Adam Silver on NBA’s new anti-tanking rules: ‘We’ll never go back to where we were’
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Live Picks TrackerBest Available PlayersAJ Dybantsa To WizardsGradesTop 75 ProspectsAdam Silver on NBA’s new anti-tanking rules: ‘We’ll never go back to where we were’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league's tanking situation got "particularly bad this year." Alex Slitz / Getty Images
By Devon HendersonJune 23, 2026 8:41 pm EDT UpdatedThe NBA’s new anti-tanking rules will be in place through the 2029 draft. After that, the league’s board of governors will decide whether to keep it in place or find another system.
Yet commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday night one thing is certain: “We’ll never go back to where we were.”
In an interview with ESPN before the draft, Silver said the age of teams fighting to see who could finish at the bottom of the league standings — and thus improve their chances of a better lottery spot — was over.
“We ended up in a situation where fans of teams were actually rooting for their teams to be bad,” Silver said. “It was particularly bad this year, I think, because of the perceived depth of (the 2026 NBA) Draft.”
Under the new rules, the bottom three franchises are considered in the “relegation zone” and drop from a previous 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick to a 5.4 percent chance. The fourth- through 10th-worst teams now have 8.1 percent odds of landing the first selection.
Silver has previously likened the incentives to those of European soccer, in which the bottom three teams in leagues get relegated to lower divisions. In the ESPN interview, he said any incentive to lose should be nullified and it had become a pervasive issue in the league that needed to be dealt with.
“It just caught up with us over the years,” Silver said. “It was a practice by a very few teams over time where they could genuinely say they were rebuilding. Every team in all sports is focused on analytics, and everyone — sort of the guardrails went off — and said there’s an advantage if you’re not really good, to be really bad, and it doesn’t work to be in the middle.
“So once roughly a third of our teams were acting under those incentives, everyone came together, and I would say it was agreement across the league from every constituent group, but most importantly, our fans.”
Silver said the league remained committed to evaluating the rules after three years, since the draft remains one of the best avenues for struggling teams to improve by acquiring young talent. In theory, under the new system, teams that are genuinely trying to win but fall to a bottom-three record won’t have as good a chance to get high enough picks to become competitive again and can get stuck in a cycle.
“Part of the agreement with the teams was that this system would be in place for three years,” Silver said. “In essence, it’s grandfathered in. We all agree that would give us an opportunity to assess how this is working, and also look at some other approaches, which we thought, in fairness, the teams needed to be built in over time.
“But most importantly, we will not be returning to a system where there is an incentive to be bad.”
Silver was also asked about the potential expansion of the league to 32 teams. In March, the NBA’s board of governors approved a vote to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle. Silver said zeroing in on those cities was a show of intent and focus from the league. However, nothing has been decided.
“If we were to expand, most likely in the 2028-29 season, I bet that’s when they would come into the league, but no decisions have been made yet,” Silver said. “What we’ve made clear to our teams, we’ve at least specifically said it’s Las Vegas and Seattle.
“We’re looking at some other great cities that are interested in having franchises. We’re focused on those two right now. We could decide ultimately to go to new cities. One or two bids are being solicited at this time. The groups are coming together, talking to bankers, talking to the league office, and I think what we’ve said, in fairness to everyone, let’s make a decision by the end of this calendar year, at the latest.”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
