The NBA All-Star Weekend took place this past weekend in Cleveland, capped off by Team Lebron defeating Team Durant 163-160.
The game showcased its biggest stars, none more than Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James.
Curry was named the game’s MVP with 50 points, including an All-Star record 16 made three-pointers. Lebron played exceptionally at 37 years old, tallying 24 points and the game-winning fadeaway jumper.
One of the big storylines going into the game was the numerous ties between the two stars: both were born in Akron, a city in Ohio 35 miles south of Cleveland, and they played in four straight NBA finals series, with many of those matchups coming in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the home of the 2022 All-Star game.
Although they have never played together on the same NBA team, they had the chance to in the All-Star game now that the conference format was replaced recently with the highest voted players drafting teams among the 22 players who were selected to the all-star game. This year’s All-Star captains were Lebron James and Kevin Durant, who did not play due to an MCL sprain.
The night also featured a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NBA. In commemoration, an NBA 75th anniversary team was created to honor the 75 greatest players who played the game. However, they could not decide on just 75, so there are 76 players on the team. It includes current stars such as James, Curry, and Durant, as well as former players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Larry Bird.
While Curry’s absurd shooting night and a close finish made Sunday’s game entertaining for most viewers, the same cannot be said for most of the other events that took place during the Weekend.
In particular, the annual Dunk Contest, which has had some iconic moments over the years, was a huge disappointment for most fans. The contestants missed the majority of their dunks, and fans were not impressed by the dunking talent of the four slam dunk contestants: Cole Anthony, Jalen Green, Obi Toppin and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Most of the names are likely unfamiliar unless someone is a serious NBA fan, as they are all young players that have never been selected to an All-Star game.
Fans have been calling for some of the players that are in the game on Sunday to showcase their dunking talents in this competition; however, it is extremely rare to see the best NBA players participate in the slam dunk contest due to the added time and effort that goes into the contest, as well as opting to rest as much as they can during the All-Star break to prepare for the rest of the season.
The NBA All-Star Weekend comes just weeks after the NFL Pro Bowl, which received even more criticism due to the “lack of effort” from many players. The game is very generic: the best players in each conference, who are voted on by the fans, play in a mostly ordinary football game that has no changes to the rules, and players have no incentive to try and win the game.
Contrary to the NFL, the NBA has made several changes to the All-Star game over the years in an effort to make the game more entertaining for the fans and players. Both teams were given incentives as they were allowed to pick a charity to play for, with the winner of each quarter earning $100,000 to donate to that team’s chosen charity. The fourth quarter was played to a set score, which kept the intensity high throughout the game. This incentive also kept superstars such as James and Curry in at the end of the game instead of sitting on the bench like they did prior.
While certain parts of the All-Star Weekend were duds, the NBA should be credited with the changes it has made to the All-Star game. The league saw the issues that all the major sports leagues had creating an entertaining All-Star game and made changes that have gone over well with the fans and produced a better product on the court. The NBA will likely assess the other parts of its All-Star weekend, such as the dunk contest and three-point contest, to make improvements going forward. Other sports leagues, especially the NFL, should look at the NBA All-Star format to improve their own games that promote the league better and increase fan engagement.
