The 2024 NBA All-Star Game wasn't as competitive as fans hoped for. The players showed no effort on defense, leading to a final score of 211-186. Reports came in saying that legends of the game and a few veteran players went into the locker rooms of each All-Star team and encouraged them to be competitive, but it wasn't enough.
The game was uneventful and disappointed many viewers.
According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, Andre Iguodala (NBPA Executive Director), Larry Bird and Julius Erving went into the locker rooms of each team to give the stars a pep talk.
However, the All-Stars didn't take it seriously, as they showed no effort in making the game competitive.
Stars were shooting from everywhere on the court. For the Western All-Stars, seven players scored double digits, including Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished the night with 50. Eight Eastern All-Stars players reached the double-digit mark.
Fans found out about this and they didn't hold back in what they had to say about the legends' pep talk.
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Stephen A. Smith's opinion on the NBA All-Star game
Fans are looking for options to make the All-Star game competitive once again. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith shared his opinion, and people might not like his proposal.
"No," Smith said when asked if the All-Star game can be fixed. "They need to do away with All-Star Weekend. Just get rid of it.
“What transpired last night was an absolute travesty. Nearly 400 points scored. No defence, no effort whatsoever. This is the ultimate indictment against NBA stars who show up for All-Star weekend. You play harder in the summer when you’re training.”
According to Smith, it's not just the All-Star game that needs fixing. He suggested that the Skills Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest should all be removed from the weekend.
