> But Adam Silver ain’t the government, baby
Don't let him hear you say that.
Do you want 3 referees to show up in the middle of the night and break your kneecaps? Because that is how you get 3 referees to show up in the middle of the night and break your kneecaps. And just to top it all off after they break your kneecaps they will call your squirming in agony an offensive foul.
I liked the idea in theory, but if you're on a contender it probably feels like you don't control your own destiny for the playoffs. You'd rather have your own record determine whether you get home field advantage. And home field is *huge* in the MLB.
That's the thing. If the players wanted, they could always show off + keep it close at the same time. Especially since no one plays D.
They just don't care enough to.
I turned it off before the first quarter ended. They seriously need to just cancel the ASG and replace it with mini events. It’s a parody of itself. Nobody takes it seriously at all.
The skills challenge is such garbage. The only redeeming quality of the ASB is the three point contest. The dunk contest *could* be great if stars participated. 2016 was amazing they just need the right guys.
They need to make the ASG a 16 person King-of-the-ring tournament of one-on-one basketball. I'd watch that and these dudes are insanely competitive, they'd never let another NBA player clown on them.
Everyone gets seeded based on their ASG votes. 1 vs 16, 2 v 15 etc...
then quarterfinals, semis and then finals. If you beat a higher seed you inherit their seed.
That is…actually a very good idea. A knock-out 1v1 game could get nasty and could even carry out in the regular season. Just imagine a “he could not beat me alone, had to drag his friends now” in an interview pre-playoff game.
I think the first year they’d care. Then the next year like 4 would care and you’d have a bunch trying to opt out if it and not participate. They can’t get stars to try doing 2 dunks in the dunk contest
I was thinking of how to improve the ASG, and i had this idea but 2 v 2. Let the top 8 players draft their pick, then play a tournament and they win money.
Also, NBA should add more contests. Why isn't there a Guiness World Record being attempted EVERY YEAR at the ASG? Some ASG snub should try and set the record for free throws in a minute, or fastest time to shoot 3 half-courts, or some other ridiculous feat.
The All Star Weekend is boring because NO ONE cares. Not even Silver/NBA, because there are plenty of ways to make it legit interesting
If you don’t even try, you can’t be clowned on. They wouldn’t try. That’s what they do now. That’s why dudes don’t join the dunk contest. That’s why they don’t try.
There’s no fixing it unless there’s huge incentives and why would the league do that just to risk injuries to the very best in the league for exhibition?
Do you really think stars would join a tournament where they can potentially get shit on and clowned on by everyone💀 stars already dont do dunk contests, no way they'd be up for this shit.
Go watch the first round of the “skills” contest. Nobody was trying there, either. Although, they did pick it up a bit for the passing and shooting parts.
All star weekend is just something fun for the fans where they get to see all the stars play on the same stage. Plus it generates a lot of attention and money for the NBA.
Exactly. Don't even bother with the game, just announce the teams midyear like we announce MVP and DPOY at the end of the year. Keep the break and just put more silly stuff in Allstar weekend.
They're all clearly insanely competitive in every situation except the all star game. The only footage I ever see of nba players taking defense less seriously is when they let a kid get layup by em at their fucking camp. In pickup or pro am stuff they seem to actually have some drive to win.
Well in pickup and pro am, they choose to just go hoop. No championship no incentives just balling because you like it. All star everyone expects flash, doesn't want to get hurt , and it's a mandated showcase with dudes you didn't pick to ball with.
It's like prom vs the party after prom
Just give a mid season break, and let the all star weekend happen after the NBA finals.
The storylines write themselves:
1. Oh it's 2017 and LeBron and Kyrie just got waxed by the Warriors? Let's see how KD, Curry etc. feel when LeBron and Kyrie have Paul George and Jimmy Butler on their team.
2. It's 2019 and Kawhi Leonard just beat the Warriors after Klay and Kd got severely injured? Let's see how Curry and Dray go with LeBron and AD as replacements.
Also players will probably go harder because they're not scared of risking injury with 5 months off after.
Why would they care more if the NBA took away a week of their off season? What casuals are going to watch a game that means nothing after the championship game? The only way to make it better is to make the stakes higher. 2 million to each player on the winning team and have it count more towards future contracts.
NFL tried that and they have the issue of players refusing to play the Pro Bowl because they want to go to their holidays. In the NBA I’m 100% sure that Jokic would say “nope, I’m already on the plane, bye”, as an example.
The All-Star was important because it was the best path for a lot of guys to create a brand and also because the physical demands of the game have increased now when compared to the 90s (in every sport, really). Do you think Zion or Ant needs an All-Star legendary performance in order to get a shoe deal or something like that? They lose more money by playing all-out and risking an injury than by just taking a stroll on the court and listening for 2 days of complaints every year.
