This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend was supposed to be redemptive. The past few years have been filled with criticism and disappointment regarding the once-esteemed All-Star Weekend, and the NBA has been trying to reconcile with its fan base by making slight changes each year in hopes of a better reaction. These changes may seem legit and exciting in their inception, but when these changes are announced and implemented, fans are left to cringe, complain, and simply be confused. So what’s the fix? Leading up to the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, the NBA believed it was time for a major change.
This change would come in the main event, the All-Star Game itself. In 2018, the NBA made a big risk straying from the traditional east vs. west format, switching to two team captains drafting their own teams. This format was a novelty and it was popular and interesting for a year or two, but it just didn’t last.
Fast forward to 2024, this format was not working and just didn’t provide incentive for the players or the fans to create a good product. So, with the 2025 All-Star Game approaching, the NBA announced a very different format. This time, a four-team tournament featuring squads drafted by Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith and a fourth team made up of the winning team from Friday’s Rising Stars tournament. People believed this would make the game more competitive, providing incentive for players, especially the rising stars, to give some effort to get the championship.
However, the 2025 All-Star Game was, despite the NBA’s best efforts, just another disappointment. Though unique and interesting in theory, the four-team format proved to be a logistical nightmare and a borefest. The games were short, uncompetitive, and stagnant, leading to sloppy play and lack of engagement from both the players and the audience. Instead of an entertaining, competitive event, fans were subjected to a glorified scrimmage with minimal defense and barely any memorable moments.
What added fuel to the dumpster fire was the awkward implementation of the tournament structure itself. Fans were left watching more commercials and awkward Kevin Hart moments than actual basketball, killing any momentum the event tried to build and leaving fans and analysts questioning the All-Star Game in general. According to Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic, the three-hour broadcast only featured 34 minutes of actual basketball. Ratings took a hit with many fans tuning out before the championship even started, instead taking to social media which was flooded with complaints, memes, and calls for the NBA to scrap the concept altogether.
In addition, the All-Star Game was even being trashed by NBA players themselves, most notably Draymond Green, a 4-time NBA champion, 4-time NBA All-Star, and 1-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner. As an outspoken guy, Green bashed the NBA for what he believed should have been what was advertised; an All-Star Game. Fans tune in to see the best of the best, and what they got was young rising stars and a limited display of the superstars. He says, “All so we can watch some rising stars. We about to watch the Olympic team, now we get the treat of watching the Olympic team play against a U-19 team. Come on, what are we doing? This is ridiculous.” His remarks came with their own backlash, with former NBA stars like Charles Barkley and Oscar Robertson making their own claim that the All-Star Game’s downfall is the fault of Green and his generation. Bottom line is, the NBA has a problem.
So what’s the answer?
Fans and players have varying opinions on the solution to the NBA All-Star problem. Some believe the NBA should return to the traditional East vs. West format, restoring the natural rivalries and pride that once made the game competitive. Others suggest adding larger incentives, such as home-court advantage in the NBA Finals or a hefty cash prize to the charity of the winners choice. Some even argue that the league should scrap the game entirely and prioritize smaller events like the Dunk Contest and 3-point Contest, while also adding a 3v3 tournament or 1v1 tournament. Regardless of the solution, one thing is certain–the NBA needs to make drastic changes if it wants to reclaim the All-Star Game’s former glory. Until then, fans will continue to see the event as nothing more than an overhyped exhibition, rather than an exhilarating showcase of the league’s best at their highest level.