Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Team USA Stars shoots against Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Team USA Stripes during the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif. The new format made the exhibition better, but there is more that can be done. Ronald Martinez Getty Images
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Let’s face it: NBA All-Star weekend isn’t what it used to be. Or maybe some of us are way too nostalgic for how we remember it.
Either way, basketball fans have found themselves unhappy with what the annual collection of events has become -- a weekend more about entertainment than basketball that is no longer entertaining (even though Sunday’s games helped make up for the flatness of Saturday).
Complaints about everything from the cost of tickets to the lack of star power in marquee events like the dunk contest have rolled in year after year, and it is only getting worse with empty seats and low-energy crowds.
I’m one of the people who thinks the weekend needs an overhaul. To quote Mark Jackson, what happened to the game I love?
All-Star weekend should bring back the childlike enthusiasm of the players. Show us the love they have for their game.
Bring back real celebrities. Influencers are not celebrities, and we have too much access to them. The mystique of seeing the players -- both past and present -- was the allure. Another day of being flooded with social media stars is not what NBA All-Star weekend should be about. It should be a unique look behind the scenes of how the NBA’s best players interact with one another and their awe of the skill on display.
All-Star weekend should not be about just the league, but about basketball. There should be a clear line connecting the host city’s basketball identity to the NBA product. Each city has its own hoops culture and local legends. Inviting players and fans into their world would give host cities a stake in the success of the event.
There is also the NBA’s rich history. At a time when fans frequently compare,eras, paying homage to past players and bringing history forward could help young and new fans understand the way the game has evolved and appreciate what today’s players have to offer.
What would a reimagined NBA All-Star weekend look like? What events would bring back the shine to what should be a celebration of the sport and its elite players?
Replace the main game with a one-on-one tournament. Remove rising stars and include them in the tournament.
While not a new idea, a one-on-one tournament could infuse chaotic energy into something that has grown dry over the years. The East vs. West format is a classic, but switching to one-on-one could highlight those same rivalries. Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren, Pistons vs. Hornets, tapping into the competitive spirit of everyone involved and fans at home could yield fantastic results.
Adding the rising stars to the one-on-one tournament would keep the young players involved and give them a chance to go head-to-head with veteran players and showcase their talent to fans who may not know them yet. Not everyone keeps up with the rosters on a granular level. Fans often miss out on players on the rise. And the chance to beat a better-known star could accelerate the fame of the next generation.
Keep the 3-point and dunk contests. Add a shooting competition from halfcourt, and include WNBA players.
The 3-point contest is one of the more exciting competitions of the weekend, so it should absolutely stay. But let’s make it more fun. Adding a halfcourt shot and bringing back a shootout with WNBA players such as Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu in 2024 could increase the drama. And the shooting contest should always be the last event of the night, so fans leave with something exciting to discuss on the way home.
The dunk contest should also be expanded. Invite only the league’s best dunkers to the competition and incentivize creativity by adjusting the scoring scale. The dunk contest should be a who’s who of slam specialists. Guys ducking the contest out of fear of embarrassment should not be a thing. Get out there and show us what you’ve got. And if you fail, you will be remembered for putting on a show either way.
Move the NBA Cup final to All-Star weekend.
By merging the two events, the Cup final could become the Sunday night main game. Players get extended time off to help combat fatigue, and, with the cash prize for the in-season tournament, we’re guaranteed to get a highly competitive game with real stakes.
Even though the intent of the tournament was to increase interest in the season’s earlier months, moving it could solve the crunch of games and back-to-backs during that part of the schedule, allowing teams to be healthier for the playoffs with the longer break. It might also help alleviate teams sitting All-Stars in favor of rest and getting fined.
Show us more of the players. It needs to feel like the NBA has come to watch its best.
The point of the weekend is to see the players, the best players -- the stars of today and tomorrow. Right now, some players just want the time off, and that is understandable considering their schedules. But an All-Star Game coming to an NBA city means some families get an opportunity to see them for possibly the first time.
Why don’t players seem interested? How does the NBA raise the stakes and shake things up? This is an extreme suggestion, but what if draft odds or salary-cap space were affected by participating? Yes, I’m aware this is ridiculous, but maybe starting with the absurd can help us work our way into a solution somewhere in the middle.
If we’re going to keep the celebrity game, extend the invitation to more stars and fewer influencers. Maybe add a concert.
Social media has grown from a tool for sharing ideas and chatting with friends and strangers around the world into a full-blown self-marketing tool. Along with that, the term “influencer” has become synonymous with celebrity, and there is seemingly no difference between them and someone with a career in entertainment. They are everywhere -- commercials, movies and the celebrity game. The problem is not that they are there. It’s that by including so many, there is a risk of people who are not chronically online not knowing who they are.
MTV used to have an event called “Rock n’ Jock” where well-known stars of the time participated in sporting events. It was amazing. The celebrities took the events seriously, but there was also a level of fun to the competition.
Seeing what Jay-Z, Roc Nation and Apple Music have done with the Super Bowl halftime show has changed how we view the possibilities of not only performers, but whom we want to see. Gen Z has its own stars, but, year after year, performers at NBA events are people who have been at it for decades. Reaching a younger audience means tapping into whom they love and what they are into. As the NBA gets younger and younger, so should the entertainment.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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