LeBron James has been an All-Star for the past 16 seasons, but he doesn’t believe this year’s game should be played, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
The most prominent voice among NBA players, James told the media after Thursday’s game that he believes it’s a mistake to hold the event while the pandemic continues. Twenty-three games have been postponed since the season began.
“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” he said. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.”
James is also unhappy about not having a mid-season break after a short offseason, calling it a “slap in the face” for him and his teammates. Because last year’s NBA Finals lasted through October 11, the Lakers had just 71 days off before training camp began.
The NBA and its players union reached an agreement Thursday to hold the game March 7 in Atlanta, rather than Indianapolis, which had originally been scheduled to host. Atlanta is one of nine cities currently allowing fans at home games. It isn’t clear whether other All-Star weekend events, such as the skills competition, 3-point competition and dunk contest, will be part of the arrangement.
“We’re also still dealing with a pandemic,” James said. “We’re still dealing with everything that’s been going on, and we’re going to bring the whole league into one city that’s open? Obviously, the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it at this point when it comes to that weekend. Obviously, you guys can see that I’m not very happy about it.”
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox was the first player to speak out publicly after the agreement was announced, calling it “stupid” and asking, “If we have to wear masks and do all this for a regular game, what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?”
James adds a very loud dissenting voice, although his objections may not matter now that the union has agreed to go through with the game.
“It’s the agreement that the players’ association and the league came about. … It’s out of my hands,” James said. “I’ll be there if I’m selected. But I’ll be there physically, but not mentally.”
Players who dont approve can simply not go
LeBron can say don’t vote for me I am not going but of course his ego wants him to be the vote leader.
You really think if he says this people will stop voting for him? Come on man, not to mention players and coaches have a say in the vote. Of course people will vote for Lebron.
He would lose a lot of votes if he said don’t vote for me. So you would still vote for him? Not everyone is a Lebron fan and worships him.
If LB says left you say right. If he says up you say down. It’s not about worshipping him. You just have derangement.
@amk1920 Nope so stop trying to make up excuses for LeBron. You know LeBron feels the NBA revolves around him. Great players push themselves harder being the best. Not saying LeBron doesn’t deserve votes its his attitude that he should control the NBA.
Troubling disconnect between the players union and one of the league’s leading players…
Also troubling, no mention of my blindfold idea
Well that’s why you dropped from #3 ranked poster in your first 20 minutes of signing up, to top 45 poster, to now sitting at top 3 most disappointing poster on the website. Easily explained and understood.
Very “lil D”-fence doesn’t help. Can’t stay on the floor if you’re not locking guys down.
G-Man!
Huh? What is easily explained? I have no idea how your comment relates to mine. Also I am still top 3 by large margein
I know, that’s what I said. Top 3…, most disappointing poster on the website. Perhaps why your blindfold suggestion was not considered by LeBron. I’m sure you’re playing around and so am I.
Lol this makes way more sense now…but you’re right. The blindfold thing is disgraceful. I take full responsibility. I’ll just chalk it up to the league having other things on their plate this year.
I’m with you brother.
Trying to picture LJ wearing a blindfold for the cameras
The ASG is a joke to begin with, and forcing it this season is just plain stupid.
I enjoyed the last couple All-Star games in the fourth quarter. With the two team captains selecting their own Squad irrespective of conference, I thought it made a challenging endeavor. I think more was on the line sort of like a pickup game. You could see it in the fourth quarter.
But other than that this is NOT the year to have an All-Star game. They’re barely playing games that count so why have an exhibition? Give all the guys a week off and then start again with the regular games that count.
Picking teams is the best, and only good thing they have done to the ASG for as long as I can remember. This year they should just have the players play an ASG on NBA 2K and livestream it. Win-win.
It’s literally more boring than a Spurs Game, nay a freaking Sacramento Kings game.
Only 71 days off from your 40 million dollar a year job? Poor baby.
You realize he’s still working almost every day of those 71 days, right? And that he works more and harder in one day than you probably do in a month?
You have clearly never been an ironworker.
You have clearly never played in the NBA lol
Lazy
there are many people that do just as much if not more woek for way less money. not saying sports are like a normal job, but to act like people cant be bothered by LeBron wanting another off day over participating in an event for the fans is absurd.
Dude have you ever played basketball full court for two hours? Then did it again like 100+ times over the course of 6 months?
I agree, if they are putting in all these rules and protocols why add more variables to the season where people can get sick. Either way I prob wouldn’t watch anyway so I might not be the best judge lol.
I think several guys will just end up sitting the game out and it will be more like a B-team version of the game anyways. I guess they make back some of the money so I understand why the league is having the game. I also don’t blame big name guys who sit out. Why risk getting exposed and then having to sit for two weeks because of the safety protocols. At least one of these dummies is gonna hit up a strip club (cough cough James Harden). Might mess up team’s playoff runs. We’ll see how this plays out.
I’m going to ask my company for 71 days off this year then complain it’s not enough
Well if you’re the LeBron James of whatever it is you do, I’d imagine management will be receptive.
But I’m guessing no to both. LOL
The adverage person already gets 104+ days off and two weeks vacation every Year, and they don’t have to physically condition 365 days a year or work (Pratice) in their day off.
