Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Warriors
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Former Warriors teammates Stephen Curry (L) and Kevin Durant celebrate after scoring in the men's Gold Medal basketball match between France and USA during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The NBA All-Star Game trying a new concept this year shows how desperate Adam Silver is to make fans and players care about the game again. Recent years have seen the exhibition featuring the league’s top stars becoming generally hated due to a lack of competition. Players shooting from deep and doing highlight dunks with minimal defense takes away the feel of a real basketball game.
Kevin Durant recently spoke about his feelings on the Unguarded Podcast and poked fun at former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry for being responsible:
“LeBron is locked in every All-Star Game. He’s not out there shooting from half court or shooting every shot left-handed. I’m blaming Steph. It’s Steph’s fault. He comes out there and shoots half-court, bro. I’m blaming him for the All-Star Game. I’m blaming Dame, too.”
Durant puts the blame on the three-point shooting and players taking half-court shots for the game losing its competitive edge. Curry and Damian Lillard used the game to hit their deepest possible three-pointers since defenses were giving them the space. Fans wanting a high level of entertainment also saw the live crowd noise encouraging them.
Is Kevin Durant Right About Criticism?
The biggest flaw in Durant’s belief that players shooting too much is the issue is that he fails to mention the dunks. Curry and Lillard being three-point specialists that shoot at the highest level provides logic for why they took those shots. Both men have reputations for hitting shots from nearly half-court during regular season games.
Various superstars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Edwards have used the All-Star Game to deliver exciting fastbreak dunks. Alley-oop passes start from the opening minutes to create a similar issue to the outside shooting. Players turn it into a glorified highlight show with zero substance to the game.
Durant being a more natural dunker than a half-court shooter makes him relate more to that side. However, his criticism isn’t fair to blame the shooters more for this issue. The outside shooting from that deep already presents a difficultly level, even if wide open. Dunkers getting a free lane with no opposing centers are far more egregious.
Does Kevin Durant Like 2026 Changes?
Durant made his opinion known months ago when first asked about the 2026 All-Star Game changes. Adam Silver announced a new initiative to have an international team compete against the United States players. The new system is a bit convoluted since both sides will need a minimum number of players to complicate the All-Star selections.
Previous comments from Durant saw him bluntly revealing that he “hates” the changes and feels like the NBA is risking ruining it further. However, the biggest argument for this shift is that international players often take pride in representing their countries more than their NBA success.
One side treating the game seriously will see everyone forced to compete at a higher level. Time will tell if it works, but Durant doesn’t have confidence in it sticking around long-term. Curry could have the chance to annoy Durant with more half-court shots if he plays enough to land an All-Star spot.