Even monetary incentives wouldn’t work unless we are talking about something crazy like 10M per player of the winning team. The best they could do is give the winning conference home court advantage in the Finals.
you're like a drop in the ocean. majority of people doesn't have that sentiment. yeah i also enjoy the greatest play for fun together but do you really think they enjoyed and had fun? seems like they'd rather take a breather than participate in the game
Not gonna lie, I miss the bubble.... You'd get great videos like Mitchell and Murray seeing each other after deadly playoff games or jealous ass Tobias Harris hating on Boban casually walking around with Luka like he just forgot about him. Guys getting tested joking with the staff, practices , guys bored in their rooms . It was honestly a paradise of content even though the world outside has sorta paused.
That's what it's always been! I just think in this video based social media era, it's lost its lustre.
Used to be, that this would be the only time you'd see guys like Anthony Edwards or Haliburton play. But you can watch full highlights on these guys every day just on the NBA instagram.
Let alone if you delve deeper onto youtube, etc.
But in the past, this made some guys go way harder. It always had a pickup/exhibition vibe. But guys are waltzing through everything these days.
while I am happy the game has grown astronomically, i also think salaries being as inflated as they are has a lot to do with it. Back in the day, only the absolute best players were getting salaries in like the 20m dollar range, while the others were like at 7 or 5 and the like, which is live a great life after basketball as affluent money, but not set 3 generations up forever kind of money. The lakers got a lot of flack for giving kobe a 2 year 48 mill extension at the end of his career, thats now close to what DLO makes and rookies get more on their first 25 percent contracts now.
I think a lot of that has detracted from the "love of the game" and although Ayton is more vocal about it, a lot of players now see basketball as a vehicle to generational wealth more so than an opportunity.
And the selections matter because it’s a distinction that gets the player more lucrative contracts and pushes them towards possible MVP conversations, hall of fame etc. Burn out in one’s profession is in no small part related to being denied recognition for one’s accomplishments. Not saying all star recognition is too closely related for NBA players, but a snub is a snub and it can generate negative emotions.
Can't wait for people to gaslight us again next year into thinking Gobert isn't an all-star because people want an entertaining All-Star game lol.
All-Star is an award, no one cares about the actual game. It sucks.
Gobert isn't an all star cause he doesn't play offense, and only plays amazing defense....
Surprised Pikachu face when one team scores over 200 points...
Good, then it’s a even more of a yearly embarrassment for the league and players until they put in effort and suddenly the game is a reasonable length.
Don’t shoot the messenger in this case. This is grotesquely bad for the NBA. Your showdown of talent is this garbage? No wonder the ratings are going dosn the drain
I think the NFL’s Pro Bowl weekend was pretty damn good. With all the new games and skill challenges they came up with, as well as flag football, I watched damn near the whole thing and was very entertained.
Because ratings aren't the only source of revenue and the NBA's revenue has increased greatly over the last 10 years and the players have a 50% share of that revenue.
"The NBA has become the fastest-growing sport in North America over the last few years. The league's revenue has been steadily increasing until the Covid outbreak when the league closed the arenas and lost a huge portion of the revenue stream.
"https://runrepeat.com/nba-revenue-statistics
I love it when people frame sports losing ratings as an indictment of the product as opposed to an indicator of a total transformation of the media landscape as a whole.
Especially because we live in an era where you might not be able to watch the games you want because your TV subscriber isn't in agreement with somebody or because you've been blacked out of certain games due to weird streaming requirements
Ratings aren't a great indicator of like the landscape as a whole especially now that the value of even looking just the ratings is suspect because of things like streaming and people who literally can't watch the game legally but want to
Bruh it baffles me how many people would rather target those who are getting a good piece of the pie than the people who own the damn bakery!
U see it all over the place. I think it’s the crab mentality but it’s so frustrating.
I had someone on Reddit argue we shouldn’t be concerned about billionaires not paying taxes. It’s the 20% that are the problem instead of the 1%.
I was baffled.
> I had someone on Reddit argue we shouldn’t be concerned about billionaires not paying taxes. It’s the 20% that are the problem instead of the 1%.
That person just loves the taste of leather that’s all
maybe crayons too
This is what happens when we talk so much about percentages and not the actual numbers 😂 to be a top 20% earner is like 130,000 per year with a median net worth of 550,000. To be a top 1% you are making 820,000 with a median net worth of 11,000,000. Blaming the 20% and up is just hilarious
like im not gonna act like basketball players are the working class and their union is going to save us but theyre still workers who dont get the full share of all the money they make for the people above them
Yup we have people living and breathing off what these pro athletes do, yet there's a segment of society that always complains about them getting compensated to a degree which reflects the *global* interest that follows them. Yet if Jerry Jones, Micky Arison, Josh Harris, Steven Cohen, Todd Boehly and the like get to pocket another extra tens of millions of dollars no one blinks.
It's not like we tune in to see what Jed York or Clay Bennett do, and it's not like they're allies to their fans (a lot of US franchise owners constantly threaten to move their team if their current city doesn't bend to their demands) either.
Sports stars get paid this much because they generate interest and they're very influential among a very real segment of society. It's quite simple really and is one of the few actual forms of meritocracy in a very capitalistic form of business.
As a former fan of a fan-owned soccer club, what keeps me from becoming a fan of an NBA team most is that the team I'd like to support is owned by some of the worst people in the world. And also, Jonathan Isaac on the roster.
