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Eric WoodyardESPN
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be attending competitive conferences, but they are the same sentiment regarding the league’s plans to hold an All-Star Game in March in Atlanta.
Antetokounmpo supported a 33-point, 12-rebound in Milwaukee’s 123-105 victory over Cleveland on Friday night at Cleveland, and supports James’ stance on the game that takes place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think every player has been looking forward to those five days, seven days, whatever those days are. We all need to follow the big dog,” Antetokounmpo said, referring to James. “The big dog says he has no excitement and no energy for the All-Star Game, and I’m the same way. I don ‘t really care about the All-Star Game right now. We can’ t see our families.
“Like I can not worry about the All-Star Game. I want to see my family. I want to go see my little brother in Spain, I want my brother to come and see me,” he added. “So, I’m the same way. I have no energy, no excitement. When they tell us at the end of the day that we’re going to show up, we have to do our job. I’m I’m always going to do my job, I “Always show up and set the right example. But at the end of the day, I do not want to do it deeply, I do not want to do it.”
Antetokounmpo was second behind Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant in the Eastern Conference’s foreland in the first time the NBA All-Star votes returned.
The reigning rugby player and defensive player of the year has played the past four All-Star games, citing his 2020 experience in Chicago as ‘a lot of fun for the fans’.
“At the end of the day, if we have the All-Star Game, I hope fans can be there and we can give back to them,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, if we have the All-Star Game to have only the All-Star Game and no fans, I do not see the point in having the All-Star Game.”
Before the Bucks-Cavaliers were knocked out, Milwaukee arrived in Cleveland on the day of the game due to mechanical problems with the team plane Thursday night. The Bucks landed in Cleveland on Friday morning.
Players have learned to adapt to these kinds of situations as they play through the pandemic and in mostly empty arenas.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer sighs before expressing his opinion on the All-Star Game, saying, “I fully understand that there is a lot of concern, and I share it.”
Antetokounmpo, like James, said he was under the impression that the league would not hold the annual showcase before reports suggesting it had started appearing differently. He said he would rather use the time to push off basketball rather than compete that night.
“I thought it would come naturally in the season, where all we knew was that it would not be an All-Star Game, it would be a time to spend time with our family,” said Antetokounmpo. “It’s clear that when the protocol changes, it’s difficult because your family can not get on the road. Back at home you can not leave the house, you can only go to the training facility or to the arena, and you do not have time to take your family to a nice meal or your family who are on their way or just want to escape from the game. ‘