It looks like the NBA has hit rock bottom with the 2025 All-Star Game. The format has gone through several changes in the last several years. From team captains, to live draft on TV, and now to four teams (three of which are NBA All-Stars and one is the winner of the Rising Stars), and more. In what can be seen as a desperate move to please fans, the latest NBA All-Star Draft only made matters worse.
Scripted NBA All-Star Draft Latest Desperate Move for Ratings
This year, the NBA chose the Inside the NBA crew to be general managers, and they could draft their team. Having Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal draft players is always a fun idea. But it seemed like they had their hands cuffed. The NBA All-Star draft didn’t look like a free choice between the fellas.
Instead, what it looks like is that the NBA is trying to please fans who have lobbied for an America vs. World All-Star game. NBA fans are not that shortsighted, they can see when someone is playing with them. At one point during the draft, it was too obvious. Kenny picked Anthony Edwards as his first pick, a player selected as a reserve over starters like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Giannis Antetokounmpo. He then went with Jaren Jackson Jr over Victor Wembanyama, with the fellas noting there is another young big on the board. The draft has resulted in hundreds of comments on social media about how it was scripted.
Or with two picks left, Shaq, who was the GM of the older generation, chose James Harden over Cade Cunningham, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown. Here are the full teams:
- Team Shaq: LeBron James, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown.
- Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro.
- Team Chuck: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Mitchell.
Who Is the Favorite?
Looking at the rosters, we might say that Barkley has the best team. While the other members of TNT crew talked about how international players do not try hard in the All-Star game, Chuck has Antetokoupo and Wembanyama on his team. Antetokounmpo has been one of the hardest workers during the All-Star Game lately, and Wembanyams is someone who can help the All-Star regain its flair. We all remember last year, Wembanyama was pissed that Edward’s didn’t take the skills challenge seriously. Asked about Edward’s shooting left-handed during the NBA All-Star Skills challenge, he said,
“They wanted to have fun. Fun is winning”.
Asked about his Skills Challenge teammate Anthony Edwards shooting left-handed during the relay portion of the competition, Wemby said, "They wanted to have fun."
After a slight pause, he added, "Fun is winning."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) February 18, 2024
So, if there is one team that will definitely go out and there and try to compete, that will be Barkley’s team. Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo do not take things lightly. Jokic might be having fun, he has previously said he is not All-Star suitable.
Shaq’s team is full of old dudes who are saving themselves. They will not compete for two games. Yes, they might be older and want to prove they can still ball with the youngsters, but do not expect LeBron and Curry to go 100% in a meaningless game. The only chance Shaq has is because the game is in San Francisco, Curry’s homecourt.
Notable moments:
- This might be the first and only time Jokic was picked first by any team in an All-Star draft. Usually, he is among the last players on the board.
- The disrespect for Brown continues, he was among the last three picks.
- Davis and LeBron will team up again, just two weeks after the trade.
Photo credit: © Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
