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The NBA is going old school.
Maybe.
Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday the league is contemplating a return to the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference All-Star Game format starting this upcoming season in Indianapolis. That would mean the end of the All-Star Draft that's been in place for the last six seasons.
“We're looking at some potential changes in format," Silver said. "Maybe a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to sort of this captain-draft notion, but clearly, historically, it was East versus West, so that’s something we are looking at.”
Silver floated the proposal as part of an effort to add more significance to the All-Star Game that's under frequent criticism for its absence of competition.
"A lot of it comes down to reinforcing with our players and our teams how important this is for the fans," Silver continued. "... We don't expect playoff intensity. But we expect a competitive game for our fans."
The NBA's switch to an All-Star Draft had the same intentions. The traditional format repeatedly produced casual games without defense or competitive intensity. So Silver and the league implemented the draft in 2018 to add a playground element to the game and hopefully stoke some competitive fires.
The drafts have featured LeBron James as a captain in every year. He's picked against either Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo. The drafts have made for novel and compelling viewing. The games have been comparatively hit or miss with some highlights alongside less-than-intense competition. The Elam Ending implemented in recent seasons has added some welcome spice.
But none of the format shifts have changed the fundamental challenge in producing a competitive All-Star Game. There are no stakes involved. In a league where teams and players repeatedly don't put stock in regular-season games that actually count, there's little reason to expect players at the end of a party-filled weekend during a welcome break from the grind of the regular season to take the All-Star Game seriously.
It's admirable for Silver to seek a solution. But a switch back to a format the league already ditched once doesn't sound like the answer.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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