When you’ve been on TV for as long as Charles Barkley has, you’re bound to contradict yourself eventually. One of those moments occurred recently when he spoke on Inside the NBA about the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, which this year has been moved to a four-team, tournament-style format largely because the game’s best players have been making an embarrassing effort in recent years.
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Chuck talked about how important the All-Star Game was back in his day, and when asked by Shaq if the presence of other talented players made him want to play hard, here’s what he had to say.
“Cause I’m playing against other great players, you’re gonna play hard. If you don’t play hard, they’re gonna kick your butt.”
"It's on the players."
The Inside Crew talk All-Star Draft strategies & the future of the All-Star game 👀 pic.twitter.com/dY7r2ivexW
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 31, 2025
Barkley’s comments make sense, but they also stand in stark contrast to what he said on Jimmy Kimmel’s show a few years ago. During that interview, he ridiculed players who used to try too hard in the All-Star Game, repeatedly referring to them as “idiots.”
“I did not play hard … My obligation’s to my team. I just came to celebrate the league, to break a sweat. But I’m not gonna go out there and try to kill myself in an exhibition, that’s just stupid.”
Barkley said he was always on the lookout for the “idiot trying to get MVP,” though he also acknowledged that he actually won All-Star Game MVP himself once.
The NBA All-Star Game means different things to different people
Barkley, Shaq, and Kenny Smith drafted three of the All-Star teams, and Kenny spoke in the clip above about what he’s looking for on his team.
“That is why I don’t want no old heads on my team. I don’t want guys who are in their 20th All-Star … they’re gonna be like, ‘I’m good.’ No. I want guys who are going to be showing up going, ‘I’m here to kick some butt.'”
Things have undoubtedly changed since the playing days of the Inside the NBA crew. Player salaries have exploded to the point where many of the top players make in excess of $40 million per year. So if Barkley wasn’t going to give it his all, as he said on Jimmy Kimmel, then how can he expect today’s players to really try?
Commissioner Adam Silver is hoping that this new format juices up the All-Star Game and incentivizes players to give a better effort, but it remains to be seen how effective his efforts will be. A slight increase in prize money isn’t going to make a difference for most of these guys, so hopefully the bragging rights that come with winning the tournament will do the trick.
The NFL has had nearly identical issues to the NBA in the past decade, and it made the decision beginning in 2023 to do away with the Pro Bowl altogether in favor of a weekend of fun, comparatively low-stress events like dodgeball, tug-of-war, and an obstacle course where players show off their catching ability. The NBA isn’t at that point yet, but if this new format doesn’t work, it might not be far off.
