NBA fans were not happy about how the All-Star game played out, showing that the new format wasn’t the issue that needed fixing.
The 2025 NBA All-Star weekend is now over, and to say fans are upset would be an understatement. The weekend saw players underdelivering in almost every special event.
Mac McClung did his best to revive the weekend with a legendary dunk contest performance. But even his best efforts can’t hide how rough the fan experience was.
Shaquille O’Neal‘s OG squad won the All-Star tournament. And while they might be happy with their historic win under this new format, fans are less than impressed.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will have to figure out how to deal with this fan backlash in the months to come.
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Fans took to social media to slam the NBA for the new All-Star format. One fan noted, “Just scrap the NBA All-Star game at this point, this is embarrassing.”
Another wrote, “Tonight was yet another scathing indictment of the state of the NBA. This All-Star format didn’t help matters. But the fact of the matter is, until these players actually care even a little, things will not improve. The NBA needs to be stern, no more coddling.”
“We gotta do all these convoluted solutions because these guys don’t wanna give actual effort,” said another fan in frustration.
“I think the NBA should be ashamed they put this product out to the entire world to watch. I am actually stunned,” said a long-time fan of the NBA.
Another fan wrote, “They could’ve just kept the normal format and let the treasure trove of first-time All-Stars play heavy minutes because they clearly cared about making it competitive. This was just unwatchable.”
“All-Star games mostly always lacked effort, but somewhere in the 2010s it just got egregious,” declared another long-time NBA viewer.
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At the end of the day, the blame must lie with the players. The NBA has tried multiple format changes to make the All-Star game more entertaining.
But with the same result of disappointed fans coming up once again, the onus is no longer on the league. The players must be held accountable for the lack of effort they have put in.
NBA All-Star players have treated the weekend as an extended break. They routinely play at half-speed, if not lower, to conserve energy for the regular season.
While that is understandable, there has to be a middle ground. Players can still play hard without going 100%. They need to if the All-Star game is going to earn back any of its prestige and goodwill from the fans.
