NEW YORK (AP) — Tanking is going to be addressed. The 65-game rule might remain.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver insisted Wednesday that the league will change its draft process and address its tanking problem before the start of next season. And he pointed to the league's player participation policy — citing the effect it has had on load management — as proof of how the league can make effective fixes.
The league's board of governors discussed tanking — the issue of teams trying not to win in order to enhance their odds of landing the best possible draft pick — at its two-day meeting that ended Wednesday. No votes were taken and no fingers were pointed at any specific teams, Silver said.
“We are going to fix it,” Silver said. “Full stop.”
Silver said the league has been working on the most recent tanking issues for months — and noted that the NBA has addressed the problem countless times over the years, including with several changes to the draft and lottery process.
“I would say it seemed unanimous in the room that we needed to make a change, and we need to make a change for next season," Silver said at a news conference, wrapping up the two-day session with owners. "Exactly what that change is, we’re continuing to work on. ... I think there’s also unanimous agreement that we need to make this change in advance of the draft and free agency this year, so all the teams understand the rules of the road going into next year.”
The next step, Silver said, will likely be a special board meeting in May to get something done. The league's general managers have discussed the matter multiple times, and numerous teams have offered some sort of suggestion about how to fix the issue.
Utah was fined $500,000 for sitting some of its best players late in games earlier this season, including one the Jazz actually won. Three teams — Sacramento, Indiana and Washington — have had losing streaks of 16 games so far this season, and other teams like Brooklyn have not been shy about saying they're looking at the future more than the present.
“I will say I really like where the league is right now. I’m sorry to have to talk about tanking because it takes away from the incredible competition we’re seeing from roughly 20 teams in the league right now, going into a wide-open playoffs, so many different teams,” Silver said. “It’s really exciting basketball. ... Of course, the opposite of that is when there’s a sense that both teams aren’t out there trying to kill themselves to win a game. As I said, we have to fix that problem.”
In other matters addressed Wednesday:
Silver responded to the National Basketball Players Association's statement Tuesday calling for change to the 65-game rule for major individual awards.
The NBPA, through collective bargaining, agreed to that rule as part of the current agreement between the league and its players. It pointed to the case of Detroit star Cade Cunningham, who would almost certainly be an All-NBA selection this season but may fall short of qualifying because of the 65-game threshold.
“We always knew when there’s a line you draw that somebody’s going to fall on the other side of that line and it may feel unfair in that particular instance," Silver said. "Let’s see what happens at the end of this year. By the way, Cade Cunningham, he’s an incredible player. I’m sorry that he’s injured and can’t wait to see him back on the floor.
"But having said that, we also have to remember that to the extent that one player is no longer eligible, some other player will then be All-NBA and will slot into that spot. I’m not ready to stand here saying, I don’t think it’s working. I think it is working.”
The NBPA believes the rule should focus on preventing “excessive load management,” and that precautions should be taken so players don't miss out on deserved recognition or get forced to play when injured just to meet a games-played standard.
Silver said the NBA's governors — many of whom have a significant stake in the WNBA as well — discussed the new collective bargaining agreement between that league and its players.
“People were extremely happy about the fact that the collective bargaining situation was resolved in time to save training camp and free agency and the season,” Silver said.
Silver was asked if he thought WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert would keep that role after the 2026 season.
“We haven’t had those discussions yet with the WNBA board," Silver said. “I would obviously say Cathy’s done a fantastic job since she’s come to the WNBA. ... I would say the results speak for themselves. I’m very happy, and I know the ownership is very happy with where things stand.”
Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon's agreement to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen's estate could be finalized in the next few days. Dundon was at the board meeting on Tuesday, presumably one of the final steps in the process before the governors give their blessing.
“He’s a go-getter,” Silver said. “He’s got a great reputation as sort of leading a turnaround in the NHL. He certainly has enormous passion and spirit. He wants to be successful. He wants to be successful both as a businessman in Portland, and he wants to be successful with the team on the floor.”
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets a fan during an NBA basketball game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack, a community organizer who stunned her own Democratic Party by defeating a well-known North Carolina Republican on her shoestring $56,000 campaign budget, said she's excited to arrive in Washington and show what's possible.
Rep.-elect Brian Poindexter said his win over incumbent GOP Rep. Max Miller ensures Ohio remains a very competitive swing state.
And Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot in New Jersey who said she's spent her whole life “trying to find the biggest, hardest problem to throw myself at,” was ready to give Congress a try. “There's always the unknown.”
They were among more than 100 newly elected members of Congress arriving in Washington this week for the start of freshmen orientation — the crush of new Democrats, many bringing a new sense of urgency after the party's sweep of the midterm elections, and the slim new class of freshmen Republicans.
“People were just looking for somebody who’s going to listen to them,” said Womack, who said she won by simply showing up and talking with voters.
“I’m a single mom and so I know what it’s like to have to live on a budget and figure out how am I going to feed my family,” she said. “And that’s what people want to fight for them in Washington right now.”
New-member orientation creates an unusual mash-up on Capitol Hill, as the newcomers are arriving and the exiting lawmakers begin to clear out, all in preparation for the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 3, when lawmakers are sworn in and the new Congress begins.
