Kawhi Leonard feels no energy or excitement ahead of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game: “Atlanta is usually pretty turnt up, but this year it’s dead to us players”

All-Star Weekend is normally an occasion for players to party and have a good time. But Kawhi Leonard says this year is different.

Leonard is making his 5th appearance at the All-Star Game, and all 5 of these have been as a starter. The 2-time Defensive Player of the Year will be starting for Team Durant, possibly as its on-field captain.

Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have all been ruled out of the game this time around. While KD has a nagging hamstring injury, Embiid and Simmons have recently been held back for contact tracing. It emerged that Embiid and Simmons’ barber has tested positive.

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This year’s All-Star Weekend festivities have all been condensed into one day of fun. Kawhi Leonard was asked about how he felt about these changes, and for once, he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind frankly with the media.

Kawhi Leonard believes this year’s All-Star Game is ‘dead’

Leonard said unlike last year’s All-Star at Chicago pre-pandemic, Atlanta’s ASG is completely different:

“There’s no energy, no excitement…Off the floor it is pretty dead. The city of Atlanta is pretty turnt up but it’s pretty dead [for what NBA staff and players can do].”

Kawhi Leonard said unlike last year’s All-Star at Chicago pre-pandemic, Atlanta’s ASG is completely different: “There’s no energy, no excitement…Off the floor it is pretty dead. The city of Atlanta is pretty turnt up but it’s pretty dead [for what NBA staff and players can do]”

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) March 7, 2021

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Kawhi is not one of those players known to be interested in flashy party scenes. But he clearly feels a different air about his year’s All-Star Game, and with good reason.

Leonard, along with LeBron and Giannis, was among the foremost voices to speak out against holding this year’s ASG. All 3 of them made the same argument – in a time when everyone is taking the court with masks, this is more of a punishment for players to have to play, rather than a reward.