NBA, NBPA To Urge Players To Make All-Star Game Competitive

[RealGM Wiretap]

The NBA and NBPA will address players before Sunday's All-Star Game to emphasize the importance of making the event a competitive one. Recent iterations of the All-Star Game have had a tangible dearth of defense.

Before last year's game in Indianapolis, Larry Bird called on players to "play hard." The league had also hoped reverting back to the East vs. West format would help improve upon the 2023 edition. Despite the urgings from the league and the timing of ongoing national media rights negotiations, the game was widely panned.

Sunday's game will be held in San Francisco and feature four teams competing in a semifinal round and then a final.

Via Chris Haynes

[Kingsway_fan]

Just cancel the game ... this era nba player is not taking the game seriously, so why should fans?...

[EnriCela13]

Just cancel the game ... this era nba player is not taking the game seriously, so why should fans?...

Yeah honestly if they can’t figure out the effort situation, which I understand is a difficult thing to figure out, might as well make it like the all-nba awards and just let it be an on paper thing. Or just have like a horse competition or some other minigames instead that way no1 is let down by the lack of effort bc there will be no expectations.

[danfantastk32]

Just dump it. It's been a stupid game almost since the beginning. I remember Shaq screwin around and taking the ball upcourt, which at least had the entertainment value. You'd get a few games with Jordan and Kobe, who were mentally haunted psychopaths. unable to take it below 5th gear...but otherwise, it IS a meaningless game.

Meaningless, until YOUR star player hurts himself, that is. Honestly..why on Earth would you want guys taking it serious and playing defense? It's just a chance for your guy to get hurt.....zero reward.

That...or lean into it. The game is meaningless, so stick "6-point" circles around. 5-points for an alley-oop....incentivize the flash and flair. If a team makes 5 3-pointers in a row...they get to pick a player from the other team, and he switches jerseys, and its now 6v4 until that team misses a shot...or the other team makes a shot.

Spit-ballin here, but you get the idea. Just make it fun, and different...but so it incentivizes guys to show-boat a little.

[M2J]

This will fix things

[Toine85]

You want one of the best players on your team blowing out their knee in an exhibition game? Plus, compared to their annual salaries, what they make from this game is chump change for most of them. Per Yahoo Sports: "As for prize money, each player on the championship-winning team will receive $125,000; each player on the second-place team will receive $50,000; and each player on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000."

That's life changing for us, but for some players, it's actually less than a regular season game check (i.e. Steph Curry makes $600k+ per game this year, why injure yourself for $25k-125k?).

It has never been taken seriously. Every All-Star game Larry Bird was a part of in the 80s and 90s, both teams routinely scored over 120 ppg and a few times a team would score over 150 ppg. There was no defense back then either, so spare me the "dearth in defense".

Want players to play harder? Maybe copy the BIG3 league and let the players have a 3-vs-3 tournament of 8 teams up to a game of 21 (win by 2).

Players would want to play a bit harder based on pride rather than the money aspect.

[Deadpool Raptor]

Just dump it. It's been a stupid game almost since the beginning. I remember Shaq screwin around and taking the ball upcourt, which at least had the entertainment value. You'd get a few games with Jordan and Kobe, who were mentally haunted psychopaths. unable to take it below 5th gear...but otherwise, it IS a meaningless game.

Meaningless, until YOUR star player hurts himself, that is. Honestly..why on Earth would you want guys taking it serious and playing defense? It's just a chance for your guy to get hurt.....zero reward.

That...or lean into it. The game is meaningless, so stick "6-point" circles around. 5-points for an alley-oop....incentivize the flash and flair. If a team makes 5 3-pointers in a row...they get to pick a player from the other team, and he switches jerseys, and its now 6v4 until that team misses a shot...or the other team makes a shot.

Spit-ballin here, but you get the idea. Just make it fun, and different...but so it incentivizes guys to show-boat a little.

I wish we had a psychopath to sacrifice his life for our entertainment in this era.

[alienpick]

Just cancel the game ... this era nba player is not taking the game seriously, so why should fans?...

So sad it's come to this.

and to those who are crying "they might get injured!" they could get injured in ANY game, ANY off-season practice, ANY pickup game, ANY Team USA or Olympic Team game... hell, the could get injured taking their daughter to her basketball game. If you are that scared, why not pay them $30 million a season, then have a bunch of scrubs play the entire game and only bring out Lebron / KD / or whoever for crunch time? Why risk anything? Why not wrap them in helmets and bubble wrap and keep them locked in sealed packages?

MJ and Kobe are laughing at this and the real fans are completely let down. Atleast AllStar Saturday Night is still fun, even with the dunk contest lacking lately.

[J-Mezzy]

The irony of players and young fans claiming this is the best era ever while the league has to constantly create maneuvers to get them to play hard

[Accurim]

i see more competition in random youtube videos where curry plays with high schoolers at a camp. theyre professional athletes, even if you dont want to get injured, you can play a little harder than the weekend warrior who plays at the local gym once a week.