SAN FRANCISCO — Welcome to the Bay Area, where the NBA was the biggest loser of all.
On a mostly beautiful weekend in a mostly beautiful city, the league managed to turn its All-Star Game into anything but a showcase of the best basketball players in the world. Everyone from Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green to comedian Kevin Hart spent the weekend crapping on the product — even during the game itself — turning what was supposed to be a celebration of the sport into a joke.
LOSER: The NBA
We probably should have known it was headed that way when Anthony Edwards was asked about the exhibition’s new format and said, “I don’t really know too much about it.” He did not participate in the four-team tournament. Nor did LeBron James. Neither allowed the league time to field a replacement.
“It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more 3s; it’s no substance,” Green said on Saturday of the sport that has paid him in excess of a quarter of a billion dollars over the life of his career. “I think it’s very boring.”
On Sunday, Green doubled down, declaring the new format “ridiculous” and a “zero” that “sucks.”
It was not that the new format did not work. The basketball was more competitive than it has been in years, at least at the start. It is that the NBA made everything but the games a centerpiece of the night.
There is another way to interpret what Green said, but he will not want to hear it: The sport requires more athleticism and more skill than ever, and at 34 years old he can no longer make the same impact.
The league could have celebrated that athleticism and skill, but instead it handed a microphone to Hart, who spent the first game of the tournament complaining to the crowd about “big men jacking 3s.” You could feel the energy being sucked from the arena with every criticism levied against the game.
It is the same critique Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal have levied against the league, creating an echo chamber that includes everyone who watches “Inside the NBA” on TNT. I have already written at length about this subject. This is nostalgia for a time that never was. Shooting is not ruining the game. Talking about shooting ruining the game is ruining the game. Let us just enjoy the sport we love.
Instead, the NBA paused its championship game 12 points into the competition to present the TNT crew with some parting gifts, as if they were leaving for good. They are just moving to ESPN next season. The interruption felt like it lasted for several hours and sucked whatever energy remained from the building.
That Stephen Curry won MVP of the games in his hometown became an afterthought. Think about that.
If only the league had turned the microphone over to its greatest stars, since Curry said it best: “I don’t want to compare it to any other era because the world has changed. Life is different. The way people consume basketball is different. It’s not going to look like it used to. But it can still be fun for everybody.”
WINNER: The G League
Somebody had to inject some life into the All-Star festivities, and if NBA players were not going to do it, their G League competitors were certainly willing, ultimately owning the first two nights of the weekend.
In the second semifinal of Friday’s Rising Stars showcase, against their rival NBA prospects, G League wing Bryce McGowens buried a game-winner in a 40-39 upset. Sent home were NBA players Amen and Ausar Thompson, Toumani Camara, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Julian Strawther and Matas Buzelis.
The G Leaguers also took a 12-8 lead in the first-to-25 final game of the evening, which prompted Stephon Castle and Co. to save the NBA from considerable embarrassment. The San Antonio Spurs rookie scored or assisted on 18 of his team’s 25 points, ending the very real possibility that a group of G League players might have advanced to face three eight-man teams of All-Stars in Sunday’s tournament.
On Saturday night, the G League’s Mac McClung, who is on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic, won his third consecutive dunk contest, defeating Castle, Buzelis and fellow NBA player Andre Jackson Jr.
LOSER: Oakland
The NBA hosted its All-Star practice and media availability, as well as its annual HBCU game, on Saturday at the former Oracle Arena in Oakland. The league brought its energy to the building for the first time since the Golden State Warriors left Oakland for Chase Center in 2019. Fan support was lively, especially in contrast to crowds in San Francisco for Friday’s Rising Stars Game and Saturday’s skills competitions.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard grew up in Oakland, where residents have seen the Warriors, A’s and Raiders leave in recent years. It struck him how empty that area on his side of the Bay Bridge feels.
“Growing up close by here, looking at the Coliseum and seeing Oracle and how dead it is, when there was so much energy in it when I was a kid with the Raiders, the A’s, the Warriors being here, concerts, AND1 Mixtape tour coming through here, Globetrotters,” he said, “I remember a lot about this parking lot.”
Lillard wanted to ensure the NBA hosted events in Oakland, and while the league did hold its Saturday afternoon showcase there, it would’ve been nice to see that energy fuel the 3-point and dunk contests. In the end, the NBA’s brief visit was a reminder of how much the city has been robbed of its sports history.
“How do you bring some type of positivity back into Oakland?” asked Lillard. “Because I feel like having three major sports teams here, regardless if you’re a major sports fan or not, it’s something positive that people in the city could connect to and have as an experience, right here in our backyard. Hopefully we can all come together and figure out a way to continue to bring positive things to the city of Oakland.”
WINNER: This guy
LOSER: The dunk contest
While McClung’s leap over a Kia might have represented the single greatest dunk in the contest’s history, and while Castle’s behind-the-back windmill 360 made the competition close, the event was again a dud.
It needs star power. There is no question about that. It cannot be understated how quiet Chase Center was as Buzelis and Jackson repeatedly missed dunks that some legitimate star may have made look easy.
Sure, in the aftermath of McClung’s third straight victory, Ja Morant, who was watching from home, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sitting courtside, threatened to enter the dunk contest next season …
… but neither player committed to actually participating. And if McClung’s second dunk contest victory last season did not convince them to accept responsibility for showcasing their sport, why would a third?
Is it too much to ask that, as part of his $60 million annual salary, a star player’s participation in the dunk contest is required upon request? Give us the NBA’s starriest high-fliers. See if they can beat McClung.
