It’s not often that the NBA and NHL are brought up in the same conversation, at least not comparatively, but this past week has been an exception in the sports world with the failure that was the NBA All-Star Game and the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the replacement for this year’s NHL All-Star Game.

Expecting NBA players to take the All-Star Game anywhere close to as seriously as they do a regular season game is ridiculous, because, after all, it’s just a showcase exhibition. With that being said, this year’s rendition was a dumpster fire that tanked in ratings and was universally written off as a joke.

To add insult to injury, the NHL has exceeded every single expectation imaginable with the 4 Nations tournament that happened to largely coincide with the NBA All-Star Game. 

The NBA All-Star Game features the game’s biggest stars, and stars who get paid exponentially more than NHL players, yet they can’t seem to figure out a way to show any semblance of effort on the hardwood. 

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Meanwhile, the 4 Nations features some of the biggest names in hockey competing for their flag and throwing their bodies around as if they’re in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

While P.K. Subban may be a bit biased given he played more than a decade in the NHL, he’s gone to bat in a major way for the NHL, its players, and the culture within the sport while ripping into the NBA’s.

The fact Subban did so on ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ a show that forces any and all NBA content down your throat 365 days a year, was special.

“If you’re really about sports, then you’re about two things, your teammates and the fans,” Subban said on Thursday’s edition of ‘First Take.’ “I’m sorry, it doesn’t matter how much money you’re making. When you do not show up to play, you’re letting your teammates down. When you do not show up to play, you’re letting the fans down.”

“These people in here are paying $2,500 a ticket, $5,000 that are blue-collar, hard-working people,” Subban continued. “If you don’t get your head around that, then you shouldn’t be in pro sports. How do we expect for you to be an example? Oh, you don’t want to be, well, you are one. You’re on the biggest stage. You’re an example, you’ve got to take that on.”

“I’m sick and tired of making athletes greats, all-time greats that aren’t the best examples! Those are the people that we want our kids to follow.” 

Subban’s note about players not showing up to play is a direct shot at the NBA, not only its All-Star Game, but the league’s regular season as well. LeBron James made the decision not to play in this past weekend’s All-Star Game just hours before tip-off. On top of that, plenty of players around the league simply aren’t playing the second half of back-to-back games, and the league lets them get away with it.

Fans are paying hundreds of dollars for tickets most nights and can show up to the arena and not see the star player they paid to see.

Meanwhile, hockey players play the same 82-game regular-season schedule with plenty of back-to-backs, skate on ice with razorblades on the bottom of their feet chasing a rubber puck that feels like a brick, and do it all over again.