Kevin Durant is about to be named an NBA All-Star again, but the Houston Rockets superstar has begun to push back against questions about effort, competitiveness and whether veteran players will take the revamped showcase seriously.
The NBA is introducing a new USA vs. World round-robin format for the midseason event, which will be played at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California.
While Commissioner Adam Silver believes national pride can increase the intensity of games, Durant made it clear he doesn't think the scrutiny should be focused solely on Team USA's veteran stars.
“You should ask Team Europe and Team World if they want to play,” Durant said, according to ESPN. “If you look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic right now, let's go back and look at how they performed in the All-Star Game. Is it competition? So we're not questioning what they've been doing. But we're questioning the old minds and the Americans.
“But those two guys, Luka and Jokic, they don't care about the game at all. These guys are lying on the floor. They're shooting in the half court. But do you have to worry about those old guys playing hard? I can read between the lines, man. It's just a whole thing that everybody's talking about.”
This shift in format has been discussed for years as the league looks for ways to restore competitiveness and fan engagement during the All-Star break.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has pledged to put in a lot of effort, telling reporters, “I've watched the All-Star Game and obviously it's not competitive. And I always think if I was there, I would never step on the court and lose or not care. Just like at home, I would never step on the court and not care and think I'm going to lose. … I'm going to be there, I might as well win.”
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