Players not putting in any effort is the biggest gripe about the last few editions of the All-Star Game. Listless defense leads to an equally listless offense, with players more than happy to launch three-point bombs from nearly 40 feet out. The lack of competition has almost led to the doom of the game. But this season is different, not only has the NBA made significant changes to the format but even players are eager to make the battles more intense.
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Jaren Jackson Jr. is seemingly leading the charge to make the All-Star games great again. The Grizzlies forward has issued a bold warning to the league and warned his rivals that he is ready to guard them in a way that, even though he didn’t say it out loud, would be reminiscent of Kobe Bryant hounding LeBron James in 2013.
JJJ confessed that he was prepared for a full-court press. “I’m gonna pick up full-court. I’m just gonna do it. Let’s just set a different tone, it’s a different format,” the former DPOY proclaimed sitting down with Taylor Rooks. “Obviously you’re not trying to get blown out in a game to 40.”
The new All-Star Tournament rules will see 4 teams go head to head in 2 semis in-game to 40, and JJJ doesn’t have any intention of losing in the first match.
But that’s not all he said. The two-time All-Star revealed that he only started to learn about the importance of the games after he started to take part. “It’s a show,” he said. “It’s for everybody else, which you start to learn when you’re really in it.”
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s take on the NBA All-Star Game:
'I'm gonna pick up full-court. I'm just gonna do it… Let's just set a different tone' 😅
(via Taylor Rooks X) pic.twitter.com/H1ecaboRQV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2025
To Jackson, the All-Star game doesn’t just represent reaching the pinnacle of his field. It represents the fulfillment of dreams he had as a child growing up in New Jersey, and pretending to be one of his basketball heroes in his front yard.
Jaren Jackson Jr. pretended to be Kevin Durant as a child
If there’s one experience common to all basketball fans, it’s the imaginary scenarios we thought of as children. Pretending we were in clutch situations whenever we shot the ball, and celebrating wildly when we made a pretend buzzer beater is a unifying experience to everyone who had hoop dreams.
JJJ is no different. He revealed when talking to Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole that he’d pretend to be Durant, Tracy McGrady, or Kobe Bryant whenever he played basketball in his yard. “When I went in my yard, I liked to pretend I was KD, T-Mac, or Kobe,” Jackson said. “I just imagined being one of those superheroes on the court.”
His selection into his 2nd All-Star team has only impressed upon him how special the whole ordeal is. “I think this feeling is way better than how I imagined it, honestly. It’s more meaningful. It’s way more impactful.”
Of course, no achievement is worth celebrating unless it is done with family, and Jackson revealed to Cole that his entire family has flown in to spend time with him for the weekend. “Especially when you have your family with you. You don’t think about all those other things and how many other people are going to be happy about this with you,” he said.
