The Death of the NBA All-Star Game 

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Anthony edwards is spot on. Every celtics game i went to where they played lebron, he would be "resting" yet I still had to pay triple the amount for the ticket just because lebron was on the roster.

A 1v1 would be great. Pick some good 2 way players and have them go head to head. They wouldn’t want to get embarrassed, so they’d actually try, plus it could spark some good rivalries

I miss the traditional East vs West matches unlike nowadays where the 2 most popular players pick who they want on their team.

I've always hated the All-Star halftime show. The NBA wants it to compete with the Super Bowl halftime show but let's be real, that's never going to happen.

It’s everybody’s fault. Fans for continuing to support. Players for not taking their “job” seriously. Coaches for not coaching and standing up to players not playing right… And ultimately, the Owners for placing players over coaches in the power hierarchy. Which in turn doesn’t allow coaches to do their job. Fault all around. I used to love the all star game.

I am from Spain and I love the NBA, the basketball and sports in general. The main problem that I find when people are talking about these kind of NBA issues is the lack of passion. Here in Europe people really feel love for a team and not for a single player, going to the stadium, to a bar or turning on the TV to support your team no matter what. Players come and go but your team will be there for your entire life. It is a feeling and a tradition shared from the parents to their children and that creates a completly different environment where it is so easy to find joy, rivalry, sadness, dreams... We don't have Rihanna in the Eurobasket finals but we don't want it anyways. It is so sad watching the fans there paying attention to everything except the game itself, everybody looking at their phones and social media the whole time instead of really living the experience of being there and feeling something more. And all of that reality finds its best scenario on the All Star 'game'.

I’m from the UK and saw on the NBA app that the game was starting at 12:30. After sitting through the drawn out draft and performances it was 2AM and I ended up turning off after 2 minutes of the game because it was that bad to watch.

I think a 3v3 tournament with 12 teams participating - and having players sign up for the event along with picking their partners - could be an interesting idea

The changes in game format and team structure (not simply East vs West) makes me care even less about the All Star game than I normally would.

You hit the nail on the head about the NBA focusing on individual players rather than teams. Despite every player saying "it's not about me, it's about the team", none of these superstars believe that. The big reason is that they get paid way too much for them to get attached to any team with any level of passion. It's only going to get worse. Does it really have to take a Kobe death to make these guys compete? Maybe changing it to a one on one tournament is a better option. Less chance to get injured and more motivation to actually try since it puts a bit of their pride on the line. Done there are more individual rivalries rather than team rivalries, this might actually work.

I don’t think there’s anything else they can do at this point. 2020 was so memorable because of the passing of Kobe, and players taking pride in paying homage to him. 2018 was also dope, the first year they made “pickup style” teams. Basically the year they make changes, it’s fun, and subsequently it goes down to zero effort on their part. No amount of money will be enough to incentivize them. I just think it’s a question of pride and ego whether they choose to go hard during the game or not. If there’s no backstory tied to the game, players won’t care and risk injury. The ASW is cooked I fear

Agree with Ant-man. I went to the Pacers-Bulls game right before the break and DeRozan sat out, but then had the nerve to play in the All-star game in Utah a few days later. The resting of stars is out of control.

They dont wanna get injured, so they throw down audacious dunks with little to no warm up. Cuz that makes hella sense.

I just paused your video at 2:29. I always told people the reason players don't really give an effort is because they're no longer wearing their respective teams jerseys, and deep down psychologically they felt as though they needed to represent their team/city/fanbase. As humans we are infatuated with symbolism.

I’m from Singapore and I grew up watching the likes of Jordan, Ewing, Drexler etc. As someone who plays sports, I’ve always enjoyed competing with equal or even better players. The all-star game now is not worth watching at all. For starters, bring back east-west, give the players back their team jerseys so they can feel the pride and show why they were chosen in the first place.

The MLB already did the home field advantage thing and fans hated it. So they scrapped it in 2017. I think the all star game is more of an event and celebration at this point. But I do think they should go back to East vs West.

With Larry and Magic, and to a major extent MJ, the NBA learned that i was probably more profitable to market players over teams. Sort of like a boxing match.

It was so bad this year, that I almost believe it was on purpose. The players got together and said: yeah, fuck Adam Silver. We chilling tonight...

