The NBA and the NBPA have been in ongoing discussions attempting to finalize a plan that would schedule the 2021 NBA All-Star event in Atlanta on March 7th. The one-night event would include an All-Star game along with the All-Star Skills Competition. The NBA is bleeding revenue due to the already condensed 72-game season and the lack of fans in the arena due to covid protocols. Having an All-Star game would help to alleviate some of the monetary loss the league has already suffered from.
But would hosting an All-Star game in Atlanta be the smart thing to do? Many players and coaches would disagree. With the league already tightening covid protocols because of the mass amount of players already out due to contact tracing. Some of these new restrictions including limiting pre-game meetings in locker rooms to 10 minutes, players must be wearing face masks at all time when on the bench, players must remain at their residences at all times when not at team-related activities, & most notably no more jersey swaps between opposing teams.
De’Aaron Comments on the 2021 NBA All-Star game
It would seem to be entirely irresponsible for the league to bring all of its greatest players together for a night in Atlanta when Georgia itself is averaging five thousand new covid cases a week. One of the players leading the charge against having an All-Star game is Sacramento King’s point guard, De’Aaron Fox, who didn’t hold back his thoughts when asked about a potential game amidst the pandemic stating the idea is “kind of stupid” and the only reason he would play is because of the hefty fine associated with missing the game if healthy and selected.
Lebron James thoughts on the 2021 NBA All-Star game
The NBA may truly be in a bind with players and coaches already on the fence about whether hosting the All-Star game would be a smart idea. so it did not help when the leading vote-getter in the western conference, Lebron James, chimed in and let it be known he is not in support of the game taking place this season.
Lebron says,” I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game this year” not only because of the covid concerns as he goes on to say “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”. I’m sure the Lakers forward was elated to hear that after he was coming off the shortest offseason of his career due to his championship run in the playoffs during the past season and the quick turn around to begin the 2020-2021 season.
It’s one thing when De’Aaron Fox says that the All-Star game is stupid but when LeBron James one of the greatest players in the league at the moment comes out and says that it’s ” pretty much kind of a slap in the face.” and that he would be there physically but not mentally for one of the most important nights in an NBA season it may be time for Adam Silver and the NBPA to rethink their plans.
