The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off has been widely regarded as a tremendous success, while the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend was anything but. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes the two events are entirely separate and should not be compared. On Friday’s edition of NBA Today, Windhorst discussed the constant comparisons between the two events among media members, asserting that the NHL’s success does not equate to a failure for the NBA.
“Number one, congratulations to the NHL,” said Windhorst. “It was a terrific event. Why does the NHL’s success have to be called the NBA’s failures? I have seen this repeatedly over the last few days. What does one have to do with the other? Number two, while this was a great event, they are not having it next year. Next year, they have the Olympics in Milan. I read a report today that said the NHL indicated they will not hold it in 2027 or 2029, and in 2028, there is the Hockey World Cup. So, this is the last one of these for the decade. Congratulations, it was great, but it’s not like the NHL has now got an annual event.
“Number three, it’s an in-season tournament. While it is effective due to the international aspect, let’s remember that the NBA had an in-season tournament first. The NBA pioneered that idea. The narrative that the NBA is denigrated because of the NHL’s success is perplexing to me, and I don’t think it’s fair. I am not going to participate in that.”
“Congratulations to the NHL. [The 4 Nations Face-Off] was a terrific event. Why does the NHL’s success have to be called the NBA’s failures?” – Brian Windhorst 🏒🏀pic.twitter.com/3vxhXe7EFU https://t.co/Or4OaRjju1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 22, 2025
However, Windhorst himself has expressed that he has “lost all interest” in the NBA All-Star Game and “avoids it like the plague” prior to the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend. This indicates that he does not see the NBA’s All-Star Game format as successful, especially in light of the NHL seemingly getting it right. Considering the timeline of both events, one cannot help but compare them, as there was a direct overlap last Saturday.
Many sports fans enjoy both the NHL and the NBA, and the clear advantage in overall competitiveness the NHL demonstrated made it an easy decision for those choosing which event to watch. This ultimately highlighted the disappointment of the NBA All-Star Weekend.
As Windhorst stated, the NBA did come up with the idea of an in-season tournament first, but its significance is debatable, as it lacks substantial stakes aside from financial incentives for players. In contrast, the 4 Nations Face-Off taps into the deeply rooted nationalistic fervor of sports fans akin to the Olympic Games—arguably the most basic form of sports fandom. Thus, for Windhorst to suggest that comparing these concurrent events is unfair seems misguided, even if the future of the 4 Nations Face-Off is uncertain.