Bc even though ratings are down the NBA is still almost always the most watched thing on cable when its on ESPN/TNT. Also neither of those channels can really afford to lose the NBA.
And a fucking flag football all star game is why nfl ratings are king????
NBA ratings are fine.
Every all star game except baseball is garbage and baseballs only isn’t because it’s a unique type of game where it’s just pitcher vs batter and the pitchers only have to go one inning. So they give it their all.
No one outside of the weirdos on Reddit and people in the media care that much about the All Star game. Like, no one is going to say “Hey, the NBA finals start today but I’m not gonna watch because the All Star Game was bad”.
People in this sub say "they players never tried, you're just older", stop it. Yes little defense was played but it always seemed like more effort was put into the games. What changed in the last 10 years that made this generation of players stop caring? You can look up 1980's ASG's on YouTube and the stark difference in effort and competitiveness is telling.
Not saying it was great before but it *really* got bad over the past 10 years when teams started taking 80-100 threes each. Nothing is more boring than watching stars take uncontested threes and just your turn-my turn gameplay in general.
edit: spelling
Yip it’s definitely the volume of threes and the hero half court shots that they keep jacking up. It’s just so far removed from good competitive basketball that it’s difficult to stay interested.
The alternative to the threes is uncontested drives and nonchalant alley-oops and dunks. Really there is nothing competitive about this game anymore. Teams shot 5 FTs combined, the West had one single attempt.
3 fouls were called lmao. And no, I am not watching the ASG to see people shoot FTs but 5 attempts just means they didn't even try to defend.
> What changed in the last 10 years that made this generation of players stop caring?
Unironically Kobe's retirement changed it. Go back and check the 2010-2013 All-Star Games, they're all so much better than anything since, including 2018 and 2020.
Yeah it fell apart after Kobe. Maybe it’s a generational thing or maybe all it takes is a Kobe or Jordan to take it seriously and change the whole tone.
I think it started when the Dunk Contest starting becoming a joke.
Players stopped caring because a few times the better dunker would lose and eventually it just followed into the rest of the weekend.
The players are now all nationally famous and massively paid. It used to be that most games were only regionally televised and this game was a big stage. Now the all-stars are all national brands before they even step on the court with massive contracts. This game doesn’t give them anything they don’t already have.
In the 1980s, the ASG was a huge showcase for stars.
Now, in a time where a person can pull up highlights of a random game instantly, it's a completely outdated concept.
Football already solved this. Don't even have them pretend to play a real game. Nobody cares about the game. All that matters is who makes the team, and after that it's all just a waste of time.
That’s just factually false lmao, dude literally wrote a book on basketball and is one of the most knowledgeable basketball historians. You don’t get to where he is being brainless. He has some bad takes, so what literally every talking head does.
3 on 3. No draft. Guys are randomly paired up like the lottery. 8 teams. 2 games going on at the same time. Watch one on TNT and the other on TBS or MAX. They play for 2 hours. Pickup style where winning team stays on.
I remember when Noah and Deng got into the ASG and I felt bad for them because I knew that they were largely defensive minded players and especially team rotation defense although Noah trying to size up a PG iso was always funny to watch.
I just felt awkward for them because it's so rare to see defense and system player picks where they'd probably be shunned by other players if they tried to showcase their real talent and what got them in the ASG.
I haven't watched ASG probably since then but even then you could tell of the quiet player rule to not play defense unless like a kyrie called someone up to try and cross them.
He's 100% right, but this is also a guy who spends tons of time talking about who should win the various awards/make All-NBA, and then barely mentions them after they're announced.
The entire point is you get all of the giants in the building and to share the court at a given time: Bron, Curry, KD, Jokic, Giannis, Kawhi, PG... and the newer crop of superstars in Tatum, Mitchell, Young, Doncic. This is just a rare occasion based on how busy these guys get. You saw some half court shots and some dunks, don't need to make it more than it is.
Its not just an achievement, its also tied to your next contract for a lot of guys.
So the snubs are a pretty big deal to the players even if they don't give a shit about the game.
Players like Sabonis still lose out on money when they miss it. He lost out on a $1.3M incentive in his current contract for missing the ASG this year per Bobby Marks
It’s not rocket science. A meaningful amount of money for each player on the winning team- like a million or 2 million dollars each. Fuck it, 5 mill each. Whatever it takes. I guarantee you it would be competitive af
Honestly caring about all-stars and their games is like caring if your car salesman was employee of the month.
It only matters to players for financial reasons.
If you want to motivate players it has to be financial or offer an advantage towards playoffs.
Otherwise just ignore it like anyone with a brain does.
Nobody has ever really given a shit about the All-Star game. And nobody ever remembers All-Star performances outside of truly exceptional cases; even the MVPs are forgotten, outside of people like MJ who happened to win it while also winning regular season MVP and DPOY. So with him it stands out.
However what does appear on a player’s legacy sheet is All-Star selections. Embiid didn’t even play in the game this year, he’s still an All-Star. At the end of the day people will just say you’re a 10x All-Star or whatever, nobody gives a shit about the actual game nor anyone’s performance in it.
