Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry has a simple idea on how to improve the NBA All-Star Game.
For years now, the NBA has been often criticized for its All-Star Game and how the players are not taking it seriously. The current belief is that players are not going all-out in a meaningless game, especially since they risk getting injured in the middle of the season.
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The situation has led Commissioner Adam Silver to experiment with various formats, even previously introducing the Elam Ending (a game with a target score) just to increase the intensity of the competition.
In 2024-25, the NBA even had the winners of the Rising Stars Challenge play against the NBA All-Stars with hopes of improving the competitiveness of the game.
This 2025-26, the NBA employed a USA vs. World format in another attempt to motivate the players to play harder. Two USA teams composed of American players are pitted against Team World featuring superstars from outside the U.S.
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks on during a game.© David Gonzales-Imagn Images
(© David Gonzales-Imagn Images)
If you ask Curry, though, he believes that shortening the All-Star Game will help.
“Unfortunately, I can’t help this year because I’m not playing, but the only thing I can think of is shortening the game,” Curry said when asked about what the NBA can do to bring back the All-Star Game to competitive play.
Curry stated it’s “hard to replicate the intensity of a regular season game” since the stakes are different. He went on to note that a 40-minute game should be okay if the league goes back to the two-team, East-vs-West format.
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For what it’s worth, Curry’s Warriors teammate Draymond Greenrecently addressed the issue with the NBA All-Star Game in his podcast and pointed to a different issue that has led to the lack of competitiveness in the featured event.
According to Green, the lack of preparation, not the injury risk is to blame, for players not going hard in the All-Star Game.
“As basketball players, we never go out on the court thinking this is the time I get hurt,” Green shared. “You go out on the court, you participate in the game. You played the game, you go back to the locker room.”
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He added, “I’ve been at this community thing, I’ve been at this event, I’ve been at this sneaker deal thing, I’ve been at this podcast thing. By the time you get to the game … oh, I get 20 minutes to shoot the basketball.”
For what it’s worth, Curry also addressed the issue in his interview, noting that the NBA has done well in shortening the day for the players.
It remains to be seen what the NBA will do in the future to tackle the issue, but Curry and Green certainly made good points that the league commissioner Silver can take into consideration.
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Related: Congratulations Pour in for Stephen Curry After Big Personal News
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.