The NBA wrapped up its 2023-24 All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis with the 73rd edition of the All-Star game. Though it was the highest-scoring contest in history, with the East beating the West 211-186, it was marked again by minimal effort by players and a now-famous lack of defense. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard won the All-Star Game MVP award after finishing with 39 points on 11 made three-pointers for the East.

“And to the Eastern Conference All-Stars, you scored the most points,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said after the game. “Well … congratulations.”

Silver had high expectations that the game would differ from those in the past and offer fans something they hadn’t seen in recent years. Despite his hopes, his sarcastic comments after the game seem to mirror fans’ and players’ thoughts.

“I think it’s something we need to figure out,” Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said. “Obviously from a player’s perspective, it’s fun to get up and down. But at the end of the day, our competitive nature don’t like to have free-flowing scoring like that.”

The All-Star Game and weekend as a whole have been an issue for the NBA for many years, but the league has done little compared to others to change that. The NFL, NHL and MLB have all restructured their All-Star events to cater to fans and to minimize the lack of effort seen in Indianapolis over the weekend. Silver and the NBA have made groundbreaking changes with the introduction of the Play-In Tournament which is unseen in any other major American sports, but are still looking to fix their All-Star Weekend.

“For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I will never look at it as being super competitive,” Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said. “It’s always fun. I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive. I don’t know. I think everyone looks at it … it’s a break, so I don’t think everyone wants to come here and compete.”

Despite the fact that the events are intended to showcase the league’s best talent, the NBA All-Star Game and its lack of competition continue to be an issue.

Along with the fact that the game doesn’t hold any true meaning, players also don’t want to risk an injury, and would rather play safer and less competitive than normal. Fans also experience the downsides of the All-Star weekend as despite paying hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see the best players in the world, they end up just watching a glorified shoot-around. The game over the weekend was also the first since 2020 without an Elam Ending, a final target score that the team’s need to reach, which provided exciting endings in recent years.

“Hopefully, as years go on, [the All-Star Game] gets back to being what the fans wanna see … I guess guys are trying to figure out how to play hard and be safe at the same time,” Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said after the game.

The 2024 All-Star Game was the first NBA game to see a team reach 200 points, but regardless of the record it seems as though changes to create a more competitive game need to be made. The NBA has yet to announce if any changes will be made to their next All-Star Weekend, which will take place at the Chase Center in San Fransisco in 2025.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league was considering changes that would bring back the East/West format for the league’s annual All-Star Game. Instead of a game between the conferences, the event has been contested with star team captains since 2018, one of several efforts to make the game more interesting to viewers.

“We’re looking at some potential changes in format in Indianapolis this year,” Silver said about the 2024 All-Star Game on ESPN’s First Take Wednesday. “Maybe a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to sort of this captain and draft notion, but clearly, historically it was East vs. West. So that’s maybe something we are looking at.”

The return to tradition Silver referred to first began in 1951, when the first All-Star Game officially took place between the best players from the East and West Conference. The format remained largely unchanged until 2017. In the new captain format, LeBron James has perennially served as one of the team leaders and played against one of either Steph Curry, Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ratings reached an all-time low in 2023.

“The All-Star Weekend is quite a spectacle,” Silver said. “I’m always sort of laughing because before the game even starts on Sunday afternoon, people are saying, ‘This is the best ever!’ And I’m like, ‘We’ll, we’ve got this game.’ I’ll take some fault for that because when you’re there this year in Indianapolis, beginning essentially Thursday night and then through Sunday, I think it’s an opportunity for this whole global basketball community to come together. Great legends of the game. Not just the All-Stars, but lots of players. I don’t know how it works in other sports, but we have dozens and dozens of players in the league who choose to come to All-Star Weekend for the activities for various events who aren’t even All-Stars. So I think we’ve lost sight a bit that it’s about the game at the end of the day.”

The NBA is not the only league that has struggled to entice viewers for its All-Star Game in recent years. The NFL’s Pro Bowl has suffered to such an extent that officials are considering overhauling the entire event, while the NHL has implemented more skills contests to improve the quality of the event.

The 2022 NBA-Star Game was more special than most: The league celebrated its 75th anniversary as well as the 75 best players to ever lace up the high tops.

One moment stood out from all the many other wonderful moments and seemed to make the league come full circle.

Ever since he was a teenager, LeBron James has been compared—perhaps unfairly—to Michael Jordan. The pair is constantly the main argument in the oft-contentious, impossible-to-win debate of who the greatest basketball player ever is. And, on Sunday night, the two embraced for a rare emotional scene.

Jordan could be seen asking his generational counterpart, “Hanging in there?”

The two shared a hug, the rest of their conversation was muffled, and “MJ” could be heard leaving “Bron” with the message, “You’re gonna do it, you’re gonna do it. Good luck.”

This is as close to we’re going to get with regards to the two settling things on a basketball court, but it was as wholesome as it gets.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray have been named injury replacements for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

Ball will replace injured Brooklyn Nets F Kevin Durant and Murray will replace injured Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green. In addition, Boston Celtics F Jayson Tatum, who was selected as a reserve, will replace Durant in the starting lineup.