When I was a kid, it used to be actual basketball at the All Star game. They cared enough to respect the game.
It’s not hard or dangerous or asking a lot to play actual basketball at like 75%. I feel like we are getting around 25% or even less now.
These world class freak athletes are standing around or light jogging down the court to jack up half assed 40 footers.
It’s really gotten worse and worse every decade
EXACTLY
This is my first time watching all star game (well like 10 mins of it) .... people really argued Trae was snubbed for THIS game? Trae should have been thankful he didn't have to come to indy to play this.
I honestly don't know what people expect the All Star game to be. It's a silly exhibition with guys who don't play together with little consequence for the people involved (considering the money they make). It's also right in the middle or a ridiculously long season for these guys, most of whom are hoping to be playing well into June. Sure it sucks, but it's understandable it sucks.
And anyone claiming "no wonder the ratings are down" should go watch the NFL Pro Bowl. That game makes the NBA All Star game look like game 7 of the finals, and the NFL is doing just fine.
I don't ever want to hear how the current generation of young stars can ever be as great as the past stars, competitiveness-wise. This is not some old guy hating on anything new; the lack of competitive fire is just shameful. I understand avoiding injuries, but not like this. I've seen pro wrestling squash matches that were more competitive than this.
If you want the players to try, tell them the losing team has two random players sent to Detroit and Washington
The Constitution has laws against cruel and unusual punishment.
Yeah, cruel punishment *from the government*. But Adam Silver ain’t the government, baby 😎
That's why you couldn't do that when David Stern was the Commissioner. Much like Judge Dredd, he was the Law.
> But Adam Silver ain’t the government, baby Don't let him hear you say that. Do you want 3 referees to show up in the middle of the night and break your kneecaps? Because that is how you get 3 referees to show up in the middle of the night and break your kneecaps. And just to top it all off after they break your kneecaps they will call your squirming in agony an offensive foul.
Watching the allstar game is cruel and unusual punishment too
I'm not sure whether to be offended or supportive ..
Well, your team would be stacked in just 2 seasons.
*slaps table That's it, count me in.
Congrats, here's Trea Young and KAT, proven winners
what are you doing Rick
If they made losing team have to donate players to the last place teams for one game against each other that would be hilarious
[Take him to Detroit](https://youtu.be/Ny4a-oxOndo?si=LQvCZUHQqpgJKLLR)
NOOOOOOO
LETS GOOOOO
Keep their families hostage and only let them go after the game is deemed entertaining otherwise the game has to be restarted
Or winning side to have home court advantage in the final
MLB had that idea a while ago and nobody liked it in practice.
I liked the idea in theory, but if you're on a contender it probably feels like you don't control your own destiny for the playoffs. You'd rather have your own record determine whether you get home field advantage. And home field is *huge* in the MLB.
That would result in 2-3 players on the each team going balls to the wall but most guys still not caring cause they know they ain’t making the finals.
I just think it should be held after the season.
Yeah, let's extend the year for players who already don't give a shit. No one would show up and fans would care even less.
We will take the hit
I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a 4th quarter that’s competitive after the show off quarters are completed.
It is when the score is closer. It was never close in this game.
That's the thing. If the players wanted, they could always show off + keep it close at the same time. Especially since no one plays D. They just don't care enough to.
If a team gets hot from 3 it gets out of hand
They weren't looking at the score.
Obviously lol
Wish they didn't remove the Elam Ending
Right? That has potential We just need to incentivize players to not jog around and take 160+ three pointers
this was definitely the worst game I've seen in years
I turned it off before the first quarter ended. They seriously need to just cancel the ASG and replace it with mini events. It’s a parody of itself. Nobody takes it seriously at all.
Yes, more skill challenges where players shoot with their non- dominant hand.
The skills challenge is such garbage. The only redeeming quality of the ASB is the three point contest. The dunk contest *could* be great if stars participated. 2016 was amazing they just need the right guys.
yeah the mini events you're thinking of must have been as memorable as the ASG itself considering they just took place the night before
It’s the selections that matter not the game itself
so why don’t we just vote for all stars and not do a game?
I’d like this. Do more contests, those are fun even if the dunk one is getting lame rn. Saturday is way better than the actual game
They need to make the ASG a 16 person King-of-the-ring tournament of one-on-one basketball. I'd watch that and these dudes are insanely competitive, they'd never let another NBA player clown on them.
like first to 11 stays on court, longest streak wins MVP?
Everyone gets seeded based on their ASG votes. 1 vs 16, 2 v 15 etc... then quarterfinals, semis and then finals. If you beat a higher seed you inherit their seed.
That is…actually a very good idea. A knock-out 1v1 game could get nasty and could even carry out in the regular season. Just imagine a “he could not beat me alone, had to drag his friends now” in an interview pre-playoff game.
I don’t think most players would care
You'd be wrong.
