quarters. The talk comes three weeks into the 2026-27 season, while injuries to star players keep piling up. It would take eight minutes off every game, a shift for a league built on the 48-minute clock. Mannix has doubts about the money side, and the league has made no announcement. Nothing is official. Silver has spoken in favor of shorter games before, which gives the rumor footing.

Is Adam Silver Really In Favor Of 40-Minute NBA Games?

Adam Silver has said it out loud before. In January 2025, the commissioner called himself “a fan of four 10-minute quarters.” He called the NBA unusual globally for playing 48-minute games. FIBA uses a 40-minute game, and so does the EuroLeague. Silver also tied the idea to television, arguing a game of about two hours suits how people watch today.

Now Mannix is relaying what he has heard. “I think Adam Silver, from what I've heard, likes the idea of 40-minute games,” he said on a segment with Rachel Nichols. Mannix also called the commissioner a “globalist” when it comes to basketball, which fits the international angle.

Money is the sticking point. Mannix is blunt about it. “I just don't see financially how it's feasible,” he said. Neither report includes a response from the league, so for now this is one insider's read of where the boss stands.

Would Shorter Games Actually Keep Stars On The Court?

Injuries are why the topic is back. Anthony Edwards of Minnesota, Kawhi Leonard of Toronto, Tyrese Haliburton of Indiana, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of Oklahoma City, and Ja Morant of Portland are all sidelined, and the season is only in its third week. Cason Wallace is hurt as well.

Mannix does not expect a shorter game to change much for the headliners, since it would not touch the minutes of stars. The cost would fall on the bench. “You're just going to see bench guys get more and more marginalized,” he said. Teams could decide a 15-man rotation is pointless and carry about 10 players.

Other fixes have been floated, including a shorter regular season and a lighter preseason. Mannix calls cutting games unreasonable too. Even so, he wants action. “I think something has to be done. This is bad,” he said. His reasoning is plain: “It's the most star-driven league of the four major sports, and not seeing stars is a big problem for the NBA.”