“Chump Change to Those Guys”: Charles Barkley Highlights Another Reason for Fall Off of the All-Star Game

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game was a dull and sluggish snoozefest where no player on either team tried particularly hard on the offensive or defensive end, resulting in a boring 397-point game where the East beat the West 211-186. On Friday, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley appeared on the Stephen A. Smith Show and explained why players no longer cared to play with intensity in the All-Star Game.

Talking about the money involved, Barkley said

“Getting a nice chunk [of money] for winning or losing a game meant something. Because we were only making a couple of million dollars. But when you got guys making $30-40-50-60 million, I don’t know how much they get now, but it’s still probably chump change to those guys and they’re like I’m not going to get hurt out here.”

Barkley explained that every player in this year’s All-Star game earns at least $25 million a year in salary and will not risk their livelihood to win an exhibition game. Adding that he understands the players’ reasoning not to bring any intensity and risk getting injured, Barkley wishes the game was competitive rather than a three-point practice session.

The 1993 MVP is spot on. Each player on the winning All-Star team gets $100,000. While that’s a significant sum for an average Joe, NBA All-Stars have nine-figure contracts and will not bat an eye at that prize money. The NBA should reevaluate the future of the All-Star game and look to replace it with a more exciting event.

Stephen A. Smith suggests radical changes to All-Star Weekend

Charles Barkley is not the only NBA expert talking about the All-Star weekend. On Monday, Stephen A. Smith lashed out at NBA stars after a disappointing All-Star weekend, saying,

“What transpired last night was an absolute travesty. Nearly 400 points were scored. No defense. No effort whatsoever. This is the ultimate indictment against the NBA stars who show up on NBA All-Star Weekend. You play harder in the Summer League when you’re training. That’s all anybody’s asking [for].” 

.@stephenasmith thinks the NBA should get rid of the Skills Competition, Slam Dunk Competition and the All-Star Game:

“What transpired last night was an absolute travesty.” pic.twitter.com/TXLUB8RvPm

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 19, 2024

He also came up with a radical solution to fix the Slam Dunk Contest. He suggested that the NBA should look for participants from outside the league to participate in the event and put on a show for the fans. He said,

“Since [the players] don’t want to give the fans what they want to see, we are going to bring you some people who are going to give the fans what they want to see.”

Smith’s solution is intriguing but not viable. The Slam Dunk Contest’s selling point is NBA superstars showing off their skills. Fans likely wouldn’t be interested in watching the event without players participating. Smith’s eagerness to come up with a solution to make the All-Star weekend interesting indicates his frustration with the state of the marquee event. The players may not care, but the analyst does.