Last week, the NBA released its full 2024-25 regular season schedule for all 30 teams. One major aspect stood out.

Once again, the league has chosen to prioritize its legacy superstars of the last generation of hoops: LeBron James , Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant .

These three players have been the main money-makers for the NBA for over a decade, and in James’ case, over two decades. Simply put, they get the highest ratings because diehards and casual fans alike flock to their TV screens when any of the trio is on a national broadcast.

They have been the three defining players of a generation, have accomplished the most and are the three all-time legends still playing.

Furthermore, the trio’s excellence at the Olympics, where James and Curry carried a ridiculously talented Team USA roster to a Gold Medal (with Durant as arguably the third-best player in the tournament), showed that these three are defying age in a way rarely seen in NBA history.

These factors give the league the leeway to squeeze a little more out of the three stars in 2024-25, but it is a shortsighted decision that could backfire in the future.

Despite mediocrity from both franchises, they share the spotlight

The L.A. Lakers and Golden State Warriors sparked outrage within the basketball community, as they were given 39 and 36 national TV games, respectively, which leads the league.

This is coming off a season in which the Warriors missed the playoffs entirely after being blown out in a play-in game, and the Lakers fell in five games to the Denver Nuggets after another lackluster campaign.

Neither LA nor Golden State made any significant moves this past summer to improve their standing in a brutal Western Conference. The Lakers appeared asleep at the wheel, and the Warriors swapped out Klay Thompson and role players for other role players.

Both franchises are far away from joining the upper echelon in the West and are more likely to miss the postseason than make a deep playoff run.

Following a similar theme, the Phoenix Suns received 30 national contests, good for fifth in the league, despite a disappointing 2023-24 campaign that ended with an embarrassing sweep to the up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves .

The league’s intention is once again clear; it wants to get every last dollar out of Durant while he still plays at a peak level, and Phoenix is an exciting team whether they play well or not.

Choosing LA, Golden State and Phoenix as the three marquee teams this season signals the NBA’s priorities in terms of marketing, and it would be shocking if any of the three played meaningful basketball in 2024-25.

NBA Is Making a Huge Mistake Bypassing Future Stars

Several up-and-coming teams deserve attention

Showcasing their three old legends is perhaps the best financial decision for this year alone, but the NBA needs to look toward a future where Curry, James and Durant are long gone.

Sadly, that day is coming very soon, but the league has many ascending stars and franchises that they can pivot to when it is time.

The NBA’s decision to allow its veterans to dominate the national TV landscape despite barely contending for anything serious is very shortsighted. Teams like the Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will be competing for championships for the next decade-plus, yet they are hidden from the average viewer behind mediocre franchises like the Lakers, Warriors and Suns.

The league shouldn’t force fans to be introduced to these guys in the playoffs; they should showcase them on the biggest stages of the regular season to familiarize casual viewers with the next generation of superstars. Anthony Edwards , Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Victor Wembanyama , and even guys like Ja Morant , Tyrese Haliburton and Paolo Banchero should be featured heavily on the national schedule as their squads ascend towards championship contention.

The NBA has experienced the pitfalls of putting all its eggs in one superstar’s basket before. It suffered rough stretches of low popularity after Michael Jordan’s retirement, for example. Commissioner Adam Silver needs to get a head start on marketing the next era of NBA basketball.

NBA Should Prioritize Young Stars and Ascending Teams

Giving mediocre teams the spotlight damages the product

Basketball is currently in an incredible spot regarding competitive balance; some quality rosters enter next season with legitimate title hopes.

Both conferences are deep and have good teams. It will be a pleasure to watch them jockey for positioning throughout the year, and the national TV schedule should reflect that.

Instead of putting the Warriors, Lakers and Suns on a combined 105 times, Silver should allocate some of that bloat to familiarize fans with some of the new squads around the league who have a chance to play deep into the spring.

Six or seven legitimate championship contenders and five or six more fringe teams could make noise in the postseason.

These are the franchises that need to be prioritized on national TV. Sure, Durant, Curry and James should get their share of the bright lights, but no more than any ascending star or team.

It is the only way to advance the league into its next era while appreciating the legends still doing their thing.