The great Julius Erving was in attendance during the last NBA All-Star Game in 2024. He came in with high hopes and expectations, anticipating a thrilling showdown of skill, competition, and entertainment featuring some of the league’s finest athletes. Unfortunately, the reality he encountered was far from what he had envisioned.

As “Dr. J” watched the game unfold, his enthusiasm quickly turned to disappointment. The two sets of NBA All-Stars, who are typically known for their fierce competitiveness and extraordinary talent, seemed to be playing with a lackadaisical attitude. Instead of engaging in a spirited contest, most of them appeared to be nonchalant and played an annoyingly relaxed style of play that lacked the intensity and excitement that fans had come to expect from what was supposed to be a spectacle.

Despite his overall dissatisfaction with the game, Erving found a silver lining in the performance of one particular player: Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a sea of casual play, “The Greek Freak” stood out as the epitome of effort and determination, a performance that earned him Erving’s praise.

“One guy came over to me. I was sitting courtside. He came over to me and asked, ‘Did I play hard enough?’ You know who it was? (Giannis) Antetokounmpo,” the Hall of Famer said in a recent interview at the African-American Museum of Southern Arizona. “He was trying to roll them out of there. I don’t think he knows how to not play hard because he’s a truly great player. He came over, and I said, ‘Bro, I’m proud of you. But the other guys …’ (laughter from the crowd).”

The players didn’t even bother listening to Dr. J

In recent years, the NBA All-Star Game has faced a wave of criticism regarding the players’ perceived lack of effort in terms of both competition and entertainment. This event, once known for its thrilling displays of skill and passion, seems to have drifted far from the spectacular All-Star games of the past.

Back in the day, players were eager to demonstrate their exceptional talents and get the crowd on the edge of their seats. But now, it has become unapologetically boring. In an attempt to reignite that competitive spirit and enthusiasm among the All-Star players leading up to the 2024 All-Star Game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took a proactive approach. He reached out to Erving and Larry Bird, hoping their words would motivate them to elevate their game and truly engage with the audience.

However, despite their efforts, “Dr. J” observed that his nuggets of inspiration were obviously ineffective, except for Giannis, who genuinely absorbed everything he said. In fact, Erving even sensed that the players were not even inclined to listen. For Julius, that kind of behavior of the players raises important questions about the future of the NBA All-Star Game, and he believes Silver should do something about it sooner rather than later.

“(NBA commissioner) Adam Silver, he asked me, Larry Bird and one other guy, can’t remember who it is, to go in and talk to both teams before last year’s All-Star Game. We did that and the guys said, ‘We’re going to play hard. We’ll put on a good show. We’re going to play hard. You don’t have to tell us that.’ Man, it was like a walk in the park. I was so sad. … The people who came from around the world, they paid good money to be in that stadium. Adam needs to fix it. Somebody needs to fix it somehow. It’s like practice,” Erving reflected.

Bird echoes Dr. J’s sentiment

Very much like Erving, Bird has also expressed his displeasure regarding the current state of the NBA All-Star festivities, echoing sentiments similar to those of his fellow icon this past All-Star game. The Boston Celtics legend described the experience of watching the game as “awful,” highlighting a noticeable absence of effort to please the fans and prove something from the part of today’s NBA stars.

Bird feels that the lack of genuine competition and enthusiasm has transformed what was once a highly anticipated annual NBA event into something of a “joke.” Larry further noted that he and his contemporaries were nothing like that whenever they laced up for the All-Star game back then.

“I said, ‘Larry, what was your attitude toward All-Star games? ‘He said ‘I wanted to win’ period, quote unquote. ‘I wanted to win. We played competitive games,'” legendary sports writer Bob Ryan recalled. “You didn’t want anybody to get hurt, you didn’t go nuts, you didn’t go crazy, you didn’t do stupid things. But you played basketball. And you wanted to win. Well, we’ve gotten away from that.”

“He’s disgusted. He was invited last year,” added Ryan. “He thought it was a joke, and it is a joke. And it’s awful.”

In conclusion, Erving and Bird’s comments serve as a reminder of the high standards set by previous generations and the importance of maintaining the integrity and spirit of the NBA All-Star games. As it stands, it is yet to be known if what the NBA has come up with this year will finally fix the issue.