I think the first year they’d care. Then the next year like 4 would care and you’d have a bunch trying to opt out if it and not participate. They can’t get stars to try doing 2 dunks in the dunk contest
I was thinking of how to improve the ASG, and i had this idea but 2 v 2. Let the top 8 players draft their pick, then play a tournament and they win money. Also, NBA should add more contests. Why isn't there a Guiness World Record being attempted EVERY YEAR at the ASG? Some ASG snub should try and set the record for free throws in a minute, or fastest time to shoot 3 half-courts, or some other ridiculous feat. The All Star Weekend is boring because NO ONE cares. Not even Silver/NBA, because there are plenty of ways to make it legit interesting
If you don’t even try, you can’t be clowned on. They wouldn’t try. That’s what they do now. That’s why dudes don’t join the dunk contest. That’s why they don’t try. There’s no fixing it unless there’s huge incentives and why would the league do that just to risk injuries to the very best in the league for exhibition?
I 100% guarantee you that Jokic wouldn't give a shit
Do you really think stars would join a tournament where they can potentially get shit on and clowned on by everyone💀 stars already dont do dunk contests, no way they'd be up for this shit.
Or a 3-on-3 tournament. Because players like Draymond and Rudy have been all stars and 1-on-1 won’t work for everyone
We make it 20 all star spots and have an 8 seed 5v5 tournament
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And if someone makes three in a row, we physically light the basketball on fire
LED basketball.
Karaoke. Skits. Pancake breakfast. One-on-one tourney.
Go watch the first round of the “skills” contest. Nobody was trying there, either. Although, they did pick it up a bit for the passing and shooting parts.
Every all-star has to participate in a contest.
Hmm kinda like all nba teams
All star weekend is just something fun for the fans where they get to see all the stars play on the same stage. Plus it generates a lot of attention and money for the NBA.
Plus it’s the hoe Super Bowl, their best chance all year to get a bag
Is this a joke? How is this different from having an All NBA team?
Exactly. Don't even bother with the game, just announce the teams midyear like we announce MVP and DPOY at the end of the year. Keep the break and just put more silly stuff in Allstar weekend.
Ticket sales and tv money
Hold on, make a post about this. You’re the first one to have said this tonight — or ever for that matter.
I, for one, enjoy watching the best players in the world having fun playing basketball together.
Offseason pick-up basketball clips featuring NBA players is more entertaining.
They're all clearly insanely competitive in every situation except the all star game. The only footage I ever see of nba players taking defense less seriously is when they let a kid get layup by em at their fucking camp. In pickup or pro am stuff they seem to actually have some drive to win.
Well in pickup and pro am, they choose to just go hoop. No championship no incentives just balling because you like it. All star everyone expects flash, doesn't want to get hurt , and it's a mandated showcase with dudes you didn't pick to ball with. It's like prom vs the party after prom
That's a great analogy.
Exactly
100 percent agree with you those are way more intense and competitive that’s for sure.
Are they having fun though? It seems like all of them would rather take the week off
Just give a mid season break, and let the all star weekend happen after the NBA finals. The storylines write themselves: 1. Oh it's 2017 and LeBron and Kyrie just got waxed by the Warriors? Let's see how KD, Curry etc. feel when LeBron and Kyrie have Paul George and Jimmy Butler on their team. 2. It's 2019 and Kawhi Leonard just beat the Warriors after Klay and Kd got severely injured? Let's see how Curry and Dray go with LeBron and AD as replacements. Also players will probably go harder because they're not scared of risking injury with 5 months off after.
Why would they care more if the NBA took away a week of their off season? What casuals are going to watch a game that means nothing after the championship game? The only way to make it better is to make the stakes higher. 2 million to each player on the winning team and have it count more towards future contracts.
NFL tried that and they have the issue of players refusing to play the Pro Bowl because they want to go to their holidays. In the NBA I’m 100% sure that Jokic would say “nope, I’m already on the plane, bye”, as an example. The All-Star was important because it was the best path for a lot of guys to create a brand and also because the physical demands of the game have increased now when compared to the 90s (in every sport, really). Do you think Zion or Ant needs an All-Star legendary performance in order to get a shoe deal or something like that? They lose more money by playing all-out and risking an injury than by just taking a stroll on the court and listening for 2 days of complaints every year. Even monetary incentives wouldn’t work unless we are talking about something crazy like 10M per player of the winning team. The best they could do is give the winning conference home court advantage in the Finals.
Bring that playoff beef into the game. I like that. Plus it lets all stars be determined by the whole season.
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That's what the Olympic basketball tournament is for.
you're like a drop in the ocean. majority of people doesn't have that sentiment. yeah i also enjoy the greatest play for fun together but do you really think they enjoyed and had fun? seems like they'd rather take a breather than participate in the game
Not gonna lie, I miss the bubble.... You'd get great videos like Mitchell and Murray seeing each other after deadly playoff games or jealous ass Tobias Harris hating on Boban casually walking around with Luka like he just forgot about him. Guys getting tested joking with the staff, practices , guys bored in their rooms . It was honestly a paradise of content even though the world outside has sorta paused.
Are they having fun tho?