It used to be a way to see players you wouldn't usually see. If you were in NY during the 80's you might only see Magic play once a year on TV. So the All Star game was a great way to watch the best.

If the players are aware of the lack of effort, then it's really up to them to make it more competitive. As for the "player's don't want to get injured" take, I don't recall any of the previous all-star games having any injuries; at this point, a 1 v 1 tournament would be cool but players probably won't agree to that either.

Get rid of the all star game. Replace with a 1:1 tournament. -All all-star players must participate -Winner gets $1m and home court advantage in the finals if their team makes it

i think we should ditch the game have a 3 on 3 tourney or 2v2 tourney to 7 or 11, or make more teams and run it like rising stars and have a losers bracket and do games to 50. or do some pro bowl stuff like dodgeball like i would watch nba guys play dodgeball and they would be so invested cause its not basketball. have them do other things because an actual basketball game is the last thing on thier minds.

Edit: Why do I bother leaving comments? It just causes discourse. Not every comment needs to be debated or argued against. On JJ's podcast he talked about how tiring the whole experience is for players. The amount of events, and appearances the league makes the players take part in is draining for players. Even if they wanted to go max energy they probably can't.

Biggest problem is superteam. Main point of watching all star game is to watch superstars play together and dream of it. Well since the superteam era weve seen 3 all star starters play together multiple times for a season. Its pointless now

In the future they should do "USA vs World" format or USA & Canada vs Rest of the World format as the allstar game. itll give the allstars chosen something to play for also showcasing the diversity in the league.

The 2001 All-Star Game was one of the best All-Star games they did all the fun things in the first half but that second half they play crazy defense and you could tell they really wanted to win the game

NBA should bring back All-Star East vs All-Star West and 4 quarters of 12 minutes game.

Thank you, Anthony Edwards. That's the mentality of a real performer. There are actors and musicians that have literally died on stage or immediately after ending a performance. If actors and musicians are willing to go out and perform when they are old and sick and dying, I'm sure NBA players can put in at least 20 minutes instead of sitting.

The nba should make it east vs west again and whoever wins gets homecourt advantage for the finals.. *this was a comment i saw online* If not, we may have to shorten the season to 62 games to prevent load management

To make the game competitive, call the players 30mins before the game n say "we have ur family hostage, if u want them safe, win the game" lol

I really liked the idea of winning all star side gets finals home court advantage, but idk if that fixes the effort thing. Perhaps it would even incentives other players to do worse, cause you’re in the west and you don’t like Memphis PHX or if this was 2017 GSW. But the idea intrigued me

The thing I remember most about all star games growing up (70s) was that everyone wore their own uniforms. One side light, one dark. That really made it different from all the other games in the season. I think they used to play defense, but they weren’t going to hard foul or dive on the floor. But, they would guard and contest shots.

Great video that was objective and very well articulated, great job bro keep up the good work.

So glad this has become a headline topic. Hopefully this leads to changes.

Everything you said was absolutely spot on. Great video.And its a lot of the reason why I've more or less just stopped watching the NBA regular season unless its towards the end of the season and playoff spots are the line.

great vid

losing team gets fined also they need to add an NBA hunger games where they get the worst players from every team and make them play 5v5 tournament losers get cut

I want modes like knockout and bank (a set 3pt Shooting game). But instead use The Ruffles 4pt Line. I feel like the All-Star weekend feels kinda bland. And tbh The All-Star game should have some sort of incentive besides the MVP, and please bring back team All-Star jerseys they were so cool.

Big props to Anthony Edwards for saying what he said.

Edwards almost sounds like young MJ who said "There may be a fan that never saw me play so I played hard every night".

When a regular season game between two mediocre teams is MUCH MORE entertaining than the all star game, you know it is time to make some changes.

I don’t mind the no defense to an extent, but I’d they’re not going to fully contest a driving player, get out the way so they can do a cool dunk. The semi contest resulting in a bunch of layups is ridiculously boring.

You nailed it man!

The league has gone so soft. This all star game just sealed this statement

Adam Silver gotta go, he just cares about the bottom dollar not the game. Hasn't done anything about tanking either.

