After incessant complaints from fans, analysts, and former players about the lack of effort in the All-Star Game, the NBA switched up the format to make it more interesting. It’ll now be a four-team tournament, featuring three rosters of eight players who have earned an All-Star nod and the fourth being the winner of the Rising Stars challenge. As intriguing as it sounds, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce pitched a radical idea that could prove to be even more interesting.
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On the KG Certified podcast, the Hall of Famer proposed the idea of a one-on-one tournament between the league’s best players. Garnett said,
“You know what we need to throw in in the All-Star weekend? We need to throw in ones… Put it out there… Fresh [1] million [as the prize money]. Who wants to come out and play for $1 million?”
Paul Pierce chimed in and said the prize for the winner should be $10 million to ensure the best players in the league participate. Garnett asked his former teammate how many players would sign up if the prize was eight figures. The Hall of Famer responded that he’d select the 30 best players from the pool of stars who sign up.
The duo discussed the format and couldn’t agree on whether it should be full or half-court and how much time the players should get to attempt a shot. While they couldn’t nail the format, both agreed it was an idea worth exploring to make the All-Star weekend more fun.
While a $10 million prize pool would attract some of the top stars, the league likely wouldn’t entertain having a tournament with such a hefty cost. If they go with Garnett’s initial proposal of a $1 million winner’s cheque, it probably won’t be as enticing for the league’s finest.
Playing one-on-one and risking losing badly or going too hard at it and risking an injury wouldn’t be worth it for the league’s top stars. As interesting as Garnett and Pierce’s suggestion is, it isn’t feasible. But they aren’t the ones who want to see who’s the best one-on-one player in the league.
Tracy McGrady also pitched a one-on-one tournament at All-Star Weekend
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady also wants to see a one-on-one tournament with a prize pool of $1 million at the All-Star weekend. However, he believes the tournament doesn’t necessarily have to feature the game’s finest players. He said,
“No one knows who’s the 10th or 12th man is on a team’s bench. But I guarantee you that guy got game. He can hoop. He got one-on-one game. So if you put him in this tournament and he shines in this tournament, you just created another star in your league. And even if he doesn’t win, basketball fans are going to see the potential like, ‘Yo, that kid nice!'”
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The idea of a player averaging about 10 minutes per game going head-to-head with an All-Star and beating them in a one-on-one would create a lot of buzz. But will a superstar risk that? McGrady’s suggestion runs into the same problem that Garnett and Pierce’s does.