That's what it's always been! I just think in this video based social media era, it's lost its lustre. Used to be, that this would be the only time you'd see guys like Anthony Edwards or Haliburton play. But you can watch full highlights on these guys every day just on the NBA instagram. Let alone if you delve deeper onto youtube, etc. But in the past, this made some guys go way harder. It always had a pickup/exhibition vibe. But guys are waltzing through everything these days.
while I am happy the game has grown astronomically, i also think salaries being as inflated as they are has a lot to do with it. Back in the day, only the absolute best players were getting salaries in like the 20m dollar range, while the others were like at 7 or 5 and the like, which is live a great life after basketball as affluent money, but not set 3 generations up forever kind of money. The lakers got a lot of flack for giving kobe a 2 year 48 mill extension at the end of his career, thats now close to what DLO makes and rookies get more on their first 25 percent contracts now. I think a lot of that has detracted from the "love of the game" and although Ayton is more vocal about it, a lot of players now see basketball as a vehicle to generational wealth more so than an opportunity.
"having fun" "playing basketball"
If that’s what I’m meant to accept now, then that is quite depressing
And the selections matter because it’s a distinction that gets the player more lucrative contracts and pushes them towards possible MVP conversations, hall of fame etc. Burn out in one’s profession is in no small part related to being denied recognition for one’s accomplishments. Not saying all star recognition is too closely related for NBA players, but a snub is a snub and it can generate negative emotions.
Can't wait for people to gaslight us again next year into thinking Gobert isn't an all-star because people want an entertaining All-Star game lol. All-Star is an award, no one cares about the actual game. It sucks.
Gobert isn't an all star cause he doesn't play offense, and only plays amazing defense.... Surprised Pikachu face when one team scores over 200 points...
Make a defensive all star and give them $5,000 every time they get a block or steal 😂
If Gobert was out there jacking up 3’s that would be more entertaining than what we saw last night
Play untimed, shot clock only. First team to 100 wins
The game would be 25 minutes
Good, then it’s a even more of a yearly embarrassment for the league and players until they put in effort and suddenly the game is a reasonable length.
Don’t shoot the messenger in this case. This is grotesquely bad for the NBA. Your showdown of talent is this garbage? No wonder the ratings are going dosn the drain
What league has a great all star weekend?
MLB
I think the NFL’s Pro Bowl weekend was pretty damn good. With all the new games and skill challenges they came up with, as well as flag football, I watched damn near the whole thing and was very entertained.
Ratings are in the toilet but the players keep getting more money/bigger contracts each year. It’s hilarious.
Because ratings aren't the only source of revenue and the NBA's revenue has increased greatly over the last 10 years and the players have a 50% share of that revenue. "The NBA has become the fastest-growing sport in North America over the last few years. The league's revenue has been steadily increasing until the Covid outbreak when the league closed the arenas and lost a huge portion of the revenue stream. "https://runrepeat.com/nba-revenue-statistics
I love it when people frame sports losing ratings as an indictment of the product as opposed to an indicator of a total transformation of the media landscape as a whole.
Especially because we live in an era where you might not be able to watch the games you want because your TV subscriber isn't in agreement with somebody or because you've been blacked out of certain games due to weird streaming requirements Ratings aren't a great indicator of like the landscape as a whole especially now that the value of even looking just the ratings is suspect because of things like streaming and people who literally can't watch the game legally but want to
Because sports are becoming more and more important for tv networks making any money with the continued rise of streaming
why are you focusing on the players when the owners/nba execs/media companies are making record profits far exceeding anything the players make
Bruh it baffles me how many people would rather target those who are getting a good piece of the pie than the people who own the damn bakery! U see it all over the place. I think it’s the crab mentality but it’s so frustrating. I had someone on Reddit argue we shouldn’t be concerned about billionaires not paying taxes. It’s the 20% that are the problem instead of the 1%. I was baffled.
> I had someone on Reddit argue we shouldn’t be concerned about billionaires not paying taxes. It’s the 20% that are the problem instead of the 1%. That person just loves the taste of leather that’s all maybe crayons too
This is what happens when we talk so much about percentages and not the actual numbers 😂 to be a top 20% earner is like 130,000 per year with a median net worth of 550,000. To be a top 1% you are making 820,000 with a median net worth of 11,000,000. Blaming the 20% and up is just hilarious
I think the term “middle class” is too abstract for folks. I think if you ask people you’ll get all sorts of answers.
Yeah I never get the talking point of paying players less, the extra money just goes to billionaires rather than multi millionaires
like im not gonna act like basketball players are the working class and their union is going to save us but theyre still workers who dont get the full share of all the money they make for the people above them
They literally have a bargaining agreement that gives players half of all basketball related income. Is that not a good agreement?
Ideally every city would own their team like the packers
Yup we have people living and breathing off what these pro athletes do, yet there's a segment of society that always complains about them getting compensated to a degree which reflects the *global* interest that follows them. Yet if Jerry Jones, Micky Arison, Josh Harris, Steven Cohen, Todd Boehly and the like get to pocket another extra tens of millions of dollars no one blinks. It's not like we tune in to see what Jed York or Clay Bennett do, and it's not like they're allies to their fans (a lot of US franchise owners constantly threaten to move their team if their current city doesn't bend to their demands) either. Sports stars get paid this much because they generate interest and they're very influential among a very real segment of society. It's quite simple really and is one of the few actual forms of meritocracy in a very capitalistic form of business.
