A one-on-one tournament during next All-Star weekend?
After finding the colors on the screen, All-Star weekend might try a new move: a one-on-one (or even two-on-two) tournament integrated into Saturday night. According to the announced information a pair of Front Office Sports, NBC (which now broadcasts the event) is already working on “improvements” for its competition night, Shooting Stars for example disappointed, just like Slam dunk contest…
Executive producer Sam Flood assumes as much: the channel is looking for “one more element” that could transform Saturday into an even more prestigious showcase for players. And one on one would tick all the boxes.
That’s because NBC realized that All-Star weekend would be reignited by the rivalry, which the United States vs. Rest of the World format proved to produce the expected shock: 8.8 million viewers on average on NBC/Peacock/Telemundo, with a peak of 9.8 million. That’s still +87% over last year!
In a weekend that increasingly lacked intensity, the format (and the intensity of Victor Vembanyama) have rekindled their commitment, to the extent that the NBA is already pleased with its rediscovered competitive spirit.
It remains to be seen who would agree to expose themselves to a real one-on-one tournament between the risk of injury, fatigue and above all the fear of losing. This is already one of the obstacles that burdens the dunk contest, contested, but still. NBC is also counting on Vince Carter to find ways to recover, to bring back the headliners.
2026-02-18 19:57:00
