NBA Problem Solved: World vs USA All Star game

CoachDay
Feb 17
3 min read

The disaster of All-Star Weekend has finally ended for the NBA. Each night over the weekend, it somehow managed to get worse. Seeing Rising Stars hotdog it, Wemby and Paul's lazy performance, LeBron backing out hours before tip-off due to soreness, and, finally, more off-court "entertainment" than actual on-court basketball. Again, all in what is supposed to be a showcase of their best in a fan-"friendly" way. Literally, in real time, there wasn’t even close to as much live basketball action as everything else.

The whole internet spent the weekend praising the NHL, golf, and college basketball while completely roasting every aspect of the NBA’s weekend. Even with McClung, people are over it since he isn’t even an NBA player. It got so bad that even the players themselves started voicing their complaints to the media. The NBA has to make a change soon.

The question is now becoming too loud to ignore: What is wrong with NBA All-Star Weekend? It’s supposed to be a time to showcase the NBA’s best in a fun, fan-friendly event.

I’m not going to get into the product throughout the regular season...that’s another battle for another time. Also, in fairness, as basketball fans, we have to admit that the NFL’s events are just as pathetic. And while MLB’s All-Star events are fun to watch, seeing guys mash balls 500 feet, they also need some new energy. But let’s stay focused on the NBA for now.

The funny thing is, the fix is so simple. The NHL has already given you a blueprint...just tweak it to fit the their league.

Starting a round-robin tournament with, say, four nations is possible, but the U.S. would still be heavily favored. Canada has the guard play but lacks bigs, France has the opposite issue, and the fourth nation could be an interesting debate between Spain, Australia, Slovenia, or even South Sudan. But let’s simplify this: World vs. USA.

To make it even more competitive, the NBA could put up a $5 million team prize, with a $1 million MVP bonus. Who says no? And before you argue that they’ll still dog it or that Team USA would dominate, think again. Let’s take a look at a potential World starting five and reserves.

Starters:

Shai Gilegous Alexander

Luka Doncic

Victor Wembynana

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nikola Jokic

Bench:

Domantis Sabonis

Jamal Murray

Lauri Markkanen

Franz Wagner

Josh Giddey

Bogdan Bogdanovic

There are some other names you could make arguments for as well. Again, what fan wouldn’t tune into this? It’s basically the Olympics on crack! That starting five would be TOUGH, and the bench has some serious talent too. Luka and Shai in the same backcourt with those bigs? Plus, the fact that Luka and Jokic are buddies—their chemistry would be insane.

This would be an electric matchup, and of course, you know the World players would bring it just to hold it over their U.S. teammates for the rest of the season. The NBA talks all about being a global game, a global league...well, this is a huge chance to fix an angry or bored fanbase.

To build up to the game, they could add mini-games before the dunk contest, matching up World players against U.S. guys in the skills challenge, 1v1 matchups, and a three-point contest...getting these guys to compete for bragging rights. We’ve seen what competition does. These guys are competitors; it’s how they got to the NBA. If you put their pride and talent on the line against another dude, it’s going to show.

Just think about it...an actual standalone game of basketball. No gimmicks. Just dudes competing.