The 2025 NBA All-Star Game failed to live up to expectations and former NHL star P.K. Subban had some strong words for the players in the aftermath. During an appearance on Get Up, Subban was asked if the NBA could opt for a tournament like the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off but he isn’t certain that would fix the problem.
“Hockey is a different sport from the NBA,” Subban said. “You can’t compare the cultures because of the way the game is played. You can step on an NBA floor and go through the emotions. You can’t do that in hockey, you can’t. The culture of our sport, you have to play with passion, you have to be willing to fight, you have to be willing to leave it on the ice.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off has temporarily replaced the NHL All-Star Game and has proved to be a massive hit so far. Subban pointed out that fans are tuning in even with a superstar like Cale Makar being out because they enjoy the product.
“This was the most viewed game that we’ve had in years,” Subban stated. “And you see it, it’s because it’s not just based on the skill and talent. It’s based on the pride, honor, playing for the guy next to you. I got a question for the NBA players – what the hell are you playing for? What are you playing for?
“It’s not about the money, you make all the money,” Subban continued. “What, you’re injured? Well, there’s a difference between being hurt and injured. Are you hurt or are you injured? There’s a difference. In hockey, we play hurt. We play injured. That is the culture of the sport. It’s always been that way.
“So you want to talk about the business, the CBA, fans get all of that,” Subban added. “But what do fans resonate with? They resonate with what’s real. You got to fight sometimes for your country. You got to compete. You got to go out there and leave it on the ice because those people are paying the price of admission.
“So fans know whether the stars are on the ice or not, they’re getting their money’s worth,” Subban said.”The NBA has that issue that they got to work on. You got to create a better culture for your players. It starts with the leaders. There was no issue when (Michael) Jordan was around, there was no issue when Kobe (Bryant) was around.”
Subban stated that while the NHL came up with the new idea, it was the players who took it upon themselves to give it their all. He wants to see that same kind of pride from NBA players.
“I think LeBron’s (James) great, I think KD’s (Kevin Durant) great, Stephen Curry, love watching them,” Subban stated. “But you got to be on the court. You got to be there and when you’re there, you got to go all in. The fans got to feel that they’re getting their money’s worth. And right now there’s a big difference between what the NHL is doing with those events and what the NBA is doing.”
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That was quite the rant. To be fair to the NBA players, some of them were playing hard at first but they seemed to have gotten annoyed by all the stoppages. The focus was taken away from the game by the league itself and the players couldn’t care less once that happened.
So, there is blame to go around for this edition not working out. Hopefully, the NBA has learned a lesson and we won’t get a repeat in 2026. What might also work is going to the U.S. vs. the World format, as there might be just a bit more pride at stake for everyone involved.
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