All star games have run their course. The days of effort, defense, and entertainment are gone. As Scott Van Pelt said, “If you don’t care, neither do we.” It is sad to see the rapid decline of what used to be such a great game in the NBA. The days of Kobe, KG, Jordan, and other iconic players giving their all in every aspect of the festivities is now nothing more than a distant memory. In a game where a team scored over 200 points, yeah you read that right a single team scored over 200 points, and the game went for 397 total points it was easy to see that this was a glorified shoot around. Players even stated that there is no effort while old heads like Larry Bird were pleading to see even the slightest bit of effort from the sports biggest names. Alas there was no effort to be found. The field was barren.
Kobe Bryant summed it up the best in his 2019 interview stating that the all star game needed “revamping” to regain its competitive edge. The man made 18 All Star games so he can be considered an expert on the event. The game itself hasn’t really been all that competitive since 2013, and that is being generous. Since the 2013 rendition of this spectacle, no team has scored under 145 points. In that span the two teams have combined for under 300 points just once (2018). Since the first recorded All Star game in 1951 until 2013, only 3 such games ever saw 300 total points. 2012 saw 301 total points, 2003 saw 300 total points and took two overtime periods to get there, and 1987 saw 303 total points and also went to overtime. Now I know the game we love to watch today is more explosive, but really? We all know that if the defensive effort was high we wouldn’t see these numbers. It’s the purpose of putting the best against the best. When you put the best against the best, you want to see THEIR best. In the current All Star game format, we just won’t get that.
With that in mind the question that is being asked is “Where do we go from here?” The NBA could look to draw some inspiration from the NHL as well as their In-Season Tournament. The NHL has been rumored to be replacing their All Star Week with a 4 team, international tournament. Few things engage an athletes competitive drive more than representing their country on a international stage. The only other thing might be financial compensation. We saw just how much a little extra money can motivate NBA players with the In-Season Tournament. One person on Instagram wondered what a USA versus the World game might look like in place of the All Star game. Combining the world’s best players against the top players in the USA might be enough to get the competitive fire back in the players. Combine that with a financial incentive for the winning team and we are in business. Imagine Wemby, Luka, Jokic, Giannis, and others going up against names like LeBron, Tatum, Curry, and Anthony Davis. I would sign up to watch that game.
Either way a change is needed and if the NBA doesn’t go with either of these ideas (adding money incentives or going international with it) then they better come up with something quick. The only All Star game that is worse than the NBA’s right now might just be what the NFL has going on. That not the company you want your event to be in.