NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has never shied away from discussing potential changes to the league, and his latest proposal—reducing quarters from 12 minutes to 10—has sparked plenty of conversation. While this adjustment is far from imminent, Silver shared on The Dan Patrick Show that he is a fan of the idea and believes it could make games more engaging for global audiences.
Currently, the NBA is the only major basketball league that plays 48-minute games. Most international competitions, including FIBA events, college basketball, and the WNBA, operate on 40-minute formats. Silver sees this as an opportunity to align the NBA with the global basketball landscape while also making games more digestible for television audiences. However, he acknowledged that not everyone in the league is on board with the idea.
Why the NBA is Considering 10 Minute Quarters
One of the biggest reasons Adam Silver suggested the move to shorter quarters was to address concerns about player health and load management. If each game were reduced by eight minutes, that would be the equivalent of cutting 13–15 games from the schedule in terms of total playing time. In theory, this could reduce wear and tear on players’ bodies over the course of an 82-game season but increase engagement with NBA games.
- Television Appeal: The NBA has struggled with declining viewership, particularly for regular-season games. Silver believes a two-hour format would be more in line with modern TV-watching habits. “People in arenas aren’t asking us to shorten the game,” Silver admitted, but he suggested that the change could benefit at-home viewers.
- Player Health and Load Management: Silver pointed out that shortening each game by eight minutes would reduce the overall season’s playing time by the equivalent of 13 to 15 games. In theory, this could help with load management, a growing concern in the league as teams attempt to preserve star players for the playoffs. However, there’s also the possibility that teams would still rest players at the same rate, meaning that while total playing time would be lower, the actual number of games missed might not decrease. Some teams might still opt to give their stars scheduled days off to keep them fresh for the playoffs.
While some fans might welcome shorter games to improve pacing and intensity, others worry that reducing playing time won’t necessarily solve the league’s issues with load management. Elite players may still log heavy minutes, while teams could further rest stars knowing that games are shorter.
How Shorter Quarters Could Affect the Game
If the NBA were to shift to 10-minute quarters, the impact would be felt in multiple ways, affecting everything from player statistics and career records to in-game strategy, coaching decisions, and even revenue models for the league. A shift of this magnitude wouldn’t just alter the way individual games are played—it would fundamentally change how teams construct their rosters, how players are evaluated, and how fans engage with the sport.
1. Impact on Player Statistics
Fewer minutes per game means fewer opportunities for players to rack up points, rebounds, and assists. Historically, records in the NBA have been set based on 48-minute games, and a move to 40 minutes would create a different statistical landscape.
For context, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made it all the way up the NBA scoring list with the benefit of full-length games. A shorter format could make career records harder to break unless season lengths were extended to compensate. Some historical records would become even more untouchable. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006, or James Harden’s streak of consecutive 30-point games would become even more impressive given that players would now have eight fewer minutes per game to attempt such feats. The NBA would have to decide whether to adjust record books to account for the change or simply accept that future generations of players may struggle to match the statistical dominance of their predecessors.
2. Strategic Adjustments
With less time per game, coaches would have to reconsider player rotations, timeout usage, and game pacing. Teams that rely on star players to play heavy minutes might have to adapt to shorter bursts of play. Additionally, shorter games could lead to more aggressive play from the start, knowing that there’s less time to make up for a slow start.
3. Effect on End-of-Game Scenarios
One of the most exciting aspects of the NBA is the final minutes of a close game. Reducing the length of quarters could lead to a higher percentage of tight contests going down to the wire. However, it could also mean that some teams find themselves out of games earlier with less time to mount comebacks.
4. Economic and Revenue Implications
A shift to shorter quarters wouldn’t just affect what happens on the court—it could also impact the league’s business model. The NBA generates significant revenue from television deals, ticket sales, and in-game advertising. A shorter game could mean fewer commercial breaks, potentially cutting into ad revenue unless new ad slots were introduced elsewhere.
This will also impact how much betting revenue the league will receive. The best sportsbooks, like those on the list updated for 2025, that offer multiple bonuses for new punters will also take a hit.
Teams also profit from in-arena sales of food, drinks, and merchandise. If fans are spending less time in the arena, they may be less likely to make purchases, which could affect revenue streams for teams. The league would need to find ways to maintain its financial structure while adjusting to the shorter format.
Public Reaction and Criticism
The response to Silver’s comments has been mixed. Many longtime fans are skeptical, questioning whether shorter games address the real issues facing the NBA. Some argue that instead of changing quarter lengths, the league should focus on improving officiating, addressing the growing number of three-point attempts, or finding solutions to load management that don’t involve reducing playing time.
“People love basketball because of the way it’s played,” one fan wrote on social media. “Shortening the game isn’t the fix for what’s wrong with the NBA.”
Even players and coaches have been hesitant. The idea of reducing games by eight minutes may seem small, but for those accustomed to the 48-minute format, the change would be significant.
What’s Next?
For now, Silver has made it clear that this is merely a discussion, not an imminent rule change. “It’s such a dramatic change to the game,” Silver said. “I think something like that would have to be talked about over time.”
That said, discussions around game length and rule adjustments are likely to continue as the NBA looks for ways to keep the league competitive, exciting, and appealing to audiences both in the U.S. and abroad. Whether the league eventually implements shorter quarters remains to be seen, but Silver’s openness to change ensures that nothing is off the table.