The 2025 All-Star Games were a colossal failure, dubbed by many as the ‘worst ASG of all time.’ The NBA tried a new format in hopes of reviving the annual event but it seems to have backfired worse than expected. JJ Redick also shares the same sentiment on the All-Star Games.
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Recently, the Lakers head coach was asked if he watched the All-Star Weekend festivities. Redick had a shocking reply to the question as he openly trashed the All-Star Weekend.
As per Daniel Starkand, the Managing Editor of LakerNation.com, Redick said, “I didn’t watch any of that s**t.” The general consensus on the ASW is that it wasn’t organised well. Fans had issues with the new format where teams were playing to reach the 40-point mark to qualify. To put this in perspective, the first game between Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley’s team only lasted 12 minutes, 10:07 being the actual game time.
JJ Redick on the NBA All-Star festivities:
"I didn't watch any of that shit."
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 19, 2025
A total of 42 minutes of basketball was played in a three-hour-long event. The intro and pre-game talk took 40 minutes to conclude before fans got to see players in action. After Game 1, YouTuber Mr. Beast was called up for a challenge and took five minutes on the floor before Game 2. The second game then concluded in 16 minutes.
After that, a six-minute musical performance was followed by a nine-minute, on-floor tribute to the Inside the NBA crew. It was baffling for fans as to who thought it would be a great idea to pay tribute to the TNT crew before Game 3. The final game took less time to conclude than the two events combined.
Another major issue at the ASG was that youngsters like Evan Mobley and Tyler Herro, who were playing their first ASG didn’t get enough minutes to shine. More attention was paid to making the event “entertaining” than actually playing basketball. To make matters worse, superstar comedian Kevin Hart was roasting the stars as a host, instead of talking them up for making it to the ASG.
42 minutes of actual basketball was played in the 3 hour All-Star game pic.twitter.com/qQ4fFG0zlP
— Point Four (@pointfour__) February 17, 2025
Overall, it was a disaster that went on for far too long. It’s understandable why the ASG was off-putting for a basketball purist like Redick. It’s worth noting that his opinion was not formed after the event. Going into the All-Star break, he made it clear to his staff that he won’t be available until Monday.
Redick said, “I’m going to tell my staff, don’t f*****g talk to me the next two days. If you need something over the weekend, I’ll be back in the office Monday… I’m coaching my kids this weekend. I’ll be with my family. It’ll be nice.” The NBA needs to do something to turn things around because fans’ interest in the ASW has taken a nosedive after this year’s exhibition.