The game will tip off at 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The Team Durant vs. Team LeBron tilt will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.

Ball, last year’s Rookie of the Year, makes his first All-Star game. Ball is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.47 steals in 47 games this year.

He ranks 10th in the NBA in assists per game and 17th in steals per game, and he’s one of five NBA players averaging at least 19.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 7.0 rebounds—Murray, Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks, James Harden of the Nets, and Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets.

The 20-year-old Ball was previously selected to play in the Clorox Rising Stars during NBA All-Star 2022.

It’s also the first All-Star selection for Murray, who’s in his fifth season and averaging career-highs of 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.06 steals in 47 games this year.

The 25-year-old leads the NBA in steals per game, ranks fourth in assists per game, and is 26th in rebounds per game; his 10 triple-doubles are the second-most in the NBA and a single-season record for a Spurs player.

Durant is unable to play because of a sprained MCL in his left knee. The 12-time All-Star is averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 36 games this year.

Green’s not playing because of a lower back/disc injury, which has sidelined him for the last 14 games. He’s averaging 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.38 steals, and 1.21 blocks in 34 games.

When a starter is injured prior to the NBA All-Star Draft and is unable to participate in the All-Star Game, he is replaced in the starter pool by the reserve from the same conference/position group.

In the NBA All-Star Draft, Tatum will be selected with the starters in the first round, while Ball and Murray will be selected with the reserves. Green will be assigned to the same team that drafts Murray. TNT will air the Draft on Thursday, February 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Joining Ball, Durant, and Tatum as NBA All-Stars from the Eastern Conference are Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors), and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).

Joining the Western Conference are Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), and Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors).

On Wednesday, the NBA announced that Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was selected to replace injured Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the NBA All-Star Game as a Western Conference All-Star reserve.

Davis will miss the game after suffering a right calf strain in a game against the Nuggets on February 14. NBA head coaches voted him as an All-Star reserve. This was his eighth consecutive All-Star selection. This season, Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.78 blocks in 23 games.

Commissioner Adam Silver gave Booker the spot a day after Booker was snubbed for a reserve spot in the March 7 game set to take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This marks Booker’s second straight NBA All-Star selection, and both were selections as an injury replacement.

Booker is averaging a team-high 24.7 points for the Suns, which is 16th overall in the NBA. He is also chipping in with 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and is shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from the field.

On Wednesday night, Booker received a big ovation from the Phoenix crowd when the star guard was announced as an All-Star for this season during starting lineup introductions. Suns coach Monty Williams told the media pregame that the honor was well deserved.

“The situation at the time was a bit weird for us when Devin didn’t get a call, but we’re grateful for what has transpired over the last few hours, and we’re just happy for Book,” said Williams.

Booker and fellow All-Star Chris Paul have helped the Suns get to their current 20-10 record, which is the fourth-best in the NBA. The last time the Suns had two All-Stars was in 2009-2010 with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will replace injured Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, the league announced Wednesday.

Carmelo Anthony to Take Kevin Love’s All-Star Game Spot

According to ESPN, Anthony accepted the invite from commissioner Adam Silver earlier in the day, after Silver offered him a place on the Eastern Conference roster.

This marks Anthony’s 10th All-Star selection. The 13-year veteran had planned a vacation with his family before he was contacted by Silver.

“It means a lot,” Anthony said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an honor to be named to the All-Star team, to go out there and represent despite everything that’s been going on, that’s surrounding us, that’s surrounding me, that’s surrounding our organization. To still go out there and represent not just the organization but New York City as a whole, it’s still an honor to do that.”

Love, meanwhile, hard arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Anthony and Love were recently tied to rumors of a trade between the Knicks and Cavaliers, although LeBron James quickly shut down those rumors last week, condemning the New York Daily News reporter who claimed James had pushed for such an exchange.

The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 23.

One NBA veteran who was not happy with the league’s decision to replace Love with Anthony was Jared Dudley, who signed a three-year deal with the Phoenix Suns in July. Dudley, who previously played for the Washington Wizards, complained about Anthony’s selection in a series of tweets Thursday, calling the decision “the definition of politics” and saying Wizards guard Bradley Beal should have replaced Love instead.

Wizards center Marcin Gortat retweeted several of Dudley’s tweets and concurred it was a “big shame” that Anthony was chosen over Beal.

Anthony is having another strong year. He is averaging 23.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

When criticized by other Twitter users who said they believed Dudley simply disliked Anthony, Dudley quickly responded he had nothing against the Knicks star, and argued he believed Beal was more deserving of the All-Star nod because the Wizards (33-21) are the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference, as opposed to the Knicks, (23-34) who are 12th and will likely miss this year’s playoffs.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 17: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on November 17, 2016 in Washington, DC.

