NBA Vows to Address Tanking Concerns

Commissioner Silver says league will change draft process to curb teams' incentives to lose on purpose.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 5:45am

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league will take action to address the issue of tanking, where teams intentionally lose games in order to improve their odds of landing a top draft pick. While Silver acknowledged the difficulty in distinguishing between a genuine rebuild and outright tanking, he insisted the NBA is committed to "fixing" the problem before the next season.

Why it matters

Tanking has been a persistent issue for the NBA, as it can undermine the integrity of the game and create an uneven playing field. The league has tried to address tanking in the past through changes to the draft lottery, but Silver believes more needs to be done to curb the incentives for teams to prioritize draft position over winning.

The details

At the recent NBA board of governors meeting, the league discussed the tanking problem but did not take any formal votes. Silver said the league has been working on the issue for months and will likely hold a special board meeting in May to make decisions on changes to the draft process. The NBA recently fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for what it called "overt behavior" that prioritized draft position over winning.

  • The NBA board of governors meeting where tanking was discussed took place on March 26, 2026.
  • The league plans to hold a special board meeting in May 2026 to make decisions on changes to address tanking.

The players

Adam Silver

The current Commissioner of the National Basketball Association.

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What they’re saying

“We are going to fix it. Full stop.”

— Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner

“There is an aspect of team building that is called a genuine rebuild, you know—rebuild with integrity. The problem we're having these days is it's become almost impossible to distinguish between a tank and a rebuild.”

— Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner

What’s next

The NBA plans to hold a special board meeting in May 2026 to make decisions on changes to the draft process in order to address the issue of tanking.

The takeaway

The NBA's ongoing struggle with tanking highlights the delicate balance between team-building strategies and maintaining the integrity of the game. Commissioner Silver's pledge to "fix" the problem suggests the league is committed to finding solutions, though the challenge of distinguishing between legitimate rebuilds and outright tanking remains a complex issue.