Last season’s hectic NBA season ended in a bubble. This season teams are back in arenas across the country and things are looking good. Steph Curry is back and is lights out. LeBron is going full LeBron. The Nets have a big three and ratings have returned. But now a new issue has arisen.
Should the NBA hold its annual All-Star Game?
Covid forced the league into a bubble last season, and its already impacted players such as Kevin Durant this year. So the pandemic is a factor in this decision. Another factor is exhaustion. The 2019-20 season ended in October and the current season began in December. So instead of having an offseason of six month, players only had two. But the biggest factor, arguably, is the money involved.
For the NBA, that’s a major sticking point.
Superstars such as LeBron, Giannis Antetokounmpo and even the soft spoken Kawhi Leonard have voiced their concerns about playing in that game.
“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” said James last week. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.”
He was not hesitant in venting his frustrations over the NBA’s decision to hold the weekend.
“Short offseason for myself and my teammates, 71 days,” said James in reference to winning the title in October and starting back up in December. “And then coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we’d have a nice little break. Five days [in March] from the 5th through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. Some of the guys in the league.
“And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face.”
The current plan is to hold the game on March 7th in Atlanta. The festivities, including the Slam Dunk and Three-Point contest, would be held in a “mini-bubble”. As an added incentive, the NBA wants the game to benefit HBCUs with Covid relief and vaccine education.
Last week, per the Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA and NBPA agreed to host the game.
But the league has also stated that the discussions about the game are ongoing. And health concerns continue to remain a sensitive issue.
“It’s money on the line; it’s an opportunity to make more money,” said Kawhi Leonard. “Just putting money over health right now, pretty much.”
And money, as we know, is a big part of sports.
AT&T owns WarnerMedia, which owns Turner Sports, broadcast partner of the NBA All-Star Game. Per CNBC.com, last year’s game earned $15 million for the network. This number increases to $24 million when you add in the Saturday night festivities.
So the question remains. Do you cancel the All Star Game this year? Do you prioritize money over health?
If stars such as LeBron, Giannis and Kevin Durant are less than enthusiastic, the scale tips towards cancellation. But with almost $30 million on the line, the scales rise back up.
As of now, the ball is still up in the air.
