In the heartland of basketball fever, where the echoes of the game resonate through the streets, the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend descended upon Indianapolis Indiana with an aura of excitement and anticipation. From a (less than) thrilling slam dunk contest, to the first ever three-point shootout between the NBA and WNBA, the weekend left spectators with a lot to talk about… and not all great.
The All-Star Game is a celebration of basketball’s finest, a showcase of unparalleled skill and artistry. The journey to being an All-Star is not just a personal accolade, but a testament to each players unwavering dedication and remarkable journey in the NBA. As each year passes though, it seems as if nobody treats the All-Star Game as a competitive event anymore.
For some, like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, they can stake claim as being the Michael Jordan of not giving a da** during the All-Star Game.
Just #Jokic and #Luka being besties pic.twitter.com/7rCz6KbDrB
— Sports on Max (@SportsonMax) February 19, 2024
“I don’t think Luka is ever going to play hard enough in an All-Star game to win MVP. He’s like Jokic, they don’t care,” Dremond Green, NBA TNT Announcer said during the game. “‘(They’re) here because I have to be. (They’re) here so I don’t get fined.’”
Jokic joked that Doncic is “terrible” for the All-Star game and is “worse” than him. “Luka’s terrible. Luka’s really bad for this game,” Jokic said. “He’s worse than me. 100 percent.”
“Luka [Doncic] is terrible. Luka is really bad for this game. He’s worse than me. 100%.”
—Nikola Jokic 😂
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/ZDWLJDOsqT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 19, 2024
The Minnesota Timberwolves star Anothony Edwards considers the All-Star game “a break.” Stating, “For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I don’t think I will ever look at it like being super competitive. It’s always fun. I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive. It’s always fun. But I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive. It’s a break. I don’t think nobody wants to come here and compete.”
“It’s a break. I don’t think nobody wants to come here and compete.”
— Anthony Edwards on the All-Star pic.twitter.com/kKtfgVstHF
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) February 19, 2024
Adam Silver, President of the NBA, spent months stressing how Sunday’s All-Star Game needed to be better than last years. Saturday, he declared it would be.
But it turned out Silver was wrong — and his frustration was plain to see postgame. With a score total score over 400 points, its easy to see the All-Star game is still broken.
What do you think would fix the NBA ASG?
