INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Let’s face it: NBA All-Star Weekend isn’t what it used to be. Or maybe some of us are way too nostalgic for how we remember it. Either way, it’s clear basketball fans of varying levels find themselves unhappy with what the annual collection of events has become even though Sunday’s game helped make up for the flatness of Saturday – a weekend more about entertainment than basketball that is no longer entertaining.
Complaints about everything from the cost of tickets to the lack of star power in marquee events like the dunk contest have rolled in year after year, and it’s only getting worse with empty seats and low-energy crowds marking an embarrassing stain on the weekend.
Admittedly, I’m one of the people who thinks the weekend itself needs an overhaul. To quote Mark Jackson, what happened to the game I love?
All-Star should bring back the child-like enthusiasm of the players. Show us the love they have for their game.
Bring back real celebrities! Influencers are not celebrities, and we have too much access to them. The mystique of seeing the players – both past and present – was the allure. Another day of being flooded with social media stars isn’t what NBA All-Star should be about. It should be a unique look behind the scenes of how the NBA’s best interact with each other and their awe of the skill on display.
All-Star Weekend should be about not just the league itself, but about basketball. There should be a clear line connecting the host city’s basketball identity to the NBA product. Each city has its own hoops culture and local legends. Inviting players and fans into their world would give host cities a stake in the success of the event.
There’s also the NBA’s rich history. At a time when there is constant comparison of eras and debates about who is the greatest of all time, paying homage to past players and bringing history forward could help young and new fans understand the way the game has evolved and appreciate what today’s players have to offer.
After I posted a video on X showing empty seats in Intuit Dome and it got almost 3 million views, I couldn’t help but wonder what a re-imagined NBA All-Star Weekend would look like. What events would bring back the shine to what should be a celebration of the sport and its most elite players?
1. Replace the main game with a 1-on-1 tournament. Remove rising stars and include them in the tournament
While not a new idea, a 1-on-1 tournament could infuse some chaotic energy into something that’s grown dry over the years. The East vs. West format is a classic and invites fans to have a stake in something of a rivalry, but switching to 1-on-1 could highlight those same rivalries, as well as give us some in-conference contempt. Wemby vs. Chet, Pistons vs. Hornets, tapping into the competitive spirit of everyone involved and fans at home could yield fantastic results.
With the rising stars, adding them to the 1-on-1 tournament would keep the young players involved and give them a chance to go head-to-head with more veteran players and showcase their talent to fans who may not know them yet. Not everyone keeps up with the rosters on a granular level and oftentimes miss out on players on the rise. And the chance to beat a better-known star could accelerate the fame of the next generation.
2. Keep the 3-point and dunk contests. Add more shooting competitions like half court, and include WNBA players
The 3-point contest is one of the more exciting competitions of the weekend, so it should absolutely stay. But let’s make it more fun! Adding a half-court shot and bringing back a shootout with WNBA players like Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu in 2024 could increase the drama. And the shooting contest should always be the last event of the night, so fans leave with something exciting to discuss on the way home.
The dunk contest should also be expanded. Encourage and invite only the league’s best dunkers to the competition and incentivize creativity by adjusting the scoring scale. The dunk contest should be a who’s who of slam specialists. Guys ducking the contest out of fear of embarrassment shouldn’t be a thing. Get out there and show us what you got! And if you fail, you’ll be remembered for putting on a show either way.
Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu competed against each other in the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. (Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
3. Move the NBA Cup final to All-Star weekend
By merging the two events, the Cup final could become the Sunday night main game. Players get extended time off to help combat fatigue, and, with the cash prize for the in-season tournament, we’re guaranteed to get a highly competitive game with real stakes.
Even though the original intent of the tournament was to increase interest in the season’s earlier months, moving it could solve the crunch of games and back-to-backs during that part of the schedule, allowing teams to be healthier for the playoffs with the longer break. It might also help alleviate teams sitting All-Stars in favor of rest and getting fined.
4. Show us more of the players! It needs to feel like the NBA has come to watch its best
The entire point of the weekend is to see the players. The BEST players. The stars of today and tomorrow. Right now, some players just want the time off, and that’s fully understandable considering their schedules. But an All-Star Game coming to an NBA city means some families get an opportunity to see them for possibly the first time.
Why don’t players seem interested? How does the NBA raise the stakes and shake things up? This is an extreme suggestion, but what if draft odds or salary-cap space were impacted by participating? Yes, I’m aware this is ridiculous, but maybe starting with the absurd can help us work our way into a solution somewhere in the middle!
5. If we’re going to keep the celebrity game, extend the invitation to more stars and fewer influencers. Maybe even add a concert
Social media has grown from a tool for sharing ideas and chatting with friends and strangers around the world into a full-blown self-marketing tool. Along with that, the term “influencer” has become synonymous with celebrity, and there’s seemingly no difference between them and someone with a career in entertainment. They’re everywhere – commercials, movies, and the all-star celebrity game. The problem isn’t that they’re there. It’s that by including so many, there’s a risk of people who aren’t chronically online not knowing who they are.
MTV used to have an event called “Rock N’ Jock” where well-known stars of the time participated in sporting events. It was amazing! It was cool. The celebs took the events seriously, but there was also a level of fun to the competition.
Seeing what Jay-Z, Roc Nation and Apple Music have done with the Super Bowl halftime show has really changed how we view the possibilities of not only performers, but who we want to see. Gen Z has its own stars, but year after year, performers at NBA events are people who have been at it for decades – not that there’s anything wrong with that! – but reaching a younger audience means tapping into who they love and what they’re into. As the league gets younger and younger, the audience should grow with it.