SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS FOR NBA ALL STAR

The All-Star event has been a good opportunity in the past to try new ideas, such as when the first dunk contest was held during halftime of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game and won by Dr. J., reflecting what was happening on playgrounds like Rucker Park.

So these are my suggestions.

A more competitive NBA All-Star Game

• To make the NBA ALL-STAR GAME more competitive, every team from the winning conference, East or West, that plays a team from the other conference during the regular season will win in case of a tied game. This could apply from the All-Star Game until the end of the season.

Four-point shots, coloured balls and a graphene hoop

• In my opinion, if a four-point line is used, as Adam Silver suggests, players will finally realize that shooting from a farther distance is not so complicated. This could lead to having to build larger courts. So the topic has to be treated carefully. You can read my personal opinion about the topic in the post Basketball Court of the Future on my blog ON WAY TO THE NBA RING.

• For the three-point contest, use coloured balls with red or dark blue stars drawn on them.
• Build a graphene hoop to make it lighter and stronger.

A themed All-Star event

• Hold a themed All-Star event. For example, if it is held in Houston or California, base it on the idea of travelling to Mars, which is fashionable. The balls could be red like the planet mentioned. You can read a humorous recreation of what Adam Silver's and Elon Musk's statements would be when planning to hold the 2041 MARS NBA ALL-STAR on my blog ON WAY TO THE NBA RING.

A drone for the opening jump ball

• The ball for the opening jump ball can be thrown from above by a drone, like the one Aaron Gordon used in the 2017 slam dunk contest, instead of being released from below by the referees.

Recreation of the opening jump ball featuring the Gasol brothers. The ball is thrown from above by a quadcopter drone.

LED wristbands and fan participation

• During the ALL-STAR GAME, players could wear an electronic wristband with LEDs that could change colour depending on the interaction between the fans in the stadium and the players. For example, if the fans choose one player to play in the second half, his wristband could turn green. It would be necessary to vote through a device or mobile phone.

  Also, shots by a particular player could be worth more depending on the fans' choice. For example, if people choose James Harden for the third quarter, his wristband would turn yellow and each of his points would count double. Or the coach could choose the player instead.

My message to Adam Silver

These ideas and others were sent to NBA commissioner Adam Silver by e-mail to Adam@NBA.com on the seventh of March 2017, and he thanked me for them. This was his response:

"Thank you for sharing your suggestions about ways to improve NBA All-Star... You can be sure that we will keep your thoughts in mind.

Sincerely,

Adam"