In the segment of Breakfast Ball, the NBA Commissioner revealed that the NBA All Star Game in Los Angeles next year will now have the format of Team USA vs Team World.
But here are some “concerns” that I feel like come along with this decision.
Are There Enough All-Star Caliber Players for Team World in 2026?
Right off the bat, this is what bothered my mind when I read the announcement.
How certain are we that there will be 12 non-USA players who are all “All-Star caliber players”?
I mean, yes, there are at least more players who came from overseas playing in the NBA right now. But truth be told, not all of them are performing like an All-Star player. Heck, most of them are probably coming off the bench and are receiving “DNPs” from their coaches.
There may be a good number of players playing above average, but again, All-Star players? I mean, we just saw LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets not make the final cut in this year’s NBA All-Star game despite leading the Guard voting 3 times in the NBA Fan votes.
There were a lot of deserving players in the NBA who didn’t make the final cut despite being non-American, like Domantas Sabonis. He led the league in double-doubles and yet he was snubbed for 2 straight seasons now.
Also snubbed this year were Franz Wagner, Jamal Murray, Rudy Gobert, Andrew Wiggins, and Luka Dončić.
Which comes to my next point, despite performing well and showcasing the “All-Star talent level”, you still can’t be an all-star because of…
Market Size and Player Promotion Still Influence All-Star Selections
Dyson Daniels from the Atlanta Hawks broke a lot of defensive records this season, particularly in steals, and even won the NBA Most Improved Player Award but since he’s playing in Atlanta, like Trae, they didn’t make the All Star team.
Sadly, if it’s a small market team, the chances for their star player to make it to the All-Star lineup are still slim. Then the factor of being non-American could also be a disadvantage to them.
Also, think about how the Golden State Warriors preferred to push Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Andrew Wiggins for their fans to vote as an All-Star instead of picking Jonathan Kuminga, who is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite the Dubs being one of the most famous teams in the league, they didn’t push for the public to even think about Kuminga possibly becoming an All-Star.
And the list goes on, Josh Giddey of Australia playing for the Chicago Bulls, OG Anunoby from the United Kingdom playing for the New York Knicks, Rui Hachimura of Japan playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Is the Problem the Format, or the Players Themselves?
It has become evident that the players themselves don’t want to give an effort to win in these All Star games. Having “fun” does not equate to “being competitive” for them anymore.
Unlike the East vs West format, when players actually cared in determining which conference had a better set of players, and they would indeed “give an effort to play”. All of that is lost now.
Yet, we saw the first time the ASG format was changed way back in 2018 when Team LeBron fought Team Curry. These athletes played their hearts out until the final buzzer, and the winning team won by 3 points to end the game.
Why did this happen? Because players wanted to make a statement that they can win against players often compared to them, or wish to prove that they are better without their All-Star caliber teammate.
And in 2020, the ASG format changed again, we saw Team LeBron against Team Giannis displaying their own “Mamba Mentality” since they dedicate this game to the death of the late Kobe Bryant.
Team LeBron won by 2 points. How did this happen? Because players cared about winning the ASG, and they had a solid reason for playing.
So next year, do I believe things will be different since it’s now the best players from the United States against the best players from the rest of the World?
Yes, but I won’t be too surprised if I’m disappointed with the results again.