The All-Star game would be better played after the season, when they are giving out awards. Combine the awards ceremony & All-Star festivities in the same weekend. Great ratngs too in the Offseason. Get fans more opportunities to meet & interact with players. (Maybe less about a game & media, more about the athletes & fans)
In other words: scrap this thing, and start over fresh. A whole new concept.
First, the NBPA who represents the players and the leadership is voted on by the players agreed to this. This is the trade of of how collective bargaining works.
Second, if you want to say COVID isn’t a reason to play the Allstar game and it’s about money over health then you shouldn’t be playing in the first place. This whole season is a trade off between health and money.
Third, Lebron has made more money than every player in the league. If you look into it a lot of players are making significantly less than what their contracts say. Lebron can basically afford to play for free the rest of his life. The fringe and lower paid players can’t say the same. If they cancel the Allstar game is Lebron going to pay every other player in the union the amount of money that decision cost them?
So De’Aaron Fox speaks out against the all star game and most of the commenters on here agree with him, yet when LeBron says the same thing the comments are overwhelmingly negative. I’m pretty indifferent about him but the anti-LeBron bias is real.
Wait until people find out what those fans were saying to LBJ & why LBJ got heated….
I’m waiting patiently, but I know what subject matter was discussed in that spat, and LBJ doesn’t want any part of that. Thats a fact.
Fox & he don’t want an All-Star weekend, but individually I truly believe their motivations are vastly different.
I disagree with both of them. My same points stand for Fox as well.
I didn’t read your comment
My exact observation as well !
Night and day huh-
hit the nail on the head
From the time he was about 13, until his early 70s, I guarantee my dad didn’t have a total of 71 days off. My heart bleeds for poor Bronbron though.
Daddy should’ve worked on his jumpshot then…
Lol burned
You win the internets today sir
Look, the shame of this ASG is that the league was suppose to give players a week of time off or give the teams that had to cancel games an opportunity to get some of them rescheduled. (Luck of the Draw on that one)
They wanted to rescheduled the games then so they wouldn’t have to start moving those games into an already full 2nd half schedule that’s limited on time because… someone out there has decided that the Olympics would be an awesome idea right in the midst of a global pandemic AND someone out there also thinks if we end the NBA Finals right before the Olympics start, we can send those same NBA players across the world to compete in it.(not the G-league or College Players we used to send)
Yaaay, talk about Money and Politics changing direction at the puff of the wind
Here come people getting mad at LeBron for speaking out against an all star game no one wants to have.
Well what he says goes because no other players matter to the league
Unlike all the clowns here I already did strongly criticize Fox for his stupid opinions on the ASG… even counting that I am a huge fan of LBJ, he is wrong here so that needs to be said.
Having said that, though, LBJ’s motives are at least understandable even if wrong… Fox’s shows he is an idjet & just totally wrong, then again he will never be at the level to play an ASG, which makes his comments irrelevant, right?
My complaint is that people seem to overwhelmingly agree with Fox & killing LBJ for the same thing, even if LBJ has a good reason & Fox not… that is called hatred, bias & trolling, as simple as folks!!!
this dumb league and its stupid attempts to keep its players playing. nothing wrong with having an ASG, and im sure the penalties for not going would be waived, but that there were such penalties to begin with is a sham, same as penalizing teams for not playing players. load management doesnt exist to piss off fans. what fans want to see is healthy players. similarly here, maybe the ASG doesnt have all the best players, but then people can choose to not watch. I guarantee enough people werent going to watch to being with and many still will anyway so its a moot point.
James hasn’t been a fan of the All-Star games and activities. So this doesn’t surprise me with his “I will be there physically, but not mentally.” It’s pretty bad that players regret the All-Star. NBA should make it enjoyable for the players and not just the fans. Owners just love the ticket sales and profits gained from fans. Poor players are left out and have nothing rewarding
What’s with the hate on Lebron? He helps so many people in his community. Raised a family. Very successful. Never in trouble. Y’all sound jealous. Would you rather have Lebron or an athlete on steroids or beats his wife or cheats on his wife or something stupid. Get over yourselves
The ASG – as a game – is a joke (because that’s how the players in the game treat it). It should never be played in its current format, and certainly not this year with so many games postponed needing to be made up. Problem here is the messenger.
LBJ and his fellow superstars control the damn union (have for some time). Yet, every time the union agrees to something that doesn’t work well for him personally, even if it is (as it usually is) part of a compromise to get him what he does want, he undermines it. He should just recognize he’s an inarticulate, self absorbed non-leader type, and defer to CP3 and others. Or get involved in these decisions before your side agrees to it.
Overpaid and glorified athletes acting like they are the only ones that have had to make sacrifices. They all got millions, they don’t like it then walk away.
All your comments are very applicable to entitled athletes like Fox, yeah guy is a tool for wanting out of this game, I am totally with you guys!
No big deal. This is not a regular or normal season. I’ll leave to the players. I can definitely understand not having it this year. I’m thankful for a season this year. And that I’m able to enjoy and watch.
Poor lebum
Oh man. The resentment that so many posters have that they can’t be NBA players is especially salty tonight.
They’re the global .00001% of their very marketable skill in a capitalist society.
Go get a skill, and even you too, can have time off.
I love seeing all these people to hate the ASG fighting for its honor against the no good very bad LeBron James. Y’all well Def show him now