WINNER: The 3-pointer
The 3-point contest, won this season by Tyler Herro in a shootout against Buddy Hield, remains the best competition of the evening. Why is it not the final event on Saturday? I get it. The dunk contest used to be cool, but at least there is drama built into the 3-point contest, and stars are not afraid to participate.
For as much discussion as there is about there being too many 3s in today’s NBA — and there was a lot of it over the weekend as almost every player was asked about it — there were some great answers on the subject, as players took it upon themselves to defend the skill that it takes to dial in from long distance.
“That’s the way that I’ve seen the game since I was a kid,” said Stephen Curry. “I love expanding my range, but even more I love the work that goes into earning and deserving that confidence. That’s the message that I preach all the time: I want everybody to be inspired, if you love basketball, to be able to shoot and get better and stretch your range. I would love you to be inspired to do that, but you’ve also got to work at it, too. … If you want to do that, then get in the gym, get your reps in and earn it. I don’t have any problem with guys and teams shooting a lot of 3s. Obviously, that’s the way that I play, and I love that factor in the game, but you’ve also got to put the work in behind the scenes to take full advantage of it.”
Not everyone can dunk, but everyone can shoot a 3, and the NBA boasts the best to ever do it. We should applaud that skill. Or perhaps you would rather see more of those inefficient midrange jumpers?
“Where [is the increase in 3-pointers] coming from? They are not coming from under the basket,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “Roughly 50% of points are still scored in that area. What you’re seeing is a conversion from [long] 2-pointers to 3-pointers, and often those longer shots do take more skill.”
LOSER: Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama
As Saturday night’s festivities began, the very first participants in the evening — San Antonio Spurs teammates Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama — did their best to undermine the entire weekend.
They attempted to circumnavigate the rules, failing to make any valid attempt to sink a single shot in the skills competition. (Why the event does not require players to make a single shot is a separate issue.)
You had to see it to appreciate how childish it was.
It was apparently Wembanyama’s idea, though everyone figured Paul for the mastermind.
What was the point of this? To make a joke of the event? Mission accomplished.
WINNER: Charles Barkley
In advance of the All-Star Game, the city of San Francisco attempted to clean up its streets, essentially wardening its unhoused population into a small section of the downtown area. That has not prevented Charles Barkley from ripping the city, calling it “rat-infested” and the “armpit of America” in recent weeks.
“If he ever goes out in this city,” one bus driver told me, “he’s gonna catch some hell.”
Quite the opposite, actually. I saw Chuck outside TNT’s party on Saturday night, and spectators were lined up to greet him. He happily obliged. Perhaps they had gotten word that Barkley had pledged $250,000 to San Francisco’s Glide Memorial Church, where he spent some time feeding the homeless.
Addressing the issue, as Barkley inevitably did, is certainly more effective than hiding it or criticizing it.
LOSER: The Dallas Mavericks
Though he refuted the theory, Silver entertained the idea that the new Dallas Mavericks owners, led by Patrick Dumont, intentionally tanked the team, by trading Luka Dončić, to move the franchise to Las Vegas.
“I have absolutely no knowledge or belief there were any ulterior motives,” the NBA commissioner said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the Dumont and Adelson families bought that team to keep it in Dallas. I have no doubt whatsoever that they’re committed to the long-term success of that franchise.”
Still, Silver said, “I was surprised when I heard about the trade,” and “in terms of anger within the fanbase, I’m empathetic. I understand it. Dallas was in the Finals last year, and as I’ve said, I like Luka very much.”
Even the commissioner was taken aback by a trade that so far could not have gone worse for the Mavericks. As Wembanyama affirmed, “Two weeks after, it’s still the craziest trade I’ve ever seen.”
WINNER: Muggsy Bogues
There are few more entertaining sights in the NBA than seeing Muggsy Bogues next to the game’s giants:
And my man Dan Devine was right:
I don’t know if it qualifies as a hot take, but I think it is reasonable to believe that a 5-foot-3 dude carving out a 14-year NBA career is more of a unicorn than a 7-foot guy who can shoot 3s and stuff https://t.co/4e8tHXVGgW
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) January 9, 2025
LOSER: LiAngelo Ball
I do not pretend to be an expert in music, so let me turn this over to my colleague, Dan Titus, who insisted that the basketball player-turned-rapper be included among the biggest losers on this list:
“LiAngelo Ball, aka GELO, brought his debut hit single ‘Tweaker’ to the NBA All-Star stage, but neither he nor the Bay Area crowd were ready. The hooper-turned-rapper’s set had the pyrotechnics, an ode to the Big Tymers and even an intro from his big brother, Lonzo. Still, the faint cheers mixed with boos sent a clear message — the NBA should’ve ‘tweaked’ the lineup for a more polished act.”
WINNER: Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert averaged 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Golden Sate Warriors in the early 1990s, but his name is commemorated forever in Chase Center, where the team paid homage to its longtime broadcaster.
A true Warriors legend.
LOSER: Self-driving cars
Empty Waymos were everywhere in San Francisco. A conversation I overheard a handful of times:
“What is that?”
“A self-driving car.”
“Would you ever get in one?”
“Hell no.”
“Me neither.”
And … scene.
WINNER: Jalen Williams
“I actually sweat,” said the Oklahoma City Thunder forward. “I didn’t think I was going to sweat.”
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 All-Star Game.
Now can we get back to the actual basketball?
