Washington Wizards superstar Bradley Beal topped the voting polls for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, ranking first place in all three categories such as fan, player, and media votes among Eastern Conference guards. While it certainly is a great personal milestone for Beal, it appears that he's still on the fence about playing in arguably the most controversial All-Star game in history.
Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington on Thursday, the NBA's leading scorer revealed that he might not even suit up in the spectacle at all.
“I’m very curious. I know a lot of the other guys don’t want to play. I’m kind of in that boat, too”.
“In my opinion, [with] the pandemic and what’s going on in the world and us trying to be safe – granted, I know we have protocols and I’m not saying we won’t be safe – but the ultimate experience of the weekend isn’t there. It’s mainly for the fans, for entertainment. That’s kind of [gone]. I think it will be crazy, but us as players will have to decide what it is we’re going to do. As of now, we’re playing.”
There's been some push back among some notable players ever since the league confirmed that it will be pushing through with a one-day All-Star event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on March 7. Looks like the Wizards All-Star is joining the long list of players questioning the need for such festivities in the midst of a pandemic.
Washington's 27-year-old marksman is named an All-Star for the third time in his career and first as a starter. Beal was famously a controversial snub last season. Going from All-Star omission to starter must definitely feel like vindication.
But for now, the Wizards' franchise star says he'll keep it professional and honor his duties regardless of his personal feelings about the matter. Beal, after all, has been underappreciated for too long and he definitely deserves top billing in this year's All-Star game, despite the Wizards' poor start to the campaign so far.
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