When it comes to the worst and weirdest sporting events of all time, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game definitely belongs in the conversation.

That sounds a tad harsh. So let me start by saying I love the NBA. And I find almost all of the debates that try to put down the league as disingenuous. There are a ton of young stars stepping up to put their own stamp on the league. The style of play with free-flowing offense and almost everybody capable of filling it up from downtown is fun and exciting and the people who would rather watch the days of Charles Oakley and Dale Davis should be forced to listen to The Skip Bayless Podcast on a 24 hour loop. And the regular season is engaging as long as you are actually following it and not just forming your opinions about the league from social media and people who don’t bother watching games.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game highlighted absolutely everything that is wrong and needs fixing about today’s NBA. But even beyond the current conversation around the league, it was a terrible sports and entertainment product that ranked somewhere between Waterworld and Battlefield: Earth.

Given the NBA All-Star weekend was going up against USA-Canada hockey in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Daytona 500, and the SNL 50th anniversary spectacular, it showed just how far away the NBA is from making their All-Star Game something watchable. It took last year’s epic disaster of an All-Star Game to get to this format which, against all odds, made it a thousand times worse.

LeBron checks out

Reporter: “What will we see from you tonight (the NBA All-Star Game)?”

LeBron James: “You won’t see anything from me tonight. Unfortunately, I will not be in uniform tonight. Still dealing with ankle and foot discomfort.”

(via @957thegame) pic.twitter.com/YKv3OKB4AX

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 17, 2025

The hits started coming before the game even started when LeBron James announced he would not be participating so that he could rest. What little interest there was in the game quickly evaporated into more load management debate. LeBron was rightfully criticized for revealing to the watching world that he would not be playing just hours before the game and taking a spot away from someone who actually wanted to be there.

LeBron James is one of the two greatest players in the history of the league. Fans were excited to watch what would be one of their last chances to see him in a national spotlight, either on television or spending big bucks to attend in person. For him to back out at the last minute is emblematic of an entire generation of players who have blown off the NBA All-Star Game and with it, any sort of responsibility for representing the league or growing the game.

And while LeBron sat, All-Star NHL players were literally fighting tooth and nail in high stakes international hockey that has sports fans glued to their screens. His decision fulfilled every bit of bad faith social media pandering in comparing basketball players to hockey players. Did somebody give Gary Bettman a magic lamp this week or what?

New format fails to deliver

The NBA and commissioner Adam Silver knew that something needed to change after the 2024 All-Star Game, where the East beat the West by an ungodly score of 211-186. With the sports world wondering how the league would try to salvage what once was their showcase event, a new tournament format debuted at the 2025 All-Star Game. In a draft more orchestrated than the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, the All-Stars were divided into international, young stars, and veteran stars. A winning Rising Stars team from their own tournament was also included.

Charles Barkley: “I’m going to disagree with Draymond A LOT… They messed the game up!.. His generation messed the game up!… We’re doing every type of trick to make this weekend exciting.” #NBA https://t.co/v7CYFf3kFG pic.twitter.com/QiltQVt0RZ

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 17, 2025

And almost immediately, the format and the sorry state of the All-Star Game became the conversation. Draymond Green ripped it on TNT, saying that the Rising Stars didn’t belong when they were the only ones actually giving some effort. The broadcast then spent just as much time debating Draymond’s take than talking about the game itself, leading Charles Barkley to rip the current generation of NBA stars for ruining the All-Star Game in the first place.

“I’m going to disagree with Draymond A LOT,” said Barkley. “I used the analogy, like, when your kids mess up the house you make them clean it up and they complaining. They messed the game up! That’s why we’re trying to kamikaze stuff out here right now. His generation messed the game up. So don’t act like he’s mad that they trying to use rookies… we’re doing every type of trick to make this weekend exciting.”

Good grief, are these guys actively trying to kill the NBA? Because if so, then it’s mission accomplished. It’s like Michael Cole telling a worldwide audience on WWE Raw that the punches aren’t real and if they want to see a real fight, they should watch UFC instead. There is just no way to escape the negativity vortex that is currently plaguing the NBA.

The first to 40 format in the mini-games meant they were largely over in the blink of an eye. And by the time the final came around, the same lack of intensity that plagued past NBA All-Star Games was present again as the veteran stars ran away to an easy and anti-climactic victory.

But just how anti-climactic was it?

A basketball game interrupts a funeral?

With so little basketball being played in the three mini-games, there was a LOT of airtime to fill. There was live music, Kevin Hart trying too hard to provide some laughs, a very random appearance from Mr. Beast, and a funeral for the NBA on TNT that interrupted the championship game.

Maybe some or none of those things are for you, but you could understand why the NBA felt like they needed to provide some live entertainment throughout the evening. But let’s talk about the Inside the NBA goodbye, which was one of the more puzzling and surreal things to ever happen at a live sporting event.

Kevin Hart & NBA All-Stars send the Inside Guys Fishing 🎣

Last #NBAAllStar Weekend for the TNT crew ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QQ1T30YVAB

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 17, 2025