LANDON WASHBURN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
NBA All-Star Weekend features the most talented basketball players throughout the entire league. They participate in events such as the Rising Stars Game, the All-Star Celebrity Game, skills challenge, slam dunk and 3-point contest. The weekend ends with a game that includes some of the best players in the game.
Indianapolis hosted the 73rd annual All-Star Weekend. It featured notable athletes such as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. The competition contained countless dazzling plays as per usual. It also featured the most lackluster performance on the defensive end.
The Eastern All-Star team coasted their way to a record-setting night, putting up 211 points compared to the Western All-Star team’s 186. The record-breaking stats don’t just stop there. The two teams combined for 168 3-point attempts, knocking down 66 of them. Team East attempted 97 3-pointers.
To start the year NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the concerns with the All-Star Game, pushing for competitive play between the teams. He returned to the traditional “East vs. West” matchup instead of nominating two captains and picking teams like a pickup game. He also took out the nuances of the wait times for the introductions and halftime.
Many people are saying that the only way to improve this is to pay the players. After all, money does run the world; especially in the sports world. Instead of giving the millionaires more money let’s donate the money to charity. Let each of the participants represent a charity of their choosing.
I would like to add features to make the weekend more memorable. The slam dunk contest is a joke. Superstars seem to never participate in the event and some dunks just aren’t up to par. How about we have the celebrities and YouTubers that have a following – and are capable of dunking – be involved? Maybe have a couple of all-stars pick a person to represent them and their charity. I think it would be good to include a 1-on-1 tournament.
The 3-point contest seems to be one of the most popular events of the whole weekend, and I don’t disagree. Seeing some of the best sharpshooters in the entire world go head-to-head is really fun to watch. Let’s add a former player to the mix, or perhaps another celebrity. Maybe even St. Bonaventure alumni Chris Matthews.
I understand that players don’t feel the urge to play in this game that means nothing. They don’t want to risk a career-ending injury. But players can get injured in practice, and they still try in that setting. You can get injured walking to practice. With the addition of celebrities, it allows new viewership to the sport.
washbulj22@bonaventure.edu
