The league recently announced that amid the global pandemic, there would be an in-person NBA All-Star game in the 2020-21 season. This was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, who announced that this game would be hosted in Atlanta on March 7, less than a month from today.
As fans across the world vote for the players they think deserve a spot on the respective rosters, players around the league have given their take on the situation.
In an interview with Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated and other members of the media, Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers recently said that the game is only being played to generate revenue for the league and that health isn’t being taken seriously enough.
“It is what it is at this point. We all know why we’re playing it. There’s money on the line…Just putting money over health right now.”
Additionally, Giannis Antetokounmpo told Eric Woodyard of ESPN that if the game does happen, he at least hopes that fans can be there to enjoy it.
“At the end of the day, if we have the All-Star game, I hope the fans can be there. And, we can give back to them, but at the end of the day if we have the All-Star game just to have an All-Star Game and don’t have no fans, I don’t see the point.”
Regardless of the reasons for the league making this decision, extreme precautions should be made so that the continued health and safety of players are continued.
This season, NBA players and media will join fans in selecting the NBA All-Star starters. While fans will still account for the majority of the decision, with 50 percent of the vote, current players and a media panel account for 25 percent each.
