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ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has laid the blame for the perceived decline of NBA All-Star Weekend squarely on the players. Speaking on First Take, Smith delivered a scathing critique of the effort displayed during recent All-Star events, describing it as a “disgrace” and pointing to players as the root cause of the ongoing issues.
“The players have ruined All-Star Weekend. It’s their fault that this is happening,” Smith said during the segment. “You think Adam Silver and the NBA, in concert with the Players Association, want to be huddling for weeks, if not months, trying to come up with different formats of All-Star Weekend? All you had to do was go out there and play with effort and not have it be a glorified layup line or shooting contest.”
NBA introduces drastic All-Star format changes amid criticism from Stephen A. Smith
Smith's comments follow the NBA’s announcement of a major format change for the 2025 All-Star Game, which will take place in San Francisco. The new format introduces a four-team, three-game, one-night tournament. Three teams of eight All-Stars will compete alongside a fourth team comprising winners of the Rising Stars Challenge. Each game will be decided by the first team to score 40 points.
The change aims to address long-standing criticism of the All-Star Game’s lack of competitiveness, which reached a tipping point after last year’s 211-186 game in Indianapolis.
Smith emphasized that the players’ lack of effort is what forced the league to explore such drastic measures.
“They play harder in the summertime training amongst themselves than they do in front of thousands of fans in the arena and millions watching for a star-studded All-Star Weekend event,” Smith said. “They have shamed the game of basketball, they have shamed the event. It is an absolute embarrassment.”
Smith also criticized specific aspects of the weekend, including the Slam Dunk Contest, which has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years.
“The Slam Dunk contest is an atrocity, and the All-Star Game is even worse,” he said. “The lack of effort that they have shown has been such a disgrace. I personally have no desire to be in attendance for it. It’s an embarrassment.”
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Kevin Durant comments on All-Star Weekend as debate over event's future grows
He even took a jab at the state of the Slam Dunk Contest with a sarcastic suggestion about organizing his own competition.
“At some point in time, I’m going to have my own. I’m going to sponsor my own Slam Dunk contest nationwide,” Smith quipped. “I believe I can go throughout the streets of America and find five to ten elite slam dunkers in this country, that would do ten times a better job than the Slam Dunk contest in NBA All-Star Weekend and the All-Star Game itself.”
Smith’s remarks align with recent criticism from Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, who also expressed displeasure with the new All-Star format. Speaking to PHNX Sports, Durant called the changes “terrible” and advocated for a return to the traditional East vs. West format.
“I hate it. Absolutely hate it,” Durant said. “We should just go back to East-West and just play the game. I think we’re just trying to bring back that flare, somehow with the All-Star Weekend, but I think we just keep it traditional.”
Smith concluded by reiterating that the players are ultimately responsible for the decline of the event.
“This is not Adam Silver’s fault, it’s not the league’s fault. This is the players who have basically said, ‘You know what? We don’t feel like the NBA caters enough to us. So we don’t give a damn.’”
The comments from Smith and Durant add to growing criticism of the state of NBA All-Star Weekend. As the league experiments with new formats, the challenge of restoring the event’s prestige and competitiveness remains a hot topic.
