After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ shootaround on Thursday in Sacramento, LeBron James endorsed the changes to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, telling reporters “something had to change.”
The NBA officially announced a change to the format of the midseason showcase, going with a tournament-style format featuring four teams made up of eight players each.
One of the teams will be the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge, made up of first- and second-year stars or G League Standouts. The other three teams will be more traditional All-Star teams, each drafted by TNT’s Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
LeBron James, when asked about changes to the NBA All-Star Game format, touched on more issues with the league: “Our game, there’s a lot of f—ing 3s being shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game” pic.twitter.com/weKJVSyXfB
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 19, 2024
“We’ll see, we’ll see when we get there. It’s different,” James said. “Obviously, anytime you make some type of change it’s gonna be some buck back. I don’t know. I mean, I have my ideas of what could possibly work.”
Asked what those ideas were, James opted not to reveal those thoughts — at least on a random NBA Thursday in Sacramento.
“You got to do something,” he added. “Obviously, the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game that Sunday night.”
Last season’s All-Star Game was universally criticized for a 211-186 outcome which wasn’t very competitive and featured little defense.
While James’ support wasn’t enthusiastic, it was more than what Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant offered after the new All-Star format was announced.
I asked Kevin Durant what he thought about the new format for the NBA All-Star Game: “I hate it. Absolutely hate it. Terrible….We should just go back to East-West.” pic.twitter.com/T7owR5aJY7
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 17, 2024
“I hate it,” Durant said. “Absolutely hate it. It’s terrible. All-Star game formats changing — all the formats are terrible in my opinion. We should just go back to East-West, just play a game.”
Yet in James’ view, the issues with the All-Star Game are a microcosm of problems facing the NBA right now.
“It’s not just the All-Star Game. It’s our game in general,” James added. “There’s a lot of f—-ing 3s being shot. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.”
The increased number of 3-pointers being taken by NBA teams each night is a frequent topic among those who say the quality of play has declined — and taken the league’s TV ratings down with it.
Teams are averaging more than 30 3-point shots per game, led by the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics hoisting up 51.1 attempts a night. Thirteen clubs are on pace to shoot more 3s than they ever have before. Yet the strategy has its benefits, according to the Associated Press.
“So far this season, the team that takes more 3-pointers in a game wins 53% of the time. The team that makes more 3-pointers wins 67% of the time. If a team makes five more 3s than its opponent, it wins 75% of the time. And if a team makes 10 more 3s than its opponent, game over: Those clubs, after the Celtics did it to the Heat on Monday, are now 31-0 this season.”
Whether it’s the style of play or another issue like players’ load management, NBA telecasts are drawing 19% fewer viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, Sports Media Watch reports. Commissioner Adam Silver points to the number of fans who now watch on streaming. And many sports — other than the NFL juggernaut — are seeing ratings declines.
If James has ideas to offer, Silver might want to consult him on the matter and see if any of his suggestions are helpful.
