“Don’t Deserve the Privilege of Playing on Sunday”: Draymond Green Disapproves of Rising Stars Facing All-Stars

The NBA’s decision to switch up the All-Star Game’s format has been surprisingly well received – except for one small issue. The 4-team tournament, with three All-Star teams and the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge, has caused some discontent among older players. They have claimed the youngsters haven’t done enough in their career to be allowed the privilege of playing on the big day. Draymond Green, who has always been an outspoken player, has backed this argument.

Marc Spears spoke about Draymond’s issues with this tournament and said that Green, a 4-time All-Star himself, felt that the presence of the Rising Stars Team cheapens the whole experience of All-Star Sunday.

According to Spears, Green said, “These young guys, if they’re on the Rising Stars team, don’t deserve the privilege of playing on Sunday.” Spears added that Draymond wasn’t against the format of the tournament as a whole, just the inclusion of the youngsters in the Sunday festivities.

The reporter also claimed he’d received a similar comment from a member of last year’s All-Star squad. According to this unnamed former All-Star, the experience was a lose-lose situation for the older players. In his words, “What does the All-Star team that plays against the Rising Stars have to gain? We’re supposed to beat them, if we lose we look bad.”

The players aren’t hugely optimistic about this idea, but the general consensus among fans is that the youngsters may be exactly what was needed for this once-great event to rediscover its past glory.

The Rising Stars play Shaq’s OGs first

With only 4 teams in the tournament, the first two games are essentially semi-finals. While Kenny Smith’s Young Stars face off against Charles Barkley’s Global Stars, it’s the other matchup that’s generated more buzz.

Shaquille O’Neal’s team of “OGs” plays the Rising Stars in the semis, and there’s no better way to show Adam Silver that the players are serious about the All-Star Game again than this matchup.

The OGs, a squad that includes the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry, will want to show that, despite their age, they are still the best players in the league, and will want to win their first game. Plus, losing to a team of rookies who looked up to them in their childhood would just be plain embarrassing.

If they play hard and go on to win their first game, they’d be in the finals, and would not want to be defeated in the championship game regardless. No matter the outcome, Silver’s plea to get the players to take the All-Star game more seriously will be taken to heart.

Despite the noise around the Rising Stars’ inclusion on All-Star Sunday, the fans will most certainly be treated to a must-see couple of games tonight.