The NBA reported The decision to host an All-Star game in the middle of a pandemic and a condensed season was met with widespread criticism from fans, media and players. On Wednesday, Sacramento guard Kings De’Aaron Fox called the idea of playing an All-Star Game “stupid” and cited the underlying motivation behind the decision, saying “money makes the world go around, so it’s the that is. “Even so, until Thursday, the league gave no indication that it would consider a change of course. If that was ever going to change, it would be after LeBron James spoke to the media after the Lakers’ victory on Thursday over the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron told reporters that he considered choosing to play the Game of the Stars as “a slap in the face”.
“I don’t even know why we’re having an All-Star game,” said James, before adding that he had “zero energy and zero enthusiasm” for the game. James currently leads all Western Conference players in the vote, and even though by some miracle he lost the fan vote, he would be a block to be selected as a reserve by coaches. James, a MVP candidate from the start of the season, is a block to be selected for the Star Game in one way or another. He was captain in the previous three games.
However, his voice has more weight than that of any other player. He was instrumental in the league’s effort to restart the 2019-20 season in an Orlando bubble, despite some resistance from the players union, with Clippers’ owner, Patrick Beverley, even saying that “if LeBron said we’re playing, everyone we are”. Although some reports suggested that he wanted to end the season and get out of the bubble after Jacob Blake’s death, he was part of a small group of players who talked to former President Barack Obama over the phone in the process of making the decision to stay in Orlando.
LeBron could theoretically skip the game and accept any fines he receives, but that is not his plan today. “I will be there physically, but not mentally,” James said. Although the league seems unlikely to change its mind due to the possible financial gain from playing the game, LeBron’s influence is unmatched in the NBA. His willingness to take on an All-Star game could theoretically persuade other players to do the same, creating a snowball effect that could force the NBA to reconsider.
Otherwise, James would be forced to give up a five-day break that he, more than any other basketball player, needed badly. The Lakers had only a 71-day break between winning the championship in October and starting the 2020-21 season in December. James, now 36, has not lost a game this season. That vacation may have been a critical break for James as the league progresses through the season.
But, as Fox said, money makes the world go round. The league has lost billions of dollars in revenue since the start of the pandemic, and will take any opportunity it finds to recover some of what it has lost.