2020 was so great because everyone wanted to honor Kobe. I wish we could have that level of commitment every year. It was so amazing to watch the best players in the world go try hard vs one another

Before the days of streaming, RU-vid, League Pass, etc., fans didn't have as many opportunities to see players and teams from outside their home market. The All-Star game was a chance to showcase the league's top talent in front of fans that didn't see these players that often. Today, it's so easy to stream any game or pull up highlights at any time. Even players from small markets can get exposure this way. This makes the spectacle of the All-Star game less important, which means there is less incentive for the players to put in effort. It has always been a bit of a lighthearted game, but now it's gone from that to seemingly very little effort at all. I'm not sure there's a way to fix it.

My main issue, has to be how stars are selected into the all star line up... the selection format favors fame and popularity over an individual's effort. For instance, lebron isn't the best player in the west, but still leads their all star team due to his perceived goat status. Many players like shai, and lauri also barely make it to all star lineup, while other undeserving players make it..

Change it to 15 players in each conference or top 30 in the season regardless of conference. And they should have the break at halfway point of season or still in February while having the actual game right after the season. Incentivize however you can to make them care and give playoff players a week break before the 1st round and play-in starts. Or get rid of the game and just give the players the accolade

In the next CBA, remove contract provisions that give players more money by making an all star game. Making or missing the all star game has become too political between the players, coaches and media. Instead, just pay the players that are voted in or make the team in whatever way a nice bonus. Like if an average allstar plays 60 out of 82 games in a season (not counting playoffs) and makes $40m per season, that’s $666,667 per game. If they make an all star team, they get $1.5m or something, they can negotiate the amount. And then, whoever wins the game makes an extra $1m or something. Do the same thing with the dunk, 3 point contest, etc.

East and West needs to come back

The answer is simple. Make every player responsible for raising money for their own charity by paying well. That should hold them accountable.

The idea of 1v1 won't work as well as many people think it would. One of the reasons being match-ups. Sure, it'd be very fun to see things like Jokic vs Embiid, but either from the draws or by advancing in the tourney, you can end up with something like Jokic vs Ja which is quite unbalanced in many ways I'd think. A more feasible way would be 3v3s, or alongside increased number of All-Stars being selected you can go for multiple 5-man teams, though that'd obviously require the number of All-Stars being multiplications of either 3 or 5. There are probably many ways to make it more interesting, but in the end it comes back to whether there's enough incentives for the players be it money, pride, or else.

1. bring back east vs west 2. top 5 vote getter from each conference regardless of position 3. bench to be filled up by the top team from each conference 4. winner gets home court in the finals regardless of record

Kinda similar situation in football… nowadays the pro bowl ain’t worth jack with more players opting out forcing fill in roles completely negating the whole idea

I agree with pretty much everything you said. All though the whole sitting through boring interviews, generic commentary etc can all be skipped by not turning on the TV till 7:30. Another thing is that I felt the draft was actually pretty cool and if they found a way to streamline it a little more than it can be pretty cool. The game itself NEEDS to have some kind of incentive for the players and coaches to actually try and make it entertaining for the fans. The all star game is something I think that the NBA definitely shouldn't get rid of but definitely need to improve on.

The only way to incentivize the players is to have the NBA play other players from around the world. And allowing nba players from outside the usa to compete with the world team.

I think the issue with the presentation is that it's basically become a social event for the celebrities that can afford to go to the game in person, not something meant for fans to enjoy

Heres how you fix it: 1. Make everyone go 1 vs 1, man to man defense (perhaps no screens as a rule change) 2. Make it a 10 player roster for each team: Each player would therefore have 24 minutes to play. 3. Each individual player would have their own individual matchup from the opposing side, meaning if one player was sub out (e.g. the point guard) then the opposing point guard would also have to sub out as well. this would mean that everyone would have the exact same matchup and would have to guard the same person for the entire game. 4. Scoreboards will show each indivual matchup scores to create an individual rivally to showcase who is the better, PG/SG/SF/PF/C This means the West vs East would be back again and create discussion on who is the better player at whatever position (west or east)

HORSE would be so cool. And 1v1 or 2v2 tournaments. King of the court. Shoot, even around the world lol

AntMan, you got yourself a new fan here ❤️

The competitiveness is no longer there. Back then you have superstars who look forward to challenging each other, and proving that they are better, either as individuals, teams, or conference. There's a fire there, and a passion to compete and to best each other. Nowadays the players already got the keys to the bank. The superstars are more keen to not risk getting hurt, and to see who can flaunt their wealth the most. Basketball is almost a nuisance they can't wait to be done with for the year. You can almost taste the indifference through the screen. The dunk contest is already DOA long ago. Now even the main game and skill fest are on life support.

