Another disappointing NBA All-Star Weekend recently concluded in Indiana after players lacked competitiveness during the events, leaving the league in a precarious position about the state of future all-star weekends.
All-Star Saturday Night, the first of two marquee days of the celebratory weekend began with a forgettable Skills Competition.
Players looked disinterested and didn’t even know the rules of the event. Many players went around the first obstacle the wrong way making the event look sloppy – and that wasn’t even the worst part. Anthony Edwards shot left-handed during the shooting component of the course, missing numerous attempts and making a mockery of the competition.
In the Slam Dunk Contest, Jaylen Brown dunked over a five-foot-three Kai Cenat who was sitting down. Exciting? Not really. Fans in Indianapolis were booing after that dunk to the dismay that the Dunk Contest has been on a rapid decline in recent years.
Instead of having actual all-stars like Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard compete and win the Dunk Contest, Mac McClung – a guy who plays in the G-League and has only appeared in four career NBA games – is now a back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion.
Fans have a right to be angry, especially when they’re spending big bucks to watch the “all-star” events, yet three of the four Dunk Contest participants weren’t even all-stars or household names.
But even the actual all-stars weren’t memorable during All-Star Weekend.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 50 points in the All-Star Game; ASG MVP Damian Lillard dropped 39, but the narrative is the lack of effort by everyone, leading to the East winning 211-186 in a game full of points and, that’s it. Just points, no excitement.
No one is asking these players to fight and hustle like it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but a bit of intrigue and excitement is necessary, especially as the league looks to events like the All-Star Weekend to bolster their fanbase and exposure across America and around the world.
As such, the NBA could (and should) revamp Saturday and Sunday’s components to suit the evolving nature of the sport, to pique the interests of fans and players alike.
For Saturday’s schedule, the Skills Competition must go immediately. It’s caused too many headaches and has too many moving parts.
Instead, I’d recommend that the Steph vs. Sabrina event – the lone bright spot of the weekend – be expanded to include more stars from both the men’s and women’s games. Imagine a field where Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, two of the greatest NBA shooters of all time, battle Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlyn Clark, two of the rising stars of women’s basketball, for three-point shooting supremacy.
Then, picture an NBA 3×3 tournament where players team up in squads of three with the winning team earning prize money. Envision future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry up against a young trio of Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic and Trae Young in the 3×3 final. Exciting? You bet.
But what about the All-Star Game itself?
The NBA has done East vs. West and LeBron vs. Giannis – but what about USA vs. World?
USA vs. World would settle the age-old debate of whether America could beat a team full of international players while gaining the attention of basketball fans globally.
Fans from Serbia would be desperate to see their beloved Nikola Jokic represent the Balkan country on a quasi-international stage, as Canadians would love Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battling the Americans in hopes of a Team World victory.
However, the NBA may opt for a different route, possibly something like Major League Soccer’s (MLS) all-star game format.
In MLS, instead of having two teams of MLS all-stars playing head-to-head, there is only one team of MLS all-stars who play against a European team; last year it was Arsenal.
Translating to the NBA, the NBA All-Stars could battle a EuroLeague team like Real Madrid or a squad of EuroLeague All-Stars. NBA All-Stars vs. Real Madrid – although the NBA guys would likely dominate – would be more interesting than another East vs. West because the Euro side would likely play with a lot of pride and bring their best effort.
But regardless of the format, a change is needed fast so when the league’s best players head to San Francisco next year for the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, it can be the most memorable All-Star Weekend in NBA history.
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