All-Stars Compete for Participation Trophy

The hype of the NBA All-Star Game has passed but if you have been active on social media, or watched the game, you know there was little hype to begin with. The lineup was worth glorifying, these athletes truly are the best of the best. It would have been great to watch them compete passionately on the court.

Obviously, it is difficult to get the players motivated and amped up before the game. It is an event for charity, and no one wants to be injured during the most important part of the season. However, it does spark curiosity as to why the players seemed bored and casually jogged up and down the court with no effort. Once the group of All-Stars slowly made their way to a basket, whichever player who had possession of the ball would dunk it without any defensive tactics in their way. This was the cycle throughout most of the game.

All-Star team captains Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo picked their teams and starting lineups before the game. It reminded me of picking teams for kickball during middle school lunch break. I think when the All-Star Game was East versus West there was more excitement, unity, motivation, and a sense of overall competition. Plus, the fan involvement of being able to vote for the lineups let the public feel included and connected to the game.

There seemed to be a sense of sensitivity and ego during the event. No athlete wanted to step on another's toes or outshine anyone. However, there was something that stood out when Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to make his first shot attempt. Out of left field, James blocked the Thunder’s star dunk attempt, and there was a scent of defense.

In an interview after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the random defense against him. He said, “He [James] wasn’t playing no defense, then the one time I tried to get a dunk, he wanna play defense. So, I got something for him next time.”

Whether James blocking Gilgeous-Alexander's first shot ever in an All-Star Game was a coincidence or an attempt to hype up the court and arena, it was highlighted as the only shown defense throughout the game.

The players did not seem excited or grateful to be a part of the All-Star Weekend. Ja Morant, known for his dunking skills, said he would not consider doing the dunk contest. He added in a separate statement that it would take “a billion likes for him to do it.” Morant was in the lineup for Team Giannis and was one of his first picks. His reaction to theoretically being a part of the NBA Dunk Contest does not show enthusiasm or inspiration to be a component for All-Star weekend.

According to Sports Media Watch, the All-Star Game received the least amount of views and ratings in history. This should not surprise many people as the players are competing for a trophy without bringing the effort.

The original East versus West set up was exhilarating, fan-based and unifying. Previous players such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson made fans want to watch the All-Stars compete in the game. They knew they were witnessing something exceptional.