LOS ANGELES – NBA’s top star, LeBron James, broke the league’s plans to play an All-Star game in Atlanta in March, while COVID-19 restrictions continue to have control over the regular season.
“I have zero energy and zero excitement about this year’s All-Star game,” James said after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 114-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. “I don’t even understand why we have an All-Star Game.”
James, 36, has played in the league showcase for 16 of the league’s previous 17 seasons and, as a first-round pick, has been named captain for the past three seasons as the NBA left the East against West and adopted a draft format to spice up the competition.
“Short season for me and my teammates, 71 days,” James said, referring to the time the Lakers had from Game 6 of the NBA Finals in October to opening the night against the LA Clippers in December. “And then, coming this season, we were told that we don’t have an All-Star Game, so we will have a nice break. Five days [in March] from the fifth to the 10th, an opportunity for me to somehow recalibrate for the second half of the season. And my teammates. Some of the boys in the league.
“And then they threw an All-Star game at us like that and just broke it to the end. So, um, kind of slap in the face.”
James also stated the obvious health concerns of organizing the festivities in Atlanta, Georgia, where there are fewer state-imposed coronavirus restrictions compared to other NBA locations in the country. The Atlanta Hawks, for example, are one of nine teams that allow fans to play at home this season.
“We’re also dealing with a pandemic,” James said. “Are we still dealing with everything that happened and will we bring the whole league to an open city? Obviously, the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it at this time when it comes to that weekend.
“Obviously, you guys can see I’m not very happy about that.”
Although he expressed his dissatisfaction in uncertain terms, James said he would report for the game if he were named All-Star for the 17th consecutive season. James led the West with 2,288,676 votes in the first votes of the league announced earlier on Thursday. Kevin Durant of Brooklyn led the East with 2,302,705 votes as the only player in the league to show more votes than James.
“It’s an agreement that the players’ association and the league have emerged … It’s out of my hands,” James said. “I will be there if I am selected. But I will be there physically, but not mentally.”