The Scoop: NBA attempts to rebrand lackluster All-Star Game

The NBA will once again rebrand its All-Star Game to generate fan interest in the eyes of many sports fans.

Once must-see TV, the midseason exhibition has struggled to keep its cachet among many hoop fans. The biggest problem has been that the game just isn’t competitive. 

That was the case last year when the game drew 5.4 million viewers and a 2.6 rating. That was down from the typical 7 million or so viewers who watched between 2004 and 2018.

To re-spark interest, league commissioner Adam Silver announced this season’s format is a four-team, three-game, one-night tournament. The winning team will be the first to score 40 points in each game.

Why it matters: Beyond its new format, the NBA is also changing the way it’s going to build up the game. To build excitement, the league has enlisted popular “Inside the NBA” commentators – Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith – to draft this year’s team and also be part of the broader game-day experience.  The league will have them make their respective picks live on TNT on Thursday, just before a doubleheader broadcast of basketball games.

It’s a good PR move by the NBA. Sports fans nearly rioted when it looked like “Inside the NBA” wouldn’t survive the league’s most recent TV deal.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the league has tried a variety of format changes to manufacture interest in the event. Those haven’t worked. Why? The game is still boring; even the players think so. 

“Obviously, with the elephant in the room being us competing,” Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a perennial All-Star, told the Associated Press.

“Them trying to shake things up is expected and makes sense. I would love to see that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Love to be a part of that for sure, and hopefully it happens.”

The NBA hopes so, too. It has a strong legacy brand to work with, hearkening back to the greatest players to ever grace the league. PR professionals need to demonstrate how the core of the game – quirky, killer gameplay from the league’s stars – will entertain and enthrall audiences if they give it another chance. That gets harder with every year the product is a dud. But now they have a new story to tell about short, competitive games that balance both offensive and defensive skills. 

Will it be enough? 

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