The Western Conference destroyed the Eastern Conference in a record setting 196-173 victory at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto on Sunday. Both the points scored by the West and the two teams’ combined point total of 369 set records.

West Defeats East 196-173 In NBA All-Star Game

Russell Westbrook led the West with 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals to earn his second straight All-Star Game MVP.Anthony Davis had 24 points on 12-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 assists.

Paul George led the East with 41 points, just short of Wilt Chamberlain’s 1962 record of 42 points. George did, however, set the record for most threes made with nine. This was his first All-Star Game appearance since breaking his leg before the 2014-2015 season.

The West led 92-90 at the half, and then 121-104 in the third quarter of a game with nearly non-stop scoring.

The game also marked superstar Kobe Bryant’s final All-Star appearance: Bryant had 10 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

Two montages of Bryant’s best moments were shown before the game, as a way to pay tribute to the 18-time All-Star.

As for the other competitions, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had a great duel in the three-point shooting contest, and Karl-Anthony Towns beat Isaiah Thomas in the skills competition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy7VyZOcJBI

Caption: TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 14: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Eastern Conference goes up for a dunk in the first half against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and the Western Conference during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario.

On Thursday, the NBA announced this year’s All-Star Weekend participants, including those who will partake in the Slam Dunk Contest, the 3-Point Contest, and the Skills Challenge.

NBA Announces Participants In All-Star Saturday Night Events

Slam Dunk defending champion Zach LaVine from the Minnesota Timberwolves will lead the first competition following last year’s stellar performance. LaVine will compete against Will “The Thrill” Barton from the Denver Nuggets, Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons giant Andre Drummond. 

LaVine is expected to be the heavy favorite, although Drummond is probably the most creative and Barton is a high-flyer wild card.

With regards to the 3-Point Contest, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the current defending champion, and is expected to be the favorite given his pre-game shooting warmups, which are often better than mosts participants’ runs. Curry’s fellow contestants this year include Splash Brother Klay Thompson, Houston Rockets Guard James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Reddick, Phoenix Suns rookie Devin Booker, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and versatile Milwaukee Bucks shooter Khris Middleton. 

The third and final competition is the Skills Challenge, in which participants go through dribbling, layup and passing courses. The event has been dominated by guards in the last few years, but the variety of competitors this year should make it an even more interesting challenge.

New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis and Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins lead the roster, with Warriors do-it-all forward Draymond Green a good bet to roll in the event. Rockets guard Pat Beverley will get to defend his title, while rookie Karl-Anthony Towns will get his first shot at it. Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, Boston Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas and Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson round out the field.

NBA All-Star Saturday Night 2016 is on TNT Saturday, Feb. 13.

Caption: NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 14: Zach LaVine #8 of the Minnesota Timberwolves competes during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest as part of the 2015 NBA Allstar Weekend at Barclays Center on February 14, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Sting is set to take the mic as the lead performer at the NBA’s All-Star 2016 Halftime Show at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Sting To Perform At NBA All-Star 2016 Halftime Show

The former Police frontman and 16-time Grammy Award Winner will perform a medley of his classic hits, such as “Every Break You Take” and “Roxanne”  throughout the show, which will broadcast in more than 200 countries and territories and heard in 40 languages.

Former Genesis member Peter Gabriel will also join Sting on stage. The two are currently preparing for their Rock Paper Scissors tour, which starts June 21 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Before the game, performing arts group Cirque du Soleil will perform a mixture of acrobatics, dance and technology to simulate a basketball dream. The 2016 NBA All-Stars will be introduced after the production.

All-Star game coverage will kick off at 8 pm EST on TNT in the U.S. and on Sportsnet ONE and TSN in Canada. 

Caption:NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 04: Guitarist Sharon Isbin (L) and Singer Sting perform onstage during Change Begins Within: A David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert on November 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for David Lynch Foundation)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ614xdOA8Y

Late Show’s intern Todd got to enjoy the festivities of this weekend’s NBA All-Star game. There he met a multitude of past and present greats, pissed off the always angry Kevin Durant and attempted to meet his idol Lebron James.

Highlights of the video include Todd asking Scottie Pippen who is the sweatiest player of all time, him trying on Dikembe Mutombo’s oversized suit jacket and shoes and him asking to be Chris Mullins’ valentine. And it all ends happily, with the Cleveland-born Todd getting a fist bump from Lebron James.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was announced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as a replacement in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. He will replace Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin, who will have surgery to remove a staph infection on his elbow later today.

“I am thankful,” Lillard told Yahoo! Sports upon hearing the news.  I feel bad for Blake, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to be there.” It will be Lillard’s second straight All-Star appearance.

Lillard had been very vocal in how disappointed he was about originally not making the All-Star roster. After not being picked as a reserve by NBA coaches or as an injury replacement for Kobe Bryant, Lillard posted on Instagram about how “disappointed” and “disrespected” he felt. The post has since been removed. Lillard also planned on dropping out of the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday to protest his snub, but has now retracted that and will take part in the event with teammate LaMarcus Aldridge.