If you didn’t tune in to the modified version of the NBA All-Star game this past weekend, we’ll give you a pass this year. Hell, half the players who were PLAYING in the game openly griped about the need for them to be there during a pandemic. But at the end of the day, the all mighty dollar won out, and the league trudged forward with a stripped down version of the annual basketball circus.
Evidently feeling the pressure from owners to offset some of the lost revenue from last year, Adam Silver steadfastly stuck to the plan to host the event in some capacity, if for no other reason than the TV and sponsorship dollars that came with it. Ultimately, fans (and the good folks at Magic City) were the ones who suffered as the spectacle went off with a whimper.
Even in the best of years, the All-Star game itself is little more than a star studded open run, with defense being non-existent (at least that tradition was kept intact in 2021). The modified dunk competition (devoid of big names as usual), and skills competition left much to be desired as always. Were it not for some intrigue courtesy of Steph in the 3pt competition, followed by the “Awww” moment of him dedicating the win to the other half of Splash Bros Inc., Klay Thompson, the entire day would have barely been worthy of making the early morning highlight reels on Sports Centre.
The NBA ASG is broken in its current format. No one outside of Mike Conley seemed to have any interest in being there, and in non-pandemic years, most attend for the “show around the show” rather than the event itself. Jordan Brand after-party tickets are often more sought after than anything the NBA puts on over the course of the weekend. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Behold the 3 step plan to fixing NBA All Star weekend.
Step 1: Replace the Skills Competition with a 4 Team 3v3 Tournament
People who enjoy watching the Skills Competition (which is essentially just an elementary school style obstacle course with logos splashed across the equipment) are probably the same folks who hope that “everyone has fun” at the event. They’re taking a page out of Rob Lowe’s NFC Championship playbook and showing up wearing an NFL hat to the game because they can’t decide who to cheer for.
It’s time to take the old gal out behind the tool shed and put her out of her misery. Instead we replace it with a 4 team 3v3 tournament. Aside from it being just flat out more entertaining to watch, it actually serves several basketball related purposes as well.
First off, it aligns with the new Olympic 3v3 event which would have debuted in 2020 had it not been for COVID, so USA basketball might actually like to see how players fare in the format. In years following the Olympics you can even have gimmicks like “the defending Olympic champions take on 3 teams of challengers” much to the delight of talking head sports shows and bloggers.
Next, you can make this event 100% fan based voting. The usual Lebron, KD etc. will get their traditional spots in the event (and because it’s something new may actually want to participate in it), but adding in wrinkles like Boban, or Tacko Fall getting voted in would actually make for riveting TV. The biggest knock on them is they can’t run the court in transition well enough to be starters. Well, if all they have to do is “be tall” down low, and occasionally clear to the 3pt line, suddenly they become viable paint presences and can capitalize on their strengths in the new format.
By moving the fan vote to this event, you can then get back to traditional voting methods for the actual All-Star Game which purists have been gripping about since the fan vote was introduced. Moreover, you can reincorporate the traditional East vs. West format, and add in whatever spicy wrinkles you want to elicit a better effort from the players (more on that later). The 3v3 contest can have the top 4 vote getters become “captains” who then do the school yard pick ’em format to round out their teams.
The idea of introducing a 1v1 contest is tantalizing on paper. Crowning the best iso-ball player in the league would be a fan’s dream come true. That is until you realize that the egos of most of these players would prevent many of the best from actually participating in the contest (we’re not long removed from the infamous LeBron camp video scandal afterall). Not wanting to become a GIF or go viral getting their ankles broken is enough to reduce the creme de la creme to observers for this event. By making it 3v3 however, there’s the plausible deniability of “well I didn’t get much help from my teammates” or “I got stuck with ______” that they can always fall back on should their on court results be less than stellar. 1v1 unfortunately is going to remain a behind closed doors/camera’s off event for the foreseeable future when it comes to mega-stars.
Step 2: Properly Incentivize the Dunk Contest
I want Vince Carter circa 2000. I want LaVine vs. Gordon. I want Jordan vs. Wilkins. What I don’t want is the slew of rookies and bench players who have been trotted out steadily over the last few years. The people the fans want to see (LeBron, Zion, Ja etc.) are taking hard passes on the event because there’s such minimal upside to their “brands” in participating unless they win.
As nice as another trophy to add to the mantle currently housing 300+ pieces of hardware since their AAU days, a Slam Dunk trophy isn’t what motivates these stars to get out of bed in the morning. Money isn’t going to do it either. With NBA contracts the way they are, players aren’t looking to pad their bank accounts.
Instead, you’re going to need to target experiences, and legacy in order to pique the interest of the league’s biggest stars. Think of the prize sort of like the showcase showdown in The Price is Right. It’s a bunch of cool stuff thrown together, not easily accessible to even the uber rich.
