Mark Cuban Calls for 40-Minute NBA Games to Boost Fan Engagement
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Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban believes the National Basketball Association could dramatically improve its on-court product by trimming games from 48 minutes to 40.
Speaking on Front Office Sports’ “Portfolio Players” series released on May 27, 2026, Cuban said shorter contests would better suit modern viewing habits and make every possession feel more significant. “I really think that if the NBA went from 48 minutes to 40 minutes, it would change it 180 degrees for the better,” he told host Front Office Sports.
Cuban pointed to the National Football League’s continued popularity despite relatively little live action in a typical broadcast. He argued that today’s audiences prefer not to “commit brain time or attention time for more than 15 minutes” and praised Major League Baseball’s recent pace-of-play reforms, which have coincided with higher ratings and increased fan engagement.
The tech billionaire added that compressing NBA games would likely invite more upsets and create tighter finishes. “The game gets compressed enough where there’s more action and every possession becomes more important,” he said.
International basketball already follows a 40-minute format, as do Olympic tournaments and NCAA men’s games, giving Cuban a real-world example to support his proposal. He noted that he has pitched the idea to league officials multiple times during his tenure with the Mavericks, insisting, “The shorter the amount of playing time, the better the response.”
While the NBA has made marginal scheduling tweaks in recent years, it has not formally considered reducing game length. Cuban maintains that such a move would represent a simple way to “transform the league 180 degrees” in favor of fans.
Source: Hoops Wire
