What changes would you make if you were NBA Commissioner?
It’s a question Vince Staples was asked during a recent appearance on “Podcast P” by Paul George ahead of the NBA All-Star Game.
The rapper and TV star had a list of items ready if he were to replace current Commissioner Adam Silver. Among them, get rid of the conferences and the G League.
George and his co-hosts asked for more explanation on the removal of the Eastern and Western conference format. Staples cited the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans be in the latter as evidence that the structure needs to be reworked.
“Minnesota is not in the West of anything. New Orleans, being in the West of anything, it’s like crazy,” he said. “Get a card. That’s the first thing I do is get a card.”
The rapper, who aired “The Vince Staples Show” on Netflix on Thursday, also suggested an analysis of the teams’ locations.
“Get these teams out of these places where no one wants to go,” he said. “Take (Oklahoma City Thunder) out of there and I love that team. But put them in Vegas. … I’m not mad at Indiana because it’s a legacy team. It’s like the home of Granny. You don’t sell Granny’s house.”
The Long Beach artist was asked about the season’s tournament, which received reviews from big names like Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
“Stop it,” Staples said, suggesting the idea was a money grab. “I’m thirsty, brother.”
The platinum-certified MC also rejected the playoff play-in games, which were introduced in 2020.
“Let them go home. Don’t make them play,” he said of the No. 9 seed having a chance to make the playoffs. “Someone’s going to twist their ankle, ruin their golf game next Sunday. They’ve already got it all planned out. They know they won’t make it. What do we do, bro?”
Vince Staples suggests the NBA should embrace WWE-style drama
Staples, which is a Los Angeles Clippers fan, said the NBA should adopt some tactics from WWE. He suggested that Silver should intentionally start a feud with future Hall of Famer LeBron James and ask him to throw a chair during a game to increase fan engagement.
“You know how much jersey sales are going to go up? Everyone’s going to watch the games. ‘LeBron, I’m going to talk about that (expletive) thing you did in the draft,'” Staples suggested, given the response fans’ disappointing response. NBA adds second night to draft. “Now we’re all looking at day two of the draft.”
He deepens his point by imagining how the drama of the 1990s Chicago Bulls could have been increased. The team won six championships with Michael Jordan creating moments like the Flu Game and numerous controversies surrounding Dennis Rodman.
“What if, in the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals, they said, ‘Oh, man, Dennis Rodman is in the hospital. He has alcohol poisoning from a night in Vegas,'” Staples mused.
“You’re like, ‘Oh, man, Dennis isn’t here. It’s going to be quiet.’ You don’t even have any influence on the game. You don’t have to cheat or anything Then all of a sudden it happens, you see Dennis Rodman coming out of the tunnel in a dress… He puts on a. basic jersey and shorts, bro He gets 15 boards… It’s the Mitchell and Ness dresses for sale, $250.
“NBA, I have ideas, call me.”
