NBA commissioner Adam Silver has championed several changes to the professional game during his tenure, and a few months ago went on record stating he believes the league could benefit from shortening games to 40 minutes. It seems he has one rather famous supporter who believes the NBA should consider that, along with another big rule change: LeBron James.
Speaking on his Mind The Game podcast with Steve Nash, James expressed his view that the league could borrow from FIBA rules for the better. Specifically he seemed open to the idea of 40-minute games and changing the NBA goaltending rule to the FIBA wording, which allows for players to touch the ball as soon as it hits the rim no matter what.
The 40-minute game is intriguing. Because the game happens so damn fast… And there’s no easing into an international game. That gives it a little bit more of a sense of urgency. That’s something to discuss. That would be something we could possibly have a conversation about. It’d be hard because you start messing with the history of the game and all that stuff… I’ve been very intruiged with the goaltending rule. I actually love it. It’s exciting. It doesn’t happen as much as you would think
As James points out, one of the biggest obstacles to changing the length of games would be the historic side of it all. The NBA’s record books are written through the lens of the 48-minute contest dating back many decades at this point. Players and fans would both struggle with shifting the perception like that. It’s also hard to believe the price of attendance would go down in concert with less game to consume but that’s a fan issue more than a player one.
The goaltending rule is easier to see come to fruition. It’s a minor change on paper that would require a substantive adjustment from the players but certainly would make rebounding more exciting.
It seems James isn’t one of the veterans who believes nothing should change about the NBA. He is, at least, willing to talk about it
