The NBA All-Star game will square off on Sunday evening in Indianapolis, draft Class of 2003 LeBron James fans’ favorite will as All-Star captains for the fourth time.
The Eastern and Western conferences face-off will mark a career record for James as he is celebrating his 20th All-Star selection, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time.
Along with James, another star will also make the headlines, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, the trio in their late 30-somethings are determined to bring their top game.
New story: The NBA’s next wave of young talent recognizes that the All-Star game could use some improvement. And they want to do something about it. "I think the only thing we can do is just go out there and just play like a real game” https://t.co/OMgu8CHs2t
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 17, 2024
The NBA is also rich in its youth talent, and the NBA’s next generation acknowledges All-Star game isn’t what it once was, they want to be the players to change it.
On Friday, Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick by the Portland Trail Blazers last year, told ESPN after practice for the Rising Stars game.
“I think the only thing we can do is just go out there and just play like a real game. I think the All-Star Game and All-Star in general are just looked at as fun and games, but I think the fans, they want to see a competitive spirit. And there’s been sparks like that in the game in recent years, but I think all that we can do as young guys coming up is try to continue to have that competitive edge.”
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons guard, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, also mirrors the hope of a competitive game this weekend, he shared with ESPN,
“I think things are going to hopefully be different this year. We’re going to see people competing at a higher level. It’s something that I know a lot of people want to see. That competitiveness and desire to win and not just treating it as a practice game. Just really taking it to another level. I know we all want to feel that. Even myself, I want to take it to another level this year with my competitiveness.”
Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George said,
“How it kind of gets competitive in the fourth, I’d definitely like to see a full game like that.”
