The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday looked a lot different than what many are used to. The league experimented with a tournament-style format consisting of four teams of eight players, three of which consisting of the All-Stars and the other team being the winner of the Rising Stars event back on Friday.
The NBA featured a stoppage-filled All-Star format
The team led by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal titled “Shaq’s OG” won the All-Star Gam tournament, with Stephen Curry coming away with MVP honors. However, this year’s format featured a lot of extracurricular activities that were not received well by the players.
Among some of the other events were a half-court shot contest held by famous YouTuber Mr. Beast, a tribute to the Inside The NBA crew on TNT, and a live performance from rapper E-40 and a few other Bay Area artists. Additionally, comedian Kevin Hart was given a microphone and provided commentary and comedy bits throughout the games that felt out of place to some.
Hawks’ Trae Young among players who criticized new format
Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young sounded off on the stoppages during the game and wanted the event to be more focused on basketball.
“I feel like the fans want to see us playing more,” Young said, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, “rather than just some little shows in between breaks.”
The most baffling part of the night occurred during the championship game of the tournament, when they stopped the game after Shaq’s OG’s went up by a score of 11-1 to hold their Inside The NBA tribute. The stoppage lasted for approximately 20 minutes and was another significant break in the action.
According to u/forgetchain on Reddit, only 42 minutes of actual basketball was played during the three-hour television event, including 80 minutes worth of advertisements.
The NBA has experimented with different formats over the past few years in an attempt to salvage the All-Star Game. The event had drawn criticism for the lack of competitive spirit by the players in the past, and it is possible that the league’s format it used this year will be a one-and-done.