When it was east vs west it carried some excitement to it. One of my most memorable games was the 2001 east vs west where AI won MVP. Those players cared about that meaningless game and produced some moments that lasted more than 20 years in my memory. Having said that I understand the modern concepts of body preservation and load management. Some players voluntarily miss games for their own teams. Asking them to put real effort into a game for team Lebron would be a stretch.

The only way to do it (and it's not even hard for the NBA to pull it off I think) it's attach a massive economic incentive for the players of the team that win via their team contracts, plus give the conference that win finals home advantage. But what could be even better it's all the above plus a total change in format, where instead of a singular game it's some kind of tournament whith one team per division. That would mean more players involved, all fanbases having someone to root for, etc...

Winner of all star game gets additional 2 points in their overall NBA2K rating

I think they should genuinely poll or ask the players what they think could better the game or incentivize them for the game. I think a solution could be that each player on the winning team get $1 million directly, and the losers get nothing. Ja said the only way he would do the dunk contest was if he got paid, and I think the NBA should test out having the incentive for the all star game and contests be that players actually win money for themselves. They would easily make the money back if it gets the players to try.

My question is What Changed? Why were all star games at one point somewhat competitive and what caused them to reach the point they are at now?

Idea, do east v west, winner gets the first home game in the finals

First, this is a great video. Good job putting it together. Second: Not to be the “old man yells at cloud” guy, but there’s very little defense anywhere in the nba. Even if teams are trying to play good defense, the lax rules have completely neutered playing defense altogether. When you can take two steps back to go into a pull up jumper, and the defender closes out, then you take two more steps forward and then finally take a dribble to go for a layup…the whole thing is atrocious. Look at a shot chart from the 90’s compared to today. Pretty balanced. But today, I’ve seen numerous games where teams do not attempt a single field goal that isn’t in the paint or a 3. Literally no shot attempts outside of that. And all teams play this way now. Try to take your guy one on one, then jack a 3 or drive for a layup. It’s very boring.

The only thing exciting about the ASG is the draft. Which reflects the current state of the league where the exciting part is not the game but the offseason where there is a lot of player movement.

why not make it like the nhl allstar game, 3v3 maybe 4 teams? 2 for each conference in a short tournament style? xD idk just here 2 say great points man, nice video and cheers from the alps, new suns fan here xD

I quit watching the NBA back in 1998 and returned watching this 2022 and I am gravely disappointed.

1-Move the all star weekend to Christmas adjacent. 2-Now it's a full blow mini-tournament with a team per Division and at least one player per team in the division (fan selected, but with coach weights) 3-Shorter games, like 30 minutes with just a short commercial pause and a single time out per half. 4-Use it to test changes in the rules, officiating etc... Or if that's too complicated, just spice it out with things like a 4 points line, and other quirks that can be different each year. 4-You are only consider an all star if you reach the final. 5-Huge financial incentives for the players of the team that win the tournament. 6-Home court advantage for the conference that wins in the NBA finals.

Players just don’t want to win and care about loosing enough. I look back at old all star games and guys just didn’t enjoy loosing these games. They wanted to go at each other and with everyone being so buddy buddy it’s just a horrible game.

Atleast back then they made it look more competitive. I understand you don’t need to play like it’s game 7 but cmon 😅

Fine players for not trying. As the commissioner say, “We have a group that watches the game and for every player they determine isn’t trying there will be a hearty fine.” And it has to be a significant fine or else they won’t care that they got fined. A small $10,000 or $50,000 fine wouldn’t cut it. They would need to determine an amount that would affect change.

Couldn't agree more. 1000% accurate. I can't watch the thing. I only watch the highlights the following days. Not worth my time.

I turned it off after 5 mins of gameplay. I don't really think it can fixed. I agree with your point about making the players wear their jerseys or rep their team, to stimulate some sense of pride but I don't know if that would work at this time, it has become a tradition to be effortless shit. I would love to see a 3v3 tournament. Take the three best players off the top four teams of each conference. Obviously, the 'all-star' contract incentive would have to be adjusted, but this year there was a bunch of players who deserved but didn't make it.