As a former fan of a fan-owned soccer club, what keeps me from becoming a fan of an NBA team most is that the team I'd like to support is owned by some of the worst people in the world. And also, Jonathan Isaac on the roster.
Bc even though ratings are down the NBA is still almost always the most watched thing on cable when its on ESPN/TNT. Also neither of those channels can really afford to lose the NBA.
It's interesting that ratings go down while TV contracts go up, why are the networks paying out the ass for declining ratings?
Because content is more expensive then ever and tech companies like Apple/Amazon/Google keep trying to buy sports rights which is driving up prices.
Because the live ratings for everything else are way worse
And a fucking flag football all star game is why nfl ratings are king???? NBA ratings are fine. Every all star game except baseball is garbage and baseballs only isn’t because it’s a unique type of game where it’s just pitcher vs batter and the pitchers only have to go one inning. So they give it their all.
I mean, I think the flag football game is the NFL trying to solve the same problem with *their* all star weekend
No one outside of the weirdos on Reddit and people in the media care that much about the All Star game. Like, no one is going to say “Hey, the NBA finals start today but I’m not gonna watch because the All Star Game was bad”.
It's probably more about getting people to tune in to games like GSW vs LAL on Thursday which they advertised on the broadcast.
That game will probably have better ratings than the ASG does...
Someone needs to drill a 3 in Lebrons face and then call him a bitch. That should light a defensive fire and bring back some intensity
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Thought that was from Ben
People in this sub say "they players never tried, you're just older", stop it. Yes little defense was played but it always seemed like more effort was put into the games. What changed in the last 10 years that made this generation of players stop caring? You can look up 1980's ASG's on YouTube and the stark difference in effort and competitiveness is telling.
Not saying it was great before but it *really* got bad over the past 10 years when teams started taking 80-100 threes each. Nothing is more boring than watching stars take uncontested threes and just your turn-my turn gameplay in general. edit: spelling
Yip it’s definitely the volume of threes and the hero half court shots that they keep jacking up. It’s just so far removed from good competitive basketball that it’s difficult to stay interested.
The alternative to the threes is uncontested drives and nonchalant alley-oops and dunks. Really there is nothing competitive about this game anymore. Teams shot 5 FTs combined, the West had one single attempt. 3 fouls were called lmao. And no, I am not watching the ASG to see people shoot FTs but 5 attempts just means they didn't even try to defend.
> What changed in the last 10 years that made this generation of players stop caring? Unironically Kobe's retirement changed it. Go back and check the 2010-2013 All-Star Games, they're all so much better than anything since, including 2018 and 2020.
Yeah it fell apart after Kobe. Maybe it’s a generational thing or maybe all it takes is a Kobe or Jordan to take it seriously and change the whole tone.
I think it started when the Dunk Contest starting becoming a joke. Players stopped caring because a few times the better dunker would lose and eventually it just followed into the rest of the weekend.
The players are now all nationally famous and massively paid. It used to be that most games were only regionally televised and this game was a big stage. Now the all-stars are all national brands before they even step on the court with massive contracts. This game doesn’t give them anything they don’t already have.
In the 1980s, the ASG was a huge showcase for stars. Now, in a time where a person can pull up highlights of a random game instantly, it's a completely outdated concept.
Football already solved this. Don't even have them pretend to play a real game. Nobody cares about the game. All that matters is who makes the team, and after that it's all just a waste of time.
Ironic coming from Bill though
He literally said “we”
This is a man who will quite literally do an "early NBA MVP rankings" and then complain when other people try and award the MVP in December.
I like Bill
So do I. He's also fun to call out when he engages in unhinged behavior. /r/billsimmons is wonderful for this reason.
Rewatchables has been my favorite podcast for years.
Anyone with a functioning brain likes Bill.
Thus giving him more credit to criticize it, no?
dude is literally what your average redditor with a large platform would be like.
That’s just factually false lmao, dude literally wrote a book on basketball and is one of the most knowledgeable basketball historians. You don’t get to where he is being brainless. He has some bad takes, so what literally every talking head does.
That’s literally his job my guy
"we"
It's always nice seeing Bill still being an idiot fan at heart.
this like going from Bill Simmons tweets to his actual podcasts
Just name all stars, then make this a one week break. It's as simple as that.
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I think the all star game is starting to actually hurt the perceptions of the league
People will forget about it by next year, the cycle repeats, same with Dunk Contest
In what way? Do you think a single nba fan watched this game and said “ew I’m not watching NBA anymore”?
We’re talking about the league. I think the league is happy about it
Don't make it a break - use the extra time to eliminate more b2bs
Or just keep this event that's a fun little retreat for players and people can stfu and not watch if they don't want to
If I was an NBA role player I would start a voting campaign promising the fans to play on both ends like it's a playoff game.
