The NBA has made efforts to incentivize players to care about the All-Star Game, but those efforts have proven unsuccessful. This year’s game was a disappointment, and Anthony Edwards’ post-game comments suggest that the NBA may be facing a hopeless situation. The All-Star Game has a long history, but the excitement that once surrounded it has diminished. The current state of the game lacks stakes and has gradually lost its significance. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver tried to generate hype for this year’s showcase by returning to the East vs. West format, but it ultimately resulted in another lackluster exhibition. LeBron James acknowledged the need for change, but finding a solution has been a challenge for the NBA. Edwards summed up the issue by stating that players view the All-Star Game as a break rather than a competitive event.
Here’s his statement:
“For me, it’s a game featuring the best players, so I will never view it as highly competitive.
It’s always enjoyable. I don’t know what they can do to increase the level of competition. I don’t know… It’s a break, so I don’t think everyone wants to come here and strive to win.”
Players theoretically have some motivation to care when you consider members of the winning team go home with $100,000 compared to the $25,000 given to those who lose. That’s certainly not a small amount for most individuals, but it’s relatively insignificant for nearly everyone who ends up participating.
Of course, the most apparent concern (and the one that’s the most difficult to address) is the potential for injury that’s essentially linked to the amount of effort exerted by players in the All-Star Game.
Despite all of the complaints we’ve heard from fans who are unimpressed with the current state of affairs, that lack of effort is a major reason why no players have experienced a serious setback in recent memory, and it’s difficult to imagine the situation wouldn’t change immediately if a prominent player was sidelined for an extended period of time due to what happened in a essentially meaningless match.
As a result, it might just be time to acknowledge that all-star games have simply lost whatever appeal they may have had at some point in the past.
According to the Source brobible.com