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NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently stated that he is open to the possibility of reducing the league's quarter length from 12 to 10 minutes. During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Silver discussed how the NBA is the only major basketball league that plays 48-minute games and acknowledged the appeal of a shorter format.
“As we get more involved in global basketball, the NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. I am a fan of four 10-minute quarters. I’m not sure that many others are,” Silver said. “I mean putting aside what it means for records and things like that – I think a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with sort of modern television habits. People in arenas aren’t asking us to shorten the game, but I think as a television program being two hours – it’s Olympic basketball being two hours, college basketball of course is.”
Adam Silver open to NBA exploring 10-minute quarter format
Dan Patrick then asked Silver if there was any real momentum behind the idea.
“But if you like it – let’s say it kinda has a little bit of a push there?” Patrick asked.
Silver acknowledged the potential impact of such a change but stressed that any move to shorten the NBA’s quarter length would require further discussion.
Adam Silver suggests NBA could shorten games to 10-minute quarters 👀
(Via @dpshow / h/t @BASKETBALLonX )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 29, 2025
“It’s such a dramatic change to the game. Something like that would have to be talked more about over time,” Silver responded.
While international competitions such as FIBA and the Olympics use 10-minute quarters, the NBA has maintained its 12-minute format since the league's inception. Discussions about game length have primarily focused on pace-of-play adjustments, reducing stoppages, and improving overall game flow rather than shortening quarters. However, Silver’s recent comments suggest a potential shift in how the league evaluates game duration, particularly in relation to modern television consumption and global basketball standards.
Silver’s comments suggest that while a shift to 10-minute quarters is not imminent, the league remains open to evaluating potential format changes as the game evolves.
