Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have, in their own way, echoed LeBron James’ words about the now official 2021 NBA All-Star Game. The players were inquired about the upcoming event, set to take place next March 7 and their reactions were similar, explaining weren’t that excited for the game given all the things they’re already doing and how the league is somehow pushing this match.
On Thursday, LeBron said that the league trying to carry out the game was a “slap in the face” because of the short turnaround the league had, all the games they’re playing now and the fact that the league had initially discarded the idea of the game for this year.
“Coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we’d have a nice little break. Five days [in March] from the fifth through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. Some of the guys in the league.
“And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face…
“I’ll be there if I’m selected. But I’ll be there physically, but not mentally.”
After that, more players shared the same sentiment as the King, making it clear that they’re not keen to play in this ASG. Giannis specifically agreed with LeBron, saying he has no energy for the game.
“We’ve got to all follow the big dog [LeBron]. The big dog says he has zero excitement and zero energy for the All-Star Game, and I’m the same way. I really right now don’t care about the All-Star Game. We cannot see our families.”
Kawhi Leonard also took a jab at the league when he said they were putting “money over health,” and he wasn’t even surprised by the decision.
“We all know why we’re playing it. There’s money on the line … and putting money over health, pretty much. We’re playing games now and it’s still a pandemic, we’re doing all these protocols. That doesn’t even surprise me.”
Kemba Walker was another star who agreed with James, saying he is going to be taking a vacay when the game takes place next month.
“We all seen what Bron said. I agree. He’s a smart man. A lot of things he says is correct. I’m probably gonna be on vacation.”
Kemba Walker agrees with LeBron James that the All Star Game shouldn’t be played – “We all seen what Bron said. I agree. He’s a smart man. A lot of things he says is correct. I’m probably gonna be on vacation.”#Celtics pic.twitter.com/ZWsWaZKyzm
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 5, 2021
This is not a good thing for the league. The players aren’t happy with the upcoming All-Star Game and they’re not missing the chance to show their disagreement. It’s unclear if this actually going to have an effect on the league and they will call it off, but as the days go by, more players will probably talk against the event.