This week’s orientation includes training sessions and ritzy receptions for the newcomers, and for the defeated or those retiring it's the start of figuring out what’s next. Briefing rooms are filled with information about office setup, payroll and benefits, and there's a room to take official portraits.
It’s also the time for the House and Senate to hold internal party elections for their new leaders, ahead of a public vote in January for the speaker of the House.
“I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can and being the best representative I can be for my district," said Poindexter as he arrived at the nearby Navy Yard hotel where lawmakers converged.
The Capitol was a changed place as the members-elect started meeting up with their colleagues and getting to know their way around the place.
Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan was swarmed by young people in the Capitol basement, taking pictures with the progressive star who is also the first Muslim in the Senate.
Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico paid a visit to the outgoing Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who lost his own primary for reelection. President Donald Trump backed Cornyn's rival, Ken Paxton, who was defeated.
“I’m so grateful for his advice and his guidance as I try to fill his big shoes,” Talarico said of Cornyn as he walked through the Senate between orientation events. He said he wants to meet with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas as well.
And Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton of Illinois snapped a photo with new Democratic senators-elect including Talarico, El-Sayed, Annie Andrews, Roy Cooper, Peggy Flanagan, Josh Turek and others.
“First Freshmen Senator selfie! Couldn’t ask for a better team,” she posted as the caption.
Among them was former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted, a Trump-backed favorite, for a comeback. Brown was in the Senate for 18 years before he lost two years ago to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, but he still joined his freshmen colleagues for their orientation.
“I’ve actually learned some things,” said Brown, who was celebrating his 74th birthday on Monday. “I’ve gotten to know my colleagues.”
One of the first decisions the incoming lawmakers will make happens even before they’re sworn into office, as they huddle with their parties in private meetings to choose House and Senate leadership.
Congressional offices are being bombarded with phone calls and social media messages pushing Democrats to dump their current choices — House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer — in favor of a fresh start.
Jeffries scoffed when questioned Monday if he had support— the typically low-key leader flashing confidence he would have the votes. He is on track to make history as the nation's first Black American to become speaker of the House.
Progressive lawmakers, in particular, are agitating for change reflective of voters' sweeping turnout for Democrats, especially in the Senate. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan announced they would not support Schumer.
Sen.-elect Chris Pappas, D-N.H. — who was darting back and forth between his day job as an outgoing member of the House and his new one as an incoming senator — said their class is “a new generation of leadership that wants to do things differently and shake up Washington.”
He said he wants to meet with Schumer and will later decide who he will support, if anyone challenges him.
Republicans chose their new leaders after House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to step aside following the party's election defeat. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordon won the race against the No. 2 Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana to become the minority leader, continuing a rivalry stretching to 2023, before Johnson rose to power.
Senate Republicans tapped Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to stay on as leader, despite those agitating for a change.
As the week began, the House Chaplain Margaret Kibben opened Monday's session with a prayer, “some of us enjoying victories and others enduring disheartening defeats.”
On the Democratic side, the new Congress will see many milestones — Flanagan will be the first Native American female U.S. senator, Pappas the first gay male senator, and more.
Rep. Suzan DelBene, the House Democrats' campaign chief, called the party's candidates “all very unique.”
"We had firefighters, ministers, mayors, veterans, teachers, farmers, prosecutors, union leaders, law enforcement, doctors, journalists and even a Grammy award-winning musician," she said earlier.
“They understand that their job title is representative, not rubber stamp.”
Johnson, the outgoing speaker, hosted a reception in the Capitol's stately Statuary Hall for the House Republicans, whose shrinking numbers left the party lopsided, their minority made up of mostly white men.
Rep.-elect Kristina Knickerbocker, D-Ohio, talks with reporters in the Capitol basement during the first day of new member orientation, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Rep.-elect Joe Strada, R-Fla., left, walks through the Capitol basement during the first day of new member orientation, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton, D-Ill., walks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's, D-N.Y., office at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen.-elect Annie Andrews, D-S.C., walks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's, D-N.Y., office at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan, D-Minn., walks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's, D-N.Y., office at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen.-elect Troy Jackson, D-Maine, walks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's, D-N.Y., office at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen.-elect Josh Turek, D-Iowa, goes to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's, D-N.Y., office at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen.-elect Chris Pappas, D-N.H., walks through the Ohio Clock Corridor at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Rep.-elect Jon Bonck, R-Texas, walks through the Capitol basement during the first day of new member orientation, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Rep.-elect Amanda McKinney, R-Wash., center, walks through the Capitol basement during the first day of new member orientation, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Rep.-elect Rebecca Bennett, D-N.J., talks with reporters in the Capitol basement during the first day of new member orientation, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Rep.-elect Jon Bonck, R-Texas, arrives at the AC Hotel during new member orientation in Washington, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack, D-N.C., arrives for first day of new member orientation at the Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., center, is flanked by Sen.-elect Andy Barr, R-Ky., left, and Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, D-Kan., as newly-elected senators arrive for orientation following the sweeping victory by Democrats in the midterm elections, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sens.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., center, Roy Cooper, D-N.C., third from right, and Annie Andrews, D-S.C., second from right, walk through the Ohio Clock Corridor at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
