The NBA debuted its new All-Star Game format on Sunday night, and it went down horribly with fans.
Instead of the usual one game, there were three shorter games to the score of 40, while a team of Rising Stars (not All-Stars) was also invited to suit up.
Furthermore, there were long breaks between the three games, as MrBeast hosted a three-point shooting competition and Kevin Hart had loads of screen time, at one point commemorating TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ crew before their show is licensed to ESPN next year.
With all of those factors – plus the fact that LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Anthony Davis didn’t suit up – the game was not well received by viewers.
‘The NBA all star game is washed !!!,’ one wrote on X.
‘This is the worst presentation of an All-Star game in sports history. We’re breaking in the middle of actual basketball to hand out lifetime achievement awards…. And Silver expects these players to take the game seriously???,’ another asked.
Adam Silver was criticized for the NBA’s new All-Star Game format on Sunday night
Many fans did not appreciate Kevin Hart’s presence throughout the broadcast on TV
Games were also played to just 40, meaning fans barely got to see stars like Victor Wembanyama
‘Think the all star game is a good encapsulation of how the modern NBA feels like it’s centered around everything except basketball,’ a third added.
And radio host Damon Bruce said, ‘NBA all star committee that planned this entire event needs to be shot into the sun. As a TV show, it’s a massive failure. Moreover … Kevin Hart should be banned from all future sports broadcasts.’
Other fans also took aim the comedian.
‘All star game is doing too much. Just play basketball. No one is trying to watch Kevin hart in 2025,’ one said.
Another fan called Hart’s presence on the show ‘wack.’
Those above sentiments about the broader event were echoed by Draymond Green, as the Warriors forward appeared on TNT’s broadcast of the festivities and branded the format ‘ridiculous.’
‘You work all year to be an All Star and you get to play up to 40 and then you’re done,’ he began. ‘This is so unfair to Victor Wembanyama, who just took this game really seriously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just took this game really seriously.
‘When you talk about chasing after the points records – ‘Melo, Kobe and all these guys who had great scoring nights. They don’t get the opportunity to do that with this game, all so we can watch some rising stars,’ he continued.
‘Now we get the treat of watching an Olympic team play against a U19 team. Come on… what are we doing? This is ridiculous.’
