LeBron James does not get it either.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has voiced the NBA’s plan to host an All-Star Game next month despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastation it has already sown according to the league’s scheme.
He called it a ‘slap in the face’.
James beats NBA plan for All-Star Game
James addressed the match on Thursday after the first round of the result of the vote and amid reports the match would be played. The NFL, which would have held its Pro Bowl last week, had fans voting for players but offered a virtual event.
The result of the first round of fan votes for All-Stars was announced on Thursday. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant expanded James in overall votes.
“I have no energy and no excitement about an All-Star game this year,” James said after a 114-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets at home. “I do not even understand why we play an All-Star game. But it is the agreement that the players’ association and the league have established. ”
The two parties reportedly agreed to host the game on March 7 in Atlanta, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. In a normal season, the game would be played last week.
The details have not been finalized yet, but there are reports that the league will allow players to quit, unlike in recent years. There are also reports that the parties are also discussing the presentation of a skills competition.
The Hawks started admitting fans on January 26 and this is where James ‘Courtside Karen’ came across. Georgia lifted restrictions early in the pandemic and currently has no travel restrictions. The risk for COVID-19 in the state is very high, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
James: to slap in the face
James’ most important point about holding the event is that he said players before the season said the game would not take place.
‘[It was a] short season for myself and my teammates with 71 days, ”said James. ‘And when we entered the season, we were told we did not have All-Star Games, so we had a nice rest. Five days from [March] 5 to 10, an opportunity to recalibrate again for the second half of the season. My teammates too, some of the guys in the league. Then they throw such an All-Star Game at us and it just breaks it up completely. So, just a slap in the face. ‘
The NBA suspended on March 11, 2020 due to COVID-19. The league completed its season in a bubble at Disney World in July. The Lakers won the title on October 11 and returned in early December for a training camp.
The slightly shortened season started on December 22nd. This is a shortened timeline for the standard in the NBA, but not uncommon for other professional basketball players who have to play all year.
NBA tries to keep game during pandemic
The NBA seems to be offering its own updated guidelines for the event. After an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the NBA and more postponed games, the league has redefined its policy to help stop the distribution in mid-January.
It did not lose James.
“We are also still dealing with a pandemic, and are still dealing with everything that was going on,” he said. ‘And we’re going to bring the whole league to one city that’s open, so at the moment the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it when it comes to weekends. Obviously you can see I’m not very happy about it, but it’s out of my hands. And I will be there if I am chosen. But I will be physically there, but not mentally. ”
The new rules include that players can no longer leave hotels for non-team related activities and that they stay inside their homes unless there is an essential activity or emergency.
Even locker room meetings are pre-arranged with new rules that can last a maximum of ten minutes. Not to mention the last one that goes against everything the All-Star Game stands for: opponents can not get in touch or mix to the buzzer.
Other NBA stars have spoken out, including De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings. He calls the idea of a game downright ‘stupid’.
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