Every year, the NBA's All-Star Game is heavily criticized by fans. Over the last few decades, the All-Star Game has turned from a semi-competitive game between two conferences to a glorified shootaround between two teams. There have been some good All-Star games, but those have been few and far between. Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant called out Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the culprits for the laissez-faire attitude towards the All-Star game.
“You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they're going to compete,” Durant said earlier. “If you look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic now, let's go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven't questioned what they've been doing. But we're going to question the old heads, and the Americans.”
The quote has generated a lot of buzz: it's rare for a player to publicly call out his peers, and Durant let loose against two of the best players in the league. Now, Doncic has responded to Durant's comments. In a recent interview with the Slovenian sports website SportsKlub, the Lakers star pointed out that the lax treatment of the All-Star game was there before he and Jokic came into the league.
“When I first came to the All-Star Game, it was the same, so I don't know why he singled us out,” Doncic said. “But I think it will be better because it is a world against the USA.”
Indeed, the Lakers star was right: the World vs. USA format seemed to have lit a fire under the players. Many fans praised Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama's effort during the game. Team USA eventually won thanks to Edwards, but most viewers were just happy to get an entertaining and competitive game for once.
Doncic earned his sixth All-Star selection this season and his fifth selection as a starter. The Lakers star is averaging 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game this season. LA is fifth in the West with a 33-21 record before the All-Star game.