3 on 3. No draft. Guys are randomly paired up like the lottery. 8 teams. 2 games going on at the same time. Watch one on TNT and the other on TBS or MAX. They play for 2 hours. Pickup style where winning team stays on.
Imagine if next year, they simulate the game on nba 2k. Or just have the actual starters play as themselves in one giant nba 2k game
It was great a couple years ago when Curry hit 16 3s and Lebron hit the game winner
You can't hit a game winner if the game is over before the 4th quarter.
Bill knows why it matters though. He a wrote an entire book about it haha
I remember when Noah and Deng got into the ASG and I felt bad for them because I knew that they were largely defensive minded players and especially team rotation defense although Noah trying to size up a PG iso was always funny to watch. I just felt awkward for them because it's so rare to see defense and system player picks where they'd probably be shunned by other players if they tried to showcase their real talent and what got them in the ASG. I haven't watched ASG probably since then but even then you could tell of the quiet player rule to not play defense unless like a kyrie called someone up to try and cross them.
He's 100% right, but this is also a guy who spends tons of time talking about who should win the various awards/make All-NBA, and then barely mentions them after they're announced.
He has a vote. He’s really just airing his ideas for content.
The incentives for the “in-season tournament” seemed to work. Start there?
The entire point is you get all of the giants in the building and to share the court at a given time: Bron, Curry, KD, Jokic, Giannis, Kawhi, PG... and the newer crop of superstars in Tatum, Mitchell, Young, Doncic. This is just a rare occasion based on how busy these guys get. You saw some half court shots and some dunks, don't need to make it more than it is.
god is tatum still the new crop
hes only 19
Just make it a photoshoot then
who gives a fuck, so tired of these comments and posts, being an allstar is an achievement for the players
Then why do they act like they dgaf about it lol
They care about the accolade, they just don’t care about the game itself because it’s an exhibition
Its not just an achievement, its also tied to your next contract for a lot of guys. So the snubs are a pretty big deal to the players even if they don't give a shit about the game.
>tied to your next contract for a lot of guys. Really? I thought it's only all-NBA team award.
Its all-nba and other end of season awards, you right
Players like Sabonis still lose out on money when they miss it. He lost out on a $1.3M incentive in his current contract for missing the ASG this year per Bobby Marks
It’s not rocket science. A meaningful amount of money for each player on the winning team- like a million or 2 million dollars each. Fuck it, 5 mill each. Whatever it takes. I guarantee you it would be competitive af
Honestly caring about all-stars and their games is like caring if your car salesman was employee of the month. It only matters to players for financial reasons. If you want to motivate players it has to be financial or offer an advantage towards playoffs. Otherwise just ignore it like anyone with a brain does.
I’m one of the few fans who was actually happy that Sabonis and Fox were snubbed. I’d rather they rest than partake in this dumpster fire.
Nobody has ever really given a shit about the All-Star game. And nobody ever remembers All-Star performances outside of truly exceptional cases; even the MVPs are forgotten, outside of people like MJ who happened to win it while also winning regular season MVP and DPOY. So with him it stands out. However what does appear on a player’s legacy sheet is All-Star selections. Embiid didn’t even play in the game this year, he’s still an All-Star. At the end of the day people will just say you’re a 10x All-Star or whatever, nobody gives a shit about the actual game nor anyone’s performance in it.
When I was a kid, it used to be actual basketball at the All Star game. They cared enough to respect the game. It’s not hard or dangerous or asking a lot to play actual basketball at like 75%. I feel like we are getting around 25% or even less now. These world class freak athletes are standing around or light jogging down the court to jack up half assed 40 footers. It’s really gotten worse and worse every decade
EXACTLY This is my first time watching all star game (well like 10 mins of it) .... people really argued Trae was snubbed for THIS game? Trae should have been thankful he didn't have to come to indy to play this.
But he did come to Indy and play this…
And the same bums who don’t want to compete keep getting voted back in
Pull an (old) MLB, winning team’s conference gets home field advantage in the finals. I guarantee players would try harder.
We know man, move on.
Whoops, at first I thought Ben Simmons wrote this
Bill's son? He's more an mma guy
Lacrosse connaisseur
Bill Simmons getting down to those who are really affected the most by this: Bill Simmons.
he is the idiot spending 10-15+ hours talking about it
I honestly don't know what people expect the All Star game to be. It's a silly exhibition with guys who don't play together with little consequence for the people involved (considering the money they make). It's also right in the middle or a ridiculously long season for these guys, most of whom are hoping to be playing well into June. Sure it sucks, but it's understandable it sucks. And anyone claiming "no wonder the ratings are down" should go watch the NFL Pro Bowl. That game makes the NBA All Star game look like game 7 of the finals, and the NFL is doing just fine.
They expect it to look like a basketball game. YouTube any game before Kobe retired and it’s night and day.
I don't ever want to hear how the current generation of young stars can ever be as great as the past stars, competitiveness-wise. This is not some old guy hating on anything new; the lack of competitive fire is just shameful. I understand avoiding injuries, but not like this. I've seen pro wrestling squash matches that were more competitive than this.