• Loading stock data...
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

Even LeBron James Admits NBA Might Have a Three-Point Problem

Adam Silver wasn’t ready to blame the NBA’s product for its ratings dip. LeBron James just cracked the door open.

LeBron James
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Adam Silver wasn’t ready to blame the NBA’s style of play for its current ratings decline. 

Enter his most famous and beloved player. 

Speaking to the media ahead of the Lakers’ game in Sacramento on Thursday, LeBron James was asked about the All-Star Game’s format switch to a four-team mini-tournament. He answered directly before hinting at the league having more serious problems than All-Star weekend.

“I have my ideas of what could possibly work, but I’m not going to do that,” James said. “You got to do something. Obviously the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game on Sunday night. But it’s a bigger conversation. It’s not just the All-Star Game; it’s our game in general. Our game—there’s a lot of fucking threes being shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.” 

Kevin Durant and Ja Morant both expressed their displeasure with the new All-Star format, but declined to go into the state of the game while doing so. 

NBA teams often copy the reigning champion, and the Celtics have doubled down on their three-point philosophy since beating the Mavericks in June’s Finals. The Celtics are averaging 51.1 three-point attempts per game, five more than the previous record held by Mike D’Antoni’s 2018–2019 Rockets. 

A year ago, the Celtics were the lone team to score more than 40% of their points from three, finishing at 41%. This season, seven teams are scoring 40% or more of their points from three, with the Celtics leading the way at 47.5%, which would be a record if it holds. 

James declined to elaborate on his thoughts after reporters pressed him, but his comments echo those of other critics who blame the threes for the NBA’s ratings dip. That drop is currently sitting at 19% compared to last year. It can easily be attributed to several things, including a general drop in cable subscribers and non-NFL sports ratings, but the shift in the NBA’s product has remained stubbornly in the discourse.

James’s former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, was eager to blame threes earlier this year. “We’re looking at the same thing,” O’Neal said on his podcast in November. “Everybody’s running the same plays. … I don’t mind Golden State back in the day shooting threes, but every team is not a three-point shooter.”

On Tuesday, Silver said the league is looking into the game’s current style of play and doesn’t see any changes coming such as a widening of the court or adjustment to the three-point line. 

The league moved the three-point line ahead of the 1994–1995 season from 23 feet, nine inches to 22 feet across the court. Three years later, it moved it back to 23 feet, nine inches (22 feet in the corners) after the first change didn’t impact scoring the way the league thought it would. 

“Whether there’s some tweaks we should make, and my sense is I do think we should take seriously this notion of more diversity in offense,” Silver said Tuesday. “I watch as many games as all of you do, and to the extent that it’s not so much a three-point issue, but that some of the audience, some of the offenses start to look sort of cookie-cutter and teams are copying each other. I think that’s something we should pay attention to.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MLB Union Chief on Alert As NBA Gambling Scandal Unfolds

The union leader addresses labor and gambling-related concerns.
Terry Rozier

Terry Rozier Will Be Paid Full NBA Salary While on Leave

The Heat are scheduled to pay Rozier $26.6 million for this season. 
Terry Rozier

NBA Strongly Denies Quietly Suspending Terry Rozier in 2023

Brian Windhorst appeared to walk back his comments Friday morning.

Featured Today

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”

Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

The high-profile matchup caps what has been a breakthrough season for the league.
October 23, 2025

Gambling Issues Dogged Adam Silver’s NBA Before Latest Scandal

Silver vocally backed legalized sports betting in 2014.
Jun 18, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Grammy award-winning artist Pharrell Williams performs at the Sun Stage during the Something in the Water festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.
October 23, 2025

MLB Will Try to Turn the World Series Into More Than Just..

The league has planned a series of showcase music performances in Toronto.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 23, 2025

Raptors, Leafs Shift Games to Make Way for Blue Jays’ World Series..

The Maple Leafs and Raptors adjust game times during the World Series.
October 23, 2025

As the NFL, NBA, and NHL Go Global, The Masters Is Looking..

The tournament’s chairman touted new qualification measures.
Adam Silver
October 22, 2025

Adam Silver Kicks Off Another Cycle of WNBA Labor Tension

The CBA expires next week.
Tony Parker
October 22, 2025

NBA Wants to Launch European League in ‘Next Two Years’

The league is eyeing 10–12 cities for its European venture.