Picture a package along the lines of: the NBA will build a new (or retrofit an existing) multi court outdoor basketball park complete with playground and other amenities in the town of the winner’s choosing (naming it in honor of the player or his foundation, and running a free Jr NBA camp there that summer for local kids), a custom wine cellar built in the player’s home complete with cases of whatever bottles that wine snobs go crazy over (if I spend more than $15 on a bottle it’s splurging so I’m the wrong person to ask on what would turn a millionaire’s crank here) + a cover & feature in Food & Wine magazine once the install is complete, a week’s stay on a private island for up to X number of guests, with a private concert performed by whoever the hottest musician is at the time.
That’s something that even the KD’s, Harden’s, and James’ of the world would have trouble putting together but blends all their favourite things: music, luxury vacations, fine wine, legacy building (another feather in their cap to be a “hometown hero” and a park that will bear their name for generations), and gives their brand exposure through print media and social media (think of all the content they can generate by posting “just chilling on a private island with Jay-Z because I’m the best dunker in the league” long after the event is over). Stroke the ego, provide things to boost their brands, and create experiences they’d genuinely enjoy. Obviously there would be some huge hurdles to clear to put a package like that together, but if you were able to pull it off just watch as suddenly players are clamouring to participate in the dunk contest rather than leaving the invites on read.
Step 3: Increase the Effort Level in the ASG
Which brings us to the main event itself. Plagued by inconsistent effort, and phantom “injuries” (read, “I’d rather not play”) that conveniently pop up during All-Star weekend and are miraculously cured in time for their team’s next game, the All-Star game has gone from a point of pride between players, to little more than recess with a height minimum required to play.
Other leagues have attempted to energize ASG’s with things like home field advantage for the winning team (MLB), or the player draft (NHL) which was immediately copied by other leagues. None of them solved the fundamental problem at hand though, which is the players don’t care about the final outcome. Their goal during All-Star weekend is show up, party, don’t get hurt, carry on with the regular season.
That’s why you need to tap into that very motivation if you want more than 50% effort out of the league’s biggest stars. NBA players are tall, multi-millionaires, in peak physical condition. Men want to be them, women want to be with them. Often they’re surrounded by yes men whose roles are to cater to the whims of the star at the centre of the mini-empire they’ve attached themselves to. They’re not accustomed to hearing the word “no” very often. And that’s how you get their attention.
We’ve already alluded to the fact that there is an entire industry built around NBA All-Star weekend that has very little to do with basketball. Pre-parties, meet and greets, VIP sections, after parties, sponsor related pressers and more are just some of the usual events that accompany the mid season event each year (and those are just the socially acceptable stops on the weekend, the casinos, private parties, and gentlemen’s club rendezvous’ are a whole other topic in and of themselves).
Which is why the winning team gets their own VIP ultra exclusive party. Losing squad cannot attend under any circumstances. No media allowed, no team officials, no one from the NBA head offices. The event gets contracted out to a 3rd party service who will provide the NBA with a loose framework of the evening and then the league washes its hands of it entirely. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
That 3rd party service is then in charge of throwing the most extravagant party of the year (think the Vanity Fair Oscar party on steroids). They’ve got to secure a VIP list of A-List celebrities, models, tech billionaires, musicians, and all the movers and shakers they can muster. If you’re a “supporting actor” sorry, no invite, we’re talking about the Leo’s, Pitt’s and Denzel’s of the world only. And once again, no one from the NBA permitted except the winning team. Were you “injured” and sat out? Sorry, no invite. Did you drop 50pts and took home All-Star MVP but lost? Sorry, no invite.
Could you imagine the soundbites from Draymond in 2017 walking into the club with Steph and the boys screaming at the camera “Sorry LeBron, maybe next time!”. These guys haven’t been told they couldn’t get into a club since high school. The blow to the ego’s of missing the biggest basketball related party of the year would be a huge motivator. Not to mention the ensuing locker room talk after of “it was insane, Drake rode in on an elephant, Wu Tang Clan were doing Karaoke, Tom Cruise showed up in his outfit from Cocktail and was LITERALLY making everyone cocktails at the bar” that would drive those who weren’t in attendance insane.
Will you get 100% effort out of everyone at the ASG with this format? Probably not. The allure of an all night rager might not be as enticing to some of the older players. But would you see a significant uptick in hustle? Absolutely.
NBA players are in the 1% of the 1% in the world. You need to get creative to motivate them. Traditional prizes and gimmicky giveaways aren’t going to get maximum buy in from them. But if you offer them something that money can’t buy, while simultaneously stroking their egos, then you’ve at least got their attention. And if the on court product improves, that’s good for the league, that’s good for the fans, and that’s good for basketball in general.
Your move Adam Silver, I’m available for ASG consulting roles moving forward.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @dynessports