The recent catastrophic displays during the All-Star event prompted discussions surrounding its rejuvenation. Amidst the ambitious suggestion, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart joined the narrative with their set of recommendations. The New York Knicks duo contemplated the possibility of a 1v1 competition while candidly sharing their perspective on the Roommates Show.
Advertisement
During the conversation, Brunson shed light on the success potential of the King of the Court games in the event. “You would need astronomical amount of money for guys to be like, ‘Yo, I’m trying to get it’. I would 100% agree. I think that would be really cool but the state of our game right now is weird,” the 27-year-old mentioned.
Following that, the panelists agreed on the prize money being more than even one million dollars. Considering the stakes and the current earning potential of the NBA stars, the duo indicated a much higher monetary reward. Consequently, Hart put the matter into perspective, stating, “What’s a million to the guy that’s making 90?”.
Apart from the highlighted monetary aspect, the execution of the concept faces another major challenge. A failure on such a global stage could hurt the brand value of an All-Star quite rapidly, resulting in a steep decline in their earnings. Hence, the urge for instant gratification possesses a far greater hidden downside within it. Therefore, the offered package from the NBA must aim to mitigate quite a bit of the possible risk factors looming over the restructuring.
Yet, the comments from a recent All-Star like Brunson added further volume to the resurgence talks. Apart from the three-point challenge between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, just about every other contest produced disappointment for the viewers. On top of this, the lack of serious participation from the biggest names served as a major source of frustration for the followers this time around. The pressure has now entirely shifted on the shoulders of the governing body as the fans hope for a revival of the event.
A wave of criticism from Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart
The panelists voiced their displeasure at the Slam Dunk contest as they extended on the supporters’ frustration over the event. While Hart called the competition an “a**”, Brunson pointed toward a seeming bias from the league. The New Jersey-born used his teammate Jacob Toppin as a reference as he candidly shared his viewpoint.
“Jacob did something no one had seen before and he got a 47, 46 whatever. He did not advance…there’s no way that they were gonna put Mac McClung and Jacob Toppin in the final two over an NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown,” the 2024 All-Star declared to highlight the alleged unprincipled act from the NBA.
His remarks fuel further off-court conversation over the intent of the league to produce quality entertainment. Thus, a difficult task awaits them in the process of revival as the frustration rises. The fans remain hopeful of a change while the league searches for ideas for a new beginning.
