THE HYPE around basketball never seems to die down, as the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend wrapped up on Monday, February 17 (Philippine Time), with a few highlights and takeaways.
After a 25-year wait, the All-Star Weekend has returned to the beloved city of San Francisco, with the annual event, which includes a number of programs and festivities, hosted this year at the Chase Center.
Now that it’s over, let’s go over some of the highlights and key takeaways that basketball fans had from this year’s, what some may call, “controversial” All-Star Weekend.
A Must-See TV
The All-Star Weekend was a successful three-day event that included a variety of basketball events. On Friday, February 14, the Castrol Rising Stars were the highlight of the day, with Team C winning by a wide margin.
Stephon Castle, the Rising Stars Challenge MVP, led the team, which also included Memphis’ Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dalton Knecht, Phoenix’s Ryan Dunn, and others.
Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley of Cleveland won this year’s Kia Skills Challenge on Saturday. However, San Antonio’s duo stole the show by breaking the internet with a never-been-seen hack.
Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul attempted to neglect the mechanics in order to beat the clock by wasting baskets and focusing on passes. Despite how much fun they had, they were disqualified.
Meanwhile, Miami’s Tyler Herro won the closely contested Starry 3-point Contest. Buddy Hield of Golden State had a chance to win the trophy, but he missed the game-winning shot.
Finally, the night’s main event, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. Mac McClung of Orlando’s G League team performed stunning dunks one after another, becoming the only player in history to win three consecutive titles.
Shaq’s Team OGs Won
Introducing a fresh format for the 74th NBA All-Star Game, which some NBA players and fans called ‘boring,’ four teams were divided into two brackets and fought with a target score of 40 to win the title on Sunday.
The opening match pitted Kenny Smith’s Young Stars against Charles Barkley’s Global Stars, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way with five consecutive clutch baskets to enable the Global Stars progress to the next round.
Following that, Candace Parker’s Rising Stars faced Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs. Damian Lillard led the club to victory despite the absence of LeBron James, who announced his absence at the last minute.
Shaq’s OGs met Chuck’s Global Stars in Game 3, which was reminiscent of the Olympics. Stephen Curry, on the other hand, scorched the rim for the victory and won the NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy for the OGs.
Now that we’ve covered all of the highlights, let’s talk about the key takeaways from this year’s annual event. Given that many fans are doubting the value of the games due to a lack of competitiveness.
What’s The Problem?
Bill Velasco, a veteran sports analyst and writer, spoke with republicasia about the topic. Just like NBA champion Draymond Green, he believes that people are becoming bored.
“The problems of the All-Star Games did not start this weekend. They started more than 25 years ago,” said Velasco. “Kasi after the 1990s, the NBA gradually started to deteriorate already.”
“First of all, the All-Star Weekend started having problems, because people were getting tired of the Slam Dunk Contest kasi nakita na nila eh. They’ve seen a lot of the dunks already. There’s nothing really new,” he added.
Aside from the excitement that the Slam Dunk Contest brings to the table, Velasco emphasized a larger issue with the All-Star Games: the quality of competition between the East and West.
“What happened was, the succeeding generations of players were not as aggressive towards each other. There was no animosity anymore, among those players, and among the East and the West,” Velasco explained.
“Naging laro nalang talaga, no pride in beating the other team. Whereas before, the East constantly have to prove that it was as good as the West,” he went on to say.
The seasoned analyst also emphasized the issue of younger generations earning more money. Now that they’re making a lot of money, they’re not keen to participate in activities and earn extra money.
Respect The Game
Furthermore, Velasco believes that the way the game is played on a regular basis has had an impact on the All-Star Game. Not to mention how the league’s rules have changed over time.
The overwhelming number of three-pointers taken during the Curry era, offensive and defensive restrictions, and the issue of no calls for traveling infractions have all had an impact on the game’s level of respect.
“Two weeks ago I heard a commentator say, ‘Don’t mind the extra steps’. But that’s part of the rules. So the fans, particularly the older fans, are telling the younger fans that this is not the game we grew up watching,” he said.
“It’s not the same. It’s like there’s a lack of respect for the traditions of All-Star Weekends and the game in general. Example, ‘yung ginawa ni CP3 at Wemby sa Skills Challenge. Pakiramdam ng mga fans, parang bina-baboy ‘yung laro.”
“Now, the older generation is saying that the game is deteriorating. The ratings are down, people are not really watching anymore. Hindi na sila ginagahan and it’s because they’re trying to change everything,” he added.
Velasco, who is also an enormous fan of not only the NBA but the game of basketball in general, wants to see more intensity. For him, if the previous East-West format worked, why change it?
“They’re not addressing the issue, which is the game itself. The fans want to see intensity, they want to see competition. Ayun talaga ang problema ngayon sa NBA. It’s the culture of the game, not all the peripheral stuff,” he said.
“The [old] format used to work, and it’s not because the format is outdated. No, it worked for a very very long time, what has changed is the culture,” the analyst went on.
A Veteran’s Grade
With all of that said, Velasco scored the Saturday night event a B, and the All-Star Games on Sunday a C. He believes that East vs West must be reinstated in order to restore the level of competition.
At the end of the day, these perspectives reflect the individual’s perception of the NBA’s current state. A senior sports journalist who has witnessed how the NBA and the sport of basketball have evolved over time.
What steps will the NBA take in the future years to rekindle the excitement surrounding All-Star Weekends? Is it time to return to the old ways? Is it time to find a new event, such as one-on-one matches? Please let us know in the comments section.
