INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Inside an arena covered by a shell that could pass for a globe, the NBA will try to entertain on Sunday while also reaching out to the rest of the world.
The NBA All-Star Game’s latest concept involves a team of the league’s top international players competing against two teams composed of domestic talent. The format will be a round-robin, leading to a championship game after one of the three teams is eliminated through a series of head-to-head matchups.
Team World will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, yet still features the talents of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of Serbia, Luka Doncic of Slovenia and Victor Wembanyama of France among its nine players.
The USA Stars team skews younger with Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards, while USA Stripes boasts experience with Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard of the host Los Angeles Clippers.
Leonard is eager to showcase what the Clippers’ two-year-old Intuit Dome is all about. He appears less enthusiastic about the All-Star Game format that departs from traditional norms.
“I know it’s three teams and I’m like, ‘Is it a pickup game where we wait until somebody (wins)?” Leonard said. “I’d rather just be East and West and go out there and compete and see what the outcome is.”
At first glance, the setup appears to give players worldwide a chance to represent themselves in basketball’s best league, but even that opportunity feels somewhat empty. At least until the competition kicks off, it does.
“For me, I’m going to play like I played every year,” Jokic said Saturday. “… I’m not sure that it is going to bring (more) fire to me, no, because I play (that way) every game the same.”
The NBA is known for setting trends, but Sunday’s format appears to draw inspiration from the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off last year and the ongoing international showdown that is the Milan Cortina Olympics.
And yet, it doesn’t seem to be generating the same passion as either event. Jokic even has a prediction about how it all will unfold.
“We are going to have (veteran) OGs and maybe they’re going to play the most. They’re going to try to prove they can still be in this league,” Jokic said. “They are really good players. Probably all of them are Hall of Famers.
“I think Europeans are going to probably pass the ball a lot and have fun out there. OGs (are) probably going to win it, and the third team is probably going to dunk the most times.”
For all of the complaints that All-Star Weekend no longer moves the needle, Jokic does point out what is on the line for each squad. Perhaps that is the lens to use come Sunday.
“They need something to complain about (and) I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, to be honest, the All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend,” Durant said about All-Star Game criticism. “Just here to celebrate the game of basketball. People still coming to celebrate the game of basketball. They’re coming to watch.”
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
