2023 NBA All-Star Weekend Recap
All-Star Weekend was a great experience. For one, it’s something that I’ve always watched on television and wanted to be associated with. Also, it’s like the NBA’s version of the Grammy’s. But without further ado, these are my top five takeaways from All-Star Weekend.
By Jonathan McCoy | Hoopsnrews.com
All-Star Weekend was a great experience. For one, it’s something that I’ve always watched on television and wanted to be associated with. Also, it’s like the NBA’s version of the Grammy’s. But without further ado, these are my top five takeaways from All-Star Weekend.
1 — Giannis Antetokounmpo is the face of the NBA
You couldn’t escape Giannis. He was everywhere and the camera embraced him. Even Friday night from the celebrity game he was everywhere. It was the first time where I felt like he could honestly be the face of the league one day. He was at every event all weekend and it seemed like he really appreciated being an All-Star and the responsibilities that came with it.
2 — This All-Star Weekend Is a Made For TV Event
When you are present, you get an understanding of how much of a production this weekend is when you go. It’s Taylor-Made for television. From the performances down to the actual events, it’s all made for TV viewing. Certain things look better on TV than even being there in person. Even the actual all-star game looked better rewatching it later on TV than it did watching it from in the arena.
3 — Salt Lake City
Everything I’ve ever heard about Salt Lake City made it seem like a place that as a black man you never want to go. But at the same time, I’ve always been interested in the Pacific Northwest, because I think it’s beautiful scenery around, and it reminds me of the Midwest with mountains. I came to Salt Lake City with low expectations, and the city completely exceeded them in many ways. Granted it was All-Star Weekend, so it may not have been the best representation of the city. All in all, it was a nice city. I was surprised at how courteous the people were. Everybody was extremely pleasant, I wasn’t expecting that; since all I’ve heard is hostile the crowd can be to players. I was expecting a different energy from the city. Kudos to Salt Lake City for being a great host.
4 — Adam Silver Doesn’t Think What You Think Are Problems…Are Problems.
Load Management was one of the main topics addressed at Commissioner Adam Silver’s press conference Saturday night. He doesn’t think it’s the issue that the internet thinks it does. Although he did sympathize with fans that buy tickets to see players play, he also noted that the data even if a season was shortened doesn’t suggest that players would play more or less. League expansion seemed like more of a realistic thing to tackle for Silver than load management did. He mentioned that may be something the league might look into after the next collective bargaining agreement is in place.
5 — The All-Star Game Itself
As Denver Nuggets Head Coach Mike Malone said, that was probably “one of the worst basketball games ever played.” I’ve seen games at LA Fitness be much more competitive than that. I think the game could stand some makeover, but there’s nothing the league can do. Guys have to take it upon themselves to come out and compete. There’s no reason the quarter-break dunk show should get more of a crowd reaction than anything that happened at the actual game. That’s not the game we grew up on, and I think I speak for many fans when we say we wish I could be better.
