A very anti-climatic All-Star Game
Bankers Life Fieldhouse was the home of 2021 NBA All-Star game before being relocated to Atlanta.
March 2, 2021
The 74th annual NBA All-Star game is headed to Atlanta, originally supposed to be held in Indiana from Feb 12-14, 2021 but now it is being moved to March 7 due to wanting a more safe and COVID free environment. Last year’s All-Star Game was one of the best in recent years, the competitiveness and atmosphere was unmatched. This year it’s going to be a little different with limited fan attendance and not much to play for.
You can’t have an all-star game without the players yet many of them have spoken out about not playing. Lakers forward Lebron James and Buck forward Giannis Antetokuonmpo shared their opinions. “The Big Dog (LeBron James) says he has zero excitement, zero energy for the All-Star Game. I’m the same way,”Antetokounmpo said on Friday. “I really, right now, I don’t care about the All-Star Game. I got zero energy, zero excitement.”
“I think players have a right to express disinterest in it, especially because of health and reasons,” said Junior Jadon DuBransky. If the league’s main attractions are not wanting to play, that should be a hint.
2020’s NBA All-Star game in Chicago was one for the ages. The United Center was filled with fans and celebrities to tune into the weekends events. Just a month before the game tragically Kobe, Gianna Byrant and seven others passed away in a helicopter crash.
The NBA community fully dedicated this game to them, the players wore 24 and 2 in honor of Gianna and her iconic father. The game was also one of the most competitive as it was the first year of a new format where the teams had to reach a certain amount of points to win.
Besides having time off for the players, all-star weekend is a great fan experience, but due to COVID-19, the attendees will be limited to 1,200-1,500 health care workers and HBCU students. The health care workers were chosen due to their sacrifices during the pandemic and the students to honor them during black history month.
“Possibly limited to fans or let organizations such as Make-a-Wish make an appearance for the children in need,” said Junior John Kim. “Let them come but make it a safe appearance.” Essentially the players would be putting on a show for an almost empty arena.
No matter what choice the NBA administration makes, let’s just hope they make the right choice to keep fans and players safe.