Proposal 1 - Everybody in the winning team get some money, it should be a non-trivial (e.g. 100K) Proposal 2 - Everybody in the winning team can have his team's salary cap increase by some amount Proposal 3 - Everybody in the winning team receives a ring

**NO** to the ASG determining HCA in the finals. That's already the prize for winning the regular season, which already feels meaningless enough. I do like the idea of a 3v3 mini tournament. Name 15 all stars per conference, form 5 teams of 3 players each, and go at it for all the bragging rights.

They should bring back the East vs West All star games back. To me, that’s when the games started getting boring.

I feel like being an All Star used to mean something to the players in the NBA. Now its a pretty useless achievement and people barely bring it up anymore. Also, players no longer have the opportunity of representing their teams. Why the fuck would you want to play for Lebron or Giannis? Aren't these the guys you are going hard at in practice to beat?

You're killin' it with the content, keep it up!

Maybe if the winning team got more money they would play harder. Also I hated the pre-game draft. Why!?

NBA should bring back East vs West and drop the current idiotic and egomaniac format of team LeBron vs whomever.

It's simple. Start benching anyone who doesn't want to play defense and fine them. Only put the player's who actually wanna compete and give them bonus pay.

I simply blame the players…. They are the ones on the court. They either put forth effort or the game is bad like it was this year

The lack of team play is exactly why foreign players are taking over. They pass in Europe, same as the NBL (Aussie league). It’s not about the individual players, it’s about the team and winning. The NBA is going to shift big time in the next 5-10 years to become a truly international league. American players (particularly iso players) will need to adjust or get left behind.

I turned it on at the time the game was scheduled to start and they had the Post Malone concert on, and the game started 45 minutes late so that was already not a good impression. And then the game itself was boring. Ultimately I think the whole reason it was all so drawn out was to get as many ad breaks in there as possible, Silver seems to measure success purely in revenue and viewers.

2:19 Darn right! In a similar vein, the players in the MLB All-Star Game wore their home or road uniforms, depending on which league hosted the game. When I saw the game a couple years ago, I asked myself if anyone who actually likes the sport or understands it is in charge.

players *did* play D in the all-star game in 80s. that's what made it entertaining

I think its apart of the nba culture now. The nba used to be filled with rivalries and healthy tension between players because there teams had met in the playoffs year after year. That doesn't exist anymore. It seams like every couple of months a star player wants out and wants to be traded. The players know fans and nba media won't criticise them for doing it. Even if they do get criticized once the deal is done they talk about is if there new team is a dynasty or a superteam.

Maybe do the 3v3 games, but have multiple teams, don't play full 48 min, just 3v3 for 12 min. Winner moves on.

I think they should make blocks or steals worth 1000 dollars for charity

It'd be sick if they could do like a 3v3 half court game and have people on the bench rotate.

IT SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RULES AS THE CELEBRITY GAME, 4 POINT LINE, SURPRISE APPEARANCES, NEW CHALLENGE EVERY QUARTER.

I think the main reason for all of this lack of care is the fact that there are no stakes at play. When you watch the MLB All-Star Game the players are actually trying because the winner gets homefield advantage in the World Series. If there is no reason to try, why would you bother? I think the NBA needs some sort of stakes for their All-Star game.

I feel like all the all star events are dead now, like the 3pt contest was so bad, the dunk contest had no variety, the skills contest no one really watches, and the all star game was so freely played

as NBA fan, I can't agree more on your thoughts.. there's no point of having all star game if the players didn't even want to participate due to risk of injuries or something.. as we all know, this whole system is always part of business, no way it can be separated.. so, if u asked about what are the necessary action can be take, then it might need to be a bit speculative.. apart from the plus minus, this is just my thoughts: 1. back to the old ways of selecting players that represent the east and west, this way might create more pride and identity to the conference they are representing; 2. reflecting on the nba all star in Chicago, few years ago, we saw the very high intensity towards the end of the game on the 4th quarter, so maybe NBA can try to change the game format.. the game winners can be decided by how many time they won each quarter.. so the 1st team wining 3 quarters came out as winner.. if they split the game by 2 quarters each, then maybe we can add 1 extra time, by target points without time limits.. this way the game will have high intensity even from the beginning.. the bad thing on using this scenario is that it can also be possible that the game will ended after only 3 quarters.. but, still I think it's better to have limited time, but with more game intensity, instead of long duration with boring ambience.. sorry this is ,just my two cents