Adam Silver Weighs 40-Minute Games Amid Injury Wave
An early-season surge of injuries across the NBA has pushed league commissioner Adam Silver to consider shortening games to 40 minutes, according to Sports Illustrated insider Chris Mannix. With multiple high-profile players sidelined and several teams stretched to their roster limits, discussions regarding potential structural changes to ease physical demands on athletes have gained sudden momentum.
Adam Silver Considers Adopting International Game Lengths
Under current regulations, NBA games consist of four 12-minute quarters, totaling 48 minutes of regulation play. That format stands out internationally, as FIBA competitions and the EuroLeague long ago adopted a 40-minute standard. Mannix reported Tuesday that Silver is open to drawing inspiration from international basketball models, noting that the commissioner approaches the sport with a global perspective.
Silver previously expressed support for shorter game lengths in January 2025, describing himself publicly as a fan of 10-minute quarters. At that time, however, his focus centered less on player health and more on modern viewing habits, suggesting that an approximately two-hour broadcast would better align with contemporary fan television habits.
Early Season Injuries Strain Team Rosters Across League
The urgency behind current rule discussions stems from a wave of early-season injuries affecting major stars such as Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, and Tyrese Haliburton. The physical toll has rippled across entire rosters.
Within the opening week of the season, nearly one-fifth of all NBA players missed games due to injuries. The severity of the shortage was highlighted during a matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks, where a depleted Pacers squad was forced to play with a six-man rotation in a 104-108 defeat—a roster constraint not seen so early in a season since 1948.
League Avoids Cutting Regular Season Schedule Length
Mannix reported that he has heard no indication from league leadership regarding plans to reduce the 82-game regular season schedule. He also cautioned that shortening game durations could create unintended consequences, such as diminishing the role of bench players as coaches rely on tighter rotations and smaller active player pools.
Officials Develop Plans for Future Franchise Expansion
Silver has shown a repeated willingness to implement major structural adjustments across the league. Ahead of the current campaign, the NBA introduced a draft reform package aimed at discouraging tanking, alongside ongoing tweaks to the annual All-Star Game format. League officials continue to develop plans for the proposed "NBA Europe" initiative and potential future expansion by two franchises.
