“Don’t understand having an All Star Game this year”: Lakers’ LeBron James is vehemently against festivities in the midseason break

LeBron James joins De’Aaron Fox among the ranks of players who’re unhappy that the NBA All Star Game is being held this year.

Yesterday, after a clutch win over the Celtics, Fox had denounced the league for weighing the idea of an All-Star game. He’d said:

“If I’m going to be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid,” Fox said. “If we have to wear a mask and do all of this for a regular game, then what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?”

Frank Vogel was a bit more circumspect in post-game interviews today. He said he ‘understood’ the financial implications of not having one:

“We’re all of the mindset to do whatever is good for the health of the league. We took a big hit to our business with this pandemic, and everybody’s just trying to play their part and do the best they can. … We would all be willing to do it, but it certainly would be harder to commit to something like that given the current climate.”

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LeBron James does not like the idea of this year’s All Star Game

Speaking in yesterday’s post-game presser after a win over Denver, LeBron James said:

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year. I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.”

“Obviously, the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it at this point when it comes to that weekend. Obviously, you guys can see that I’m not very happy about it. But it’s out of my hands. I’ll be there if I’m selected. But I’ll be there physically but not mentally.”

LeBron James: “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game this year.”

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 5, 2021

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Clearly, the league has a financial incentive to conduct the All Star Game, which usually gets a high number of eyeballs. The fact that this year it will be a month removed from the Superbowl makes it more marketable.