[ImJustAnotherOkie]

They’re rich as shit. What would you do? I’m surprised they aren’t sitting on the sidelines drinking Tahitian cocktails with umbrellas.

[PGR88]

No one wants to get injured in a meaningless game

[glorgau]

211-186?

Hope that the defense got credited for the assists.

[Responsibility2nd]

An All Star game is all about showing off and looking pretty. There is absolutely no room for defense. Racking up double digit games is part of the plan.

Smith is an idiot. He should know better.

[nickcarraway]

I thought they aren’t supposed to try hard?

[dfwgator]

At least the NFL gave up on the farce of The Pro Bowl.

[verum ago]

What a shame.

I grew up watching the NBA, but stopped when I realized college basketball had much more 'real' competition- to me, watching the NBA is like watching professional "wrestling" vs an actual martial art.

I'm not here to slam the NBA or be one of those pretentious FReepers who loves to say they don't watch something out of right-wing virtue signaling. I'm just here to say what I started with: what a shame.

There are so many kids who look up to these men, and look what cues they're being given: 0 effort in a game that's supposed to be an exhibition, a give-back if you will, to the same fans (those kids I just mentioned) who made these low-effort ***holes hugely rich to start with.

They can't even be bothered to actually play the game they all supposedly love even once if it isn't for mega-bucks.

What a shame.

[Flycatcher]

211-186

Sounds a lot like the final score of a famous 1916 college football game. That is, if Cumberland College had an offense…

[Rummyfan]

It’s an exhibition game. WGAS? Fans can watch or not watch it’s their decision.

[NWFree]

I think they need to switch to flag basketball in the Negro Basketball Association

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The NBA has become so ghettoized and hood-ratted. It's entirely promoted to the inner-city and hip-hop culture. Every player has a ton of tattoos, dreadlocks, bunch of out-of-wedlock kids, promoting rap songs on the side, etc.

There seriously needs to be an alternative basketball league that has teams in states such as Iowa, Maine, West Virginia and maybe include Canadian cities such as Winnipeg and Saskatoon. Heartland Basketball. Each team has a million-dollar salary cap and the fundamentals are taught.

[JBW1949]

NBA.......Not Basketball League

[airborne]

Stephen A. Smith's face looks like something Jim Henson made!

[Paladin2]

Can the whole NBA.

Or sell it to China.

[DesertRhino]

Shiftless....

[AnotherUnixGeek]

All-Star games are meaningless exhibitions in any sport, but in football and to a lesser extent in basketball the potential for injury is real. There is no coach or owner or fanbase in the NBA that wants to see Steph Curry or Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic getting hurt in some meaningless game that has nothing to do with their post-season chances.

[lee martell]

Was this Stephen A. Smith ever a pro athlete? O don’t know much about him, but he always has something to say about the teams. I understand he is paid to pontificate and render judgement. Nice work if you can get it.

[Paul R.]

Remember that old Cheech and Chong skit where one of the guys is asking some street dude to help push a car, and street dude replies:

“Push de’ car?! Get your Momma to push de’ car!”

For this game I guess it would be,

“Play defense?! Get your Momma to play defense!”