Anthony Davis and LeBron James represented the Los Angeles Lakers this past weekend at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis. The expectation heading into Sunday was that the two stars would play limited minutes due to lingering injuries.
James, who made a record breaking 20th appearance in the All-Star Game, only played 14 minutes while Davis played 22 minutes. The theme for all the stars participating was get out healthy and not risk anything as a crucial second half of the season looms.
That was the case again as the final score was 211-186 with the Eastern Conference getting the win. The East scored a minimum of 51 points each quarter to see a record for most total points scored, leading fans to call for change to make the All-Star Game competitive. However, Davis points out injury concerns as to why the players do not lay it out on the line for an exhibition game.
“Obviously the fans and the league and everybody wants to be competitive, but then you also as players think about trying not to get hurt,” Davis said. “Obviously injuries are a part of the game, and no one wants to get hurt in the All-Star Game. … All these guys here are very valuable to their teams. So it’s some mixed emotions about it.”
“You try to go out there and compete a little bit and not just be a highlight show. But at the same time, do you guys really want to see somebody going down for a dunk and somebody going to contest it and, God forbid, something happens in the All-Star Game when it could have been avoided?”
This makes sense, especially for the Lakers as the team is ramping up for another postseason push and that is not realistic without the two stars in the picture. But the NBA is not a stranger to change and tried revamping the All-Star Game and that may happen again.
A potential idea is giving players of the winning team a money bonus, similar to the In-Season Tournament, or a one-on-one tournament with a prize. Keeping players healthy but also providing some entertainment during this break will be on the mind of commissioner Adam Silver as he tries to find a solution.
Anthony Davis enjoyed playing with Luka Doncic & Nikola Jokic in 2024 NBA All-Star Game
A positive of the All-Star Game is it allows stars to play with each other, which is a nice switch up from competing against each other. Davis particularly enjoyed playing alongside Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic as he competed against those two plenty of times in his Lakers tenure.
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