{"id":122559,"date":"2025-02-07T07:30:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T12:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=122559"},"modified":"2025-02-07T07:15:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T12:15:50","slug":"nba-all-star-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/07\/nba-all-star-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Scripted NBA All-Star Draft Latest Desperate Move for Ratings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It looks like the NBA has hit rock bottom with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/21\/nba-introduces-new-format-for-2025-all-star-game\/\" target=\"_self\">2025 All-Star Game<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/28\/stephen-a-smith-all-star\/\" target=\"_self\">format has gone through several changes<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<h2>Scripted NBA All-Star Draft Latest Desperate Move for Ratings<\/h2>\n<p>This year, the NBA chose the Inside the NBA crew to be general managers, and they could draft their team. Having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barklch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charles Barkley<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kenny Smith<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/onealsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a> draft players is always a fun idea. But it seemed like they had their hands cuffed. The NBA All-Star draft didn\u2019t look like a free choice between the fellas.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> as his first pick, a player selected as a reserve over starters like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>. He then went with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jacksja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaren Jackson Jr<\/a> over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The 2025 NBA All-Star Draft \ud83c\udf1f | NBA on TNT\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nVgNzKgG074?start=477&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Or with two picks left, Shaq, who was the GM of the older generation, chose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cunnica01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cade Cunningham<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mitchdo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Mitchell<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a>. Here are the full teams:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Team Shaq: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steph Curry<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatumja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jayson Tatum<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a>, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown.<\/li>\n<li>Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brunsja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Brunson<\/a>, Jaren Jackson Jr., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garlada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darius Garland<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mobleev01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evan Mobley<\/a>, Cade Cunningham, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herroty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Herro<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Team Chuck: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/siakapa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pascal Siakam<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengual01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alperen Sengun<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/townska01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>, and Donovan Mitchell.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Who Is the Favorite?<\/h3>\n<p>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\u2019s didn\u2019t take the skills challenge seriously. Asked about Edward\u2019s shooting left-handed during the NBA All-Star Skills challenge, he said,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey wanted to have fun. Fun is winning\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Asked about his Skills Challenge teammate Anthony Edwards shooting left-handed during the relay portion of the competition, Wemby said, &quot;They wanted to have fun.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>After a slight pause, he added, &quot;Fun is winning.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tom_orsborn\/status\/1759040564035514497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>So, if there is one team that will definitely go out and there and try to compete, that will be Barkley\u2019s team. Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo do not take things lightly. Jokic might be having fun, he has previously said he is not All-Star suitable.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The FULL 2024 NBA #KiaSkills \ud83d\udd25 | 2024 #NBAAllStar\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pu3nqQ_nwKs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shaq\u2019s 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\u2019s homecourt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>The disrespect for Brown continues, he was among the last three picks.<\/li>\n<li>Davis and LeBron will team up again, just two weeks after the trade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5291,"featured_media":122574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62],"tags":[2109,1006,306,1417,444,450,798,37974,38,72,1489,261,48,4669],"class_list":["post-122559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-charles-barkley","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-james-harden","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-kenny-smith","tag-lebron-james","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","tag-shaquille-oneal","tag-stephen-curry","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5291"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122575,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122559\/revisions\/122575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}