(Reuters) – Los Angeles Lakers striker LeBron James said the NBA’s attempt to organize an All-Star game amid the COVID-19 pandemic was like a “slap in the face”.
US media reported that the league and its players union agreed to host the annual screening event in Atlanta on March 7, with an official announcement due this week.
“I have no energy or excitement about the All-Star Game this year,” James told reporters after Thursday’s 114-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game, but it’s the deal.
“Coming this season, we were told that we would not have an All-Star game, so we would have a short break … an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season.
“So they launch an All-Star game on us like this, it’s practically a kind of slap in the face. We’re still dealing with a pandemic, with everything that’s going on, and we’re going to bring the whole league into a city that is still open . “
James, 16 times All-Star, was among those who voted most in the first round of fan voting and said he would be there in body.
“I will be there physically if I am selected. I will be there physically, but not mentally,” said the four-time NBA champion.
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said it was “stupid” to try to hold the game.
“If we have to wear a mask and do all that for a normal game, then what’s the point of bringing the Game of Stars back?” he said. “Obviously, money makes the world go around, so it is what it is.”
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)