As the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend approaches, fans and media members continue to discuss the issues plaguing the league’s midseason festivities. Fingers have been pointed in several directions, but Stephen A. Smith believes the problem is with the players, who have essentially erased any competitiveness throughout the All-Star Weekend.
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Stephen A. stated on First Take that he is disgusted by the All-Star Game’s current state. “It’s an absolute travesty,” he said, even revealing that he contacted the league office to air out his complaints. “I called Adam Silver, I called some of his lieutenants,” Smith said. “I’m like ‘Why, why are we wasting our time?'”
The longtime sports personality underlined to ESPN that even though he gets paid to cover the sport, he doesn’t even want to attend the All-Star Game. Stephen A. emphasized that Silver was a great commissioner and that the issues with the weekend were not the fault of the league, but the players.
Smith pointed out that if David Stern were still the commissioner of the NBA, players wouldn’t attempt to sit out as much as they do. But Silver’s concern for the players has allowed them to take advantage of his compassion, leading to uninspiring All-Star Weekends in recent years.
“Adam Silver is guilty for being nice and caring about the players and appeasing them because he wants them happy and he wants to be a great partner,” the 57-year-old continued.
Stephen A. then turned his attention to the weekend’s dunk contest, which has also notably fallen off since Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon went toe-to-toe in 2016. He lambasted the rest of the league for not applying themselves or even making an effort to compete in the contest, underlining how G League guard, Mac McClung, is the reigning back-to-back champion.
Smith shared his disappointment when pointing out that Boston’s Jaylen Brown was the first All-Star to compete in the contest since DeAndre Jordan in 2017.
Stephen A. and Shannon Sharpe explain the NBA’s failing Slam Dunk Contest
The pair of veteran sports commentators underlined how the league’s top talents refuse to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest today. Unlike during the contest’s heyday, when basketball icons like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were participating, many of the entrants in the contest today are role players or unknown youngsters. Taking away the star value of the competition definitely hasn’t done it any favors.
Shannon Sharpe shared how he doesn’t even recognize some of the participants in the dunk contest, as some of the recent entrants don’t even receive minutes in the NBA. The former football star believes much of the contest lacks excitement nowadays because of the absence of high-flying superstars like Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards.
If the league hopes to redeem its All-Star Weekend, marquee names from around the association will have to be a genuine part of the competitions.
