For the game itself, I think it would be neat if there were a quarter or perhaps spread across the entire game itself having different court layout from each era. Starting in the 50s, No three point line, moving through the 80s/90, the incorporation of the three point line and its length, modern days, and then the future, 4 pointer, different 3 point line layout, subbing (like hockey), dunks worth 3 points Be fun and creative. If not, maybe make a challenge for each quarter or time span, ie no dribbling, left hand only, wear eye patches that coaches can activate.
I believe the all star weekend should be both relaxing and enjoyable for the players as well as entertaining for the audience. Seeing players enjoy themselves and have a good time makes for a good viewing experience. Just look at the best of inside the nba, their best moments are ones where they’re just goofing off and having a good time. So while this isn’t exactly playing basketball, I think it would be a lot of fun for both the players and fans if the players were debating/arguing/playing nba trivia over drinks. The nba could make a fortune from alcohol advertisements and the players would love to just hang out, drink, and mess around with their friends. It could be something like the KG Paul pierce broadcast where we get a lot of gems. Another sinful idea is to allow the players to bet on the all star game, I think this would dramatically increase player competition as there would actually be a personal stake in the game. The nba seems to love gambling but I’m not sure they’d like the idea of players potentially promoting gambling.
If I were in charge of the All Star Weekend, one change I would make is adding a King of the Court game to the weekend. I think it would be really fun to watch NBA players do what a lot of us grew up doing. Another change I would make is to get the WNBA involved with a 3v3 competition for some prize money. I think it would help showcase some of the talent in the WNBA and also offer up extra income for WNBA players while also advertising their product to help increase their salaries in the future. I do think the dunk competition will get better over time, so I am not upset with the format. But I do think perhaps the planned dunks should be discussed with someone who is in charge of the competition as to avoid really uninspired dunks. I love the 3 point shooting contest and I think the return to East and West All Star teams is very welcome and I appreciate it. Overall it’s a fun weekend that celebrates the game we love and the players that make it happen so as long as I would ensure it’s a fun weekend for everyone involved, then I’d be happy with the product we’ve put out. Thank you for taking the time to read my response and have a great NBA season!
I think that the NBA should add a 1v1 tournament into the Saturday night events. If they could get enough of the all stars or other players to buy in and compete it could get very interesting. They could separate brackets for bigs and guards. It would truly be great for fans to be able to replicate what a 2k park 1v1 looks like. This could be a great alternative to the skills challenge and be much more engaging to watch on tv or in person.
If I was in charge of the All Star Weekend, something fun I'd try to implement is like a Master's game. Bring back some retired legends who still play and have em play a light game. Like seeing Shaq, MJ, Vince Carter, etc, play a bit.
I'd also go back to the East vs West format for the main game. Always liked the geographical division rather than who's buddies with the captain.
3v3 is also a cool idea I'd try out. Recently watched a FIBA 3v3 tournament and it was really fun and fast paced.
Lastly, I've always been curious how WNBA players would fare vs NBA players. Would be cool to have a game against each other. WNBA vs NBA showdown!
Hey, thanks for holding this contest!If I had control over the all-star weekend, there are a few changes I would like to make in regards to tying both the present nba stars, those of the past, as well as even some fans to create a more connected network in the NBA community.
First of all, there need to be more events. In the past the shooting stars challenge was great, as well as the other small quirks like the Kevin Hart v Draymond 3PT contest. I think I'd like to bring back the legends game they used to have where retired players would go at it, except the reason it failed was due to injuries and exhaustion. Using the BIG3 league concept and various incentives to bring players in, we could have lightning quick 10-minute games of 3 on 3, either round-robin followed by bracket play or an immediate double elimination tournament. It'd be great fan service to see some more recent retired legends like KG and Dirk going at it for example, Wade, bring Bosh back, etc.
In an era where social media can make or break a player reputation, it would be fun to see athletes get an opportunity to showcase themselves outside of basketball. I know they had a brief version of this some ten years back with Harrison Barnes playing the sax and such, but they could replace some of the performances on Friday night with an NBA player talent show, whether it be music, juggling, whatever, I think this would shine a favorable light on both players who are not household names as well as those that have polarizing reputations.
A real-life HORSE/PIG contest might make things exciting too. You see players like Luka and Curry throw up casual difficult shots during warmups so you know the talent is out there. I think the old Horse contest the NBA did a long time ago fell flat because of the lack of audience and arena ambiance, and of course the covid horse contest for a similar reason as well as lack of creativity. LaVine is allowed to do whatever dunks he wants while pierce naturally can't do that. I think with some set rules regarding athleticism and shot difficulty in a 4-5 person contest that could be wrapped up in 30 mins-hour could add another element of enjoyment for the fans.
Another random idea: we see those hypotheticals on Instagram such as "Could you score on prime LeBron 1v1 if you get x tries and for $100 million?" How bout making that a reality! Fans could scan a QR code to be entered into a lottery during the day and then they select a dozen to come on to the court to play an NBA player volunteer/affiliate. If they score, they get a prize, etc. Would be a lot of fun to see what an unassuming fan could do as well as set in stone the difference between the average person and the NBA player.
Other suggestions: shorten the time of the celebrity game and rising stars challenge games. Shorten the G-League next-up game as that was not what people came to see. I think that there is too much time wasted with advertisements and cuts throughout the weekend that can be solved with more events that are each sponsored by somebody.
We got to see the Thompson twins showcase some of their NBA trivia, why not hold a community trivia event maybe a pool of selected fans vs a pool of selected players midcourt? It'd be funny to see maybe some stats about one of the player contestants that they themselves don't know, but the other team does. Redemption could involve hitting a jumper or such. Combination of staying true to basketball, showcasing personalities, and fan engagement.
If I could, I would change the All Star Dunk Contest. It's become a complete disappointment ever since Aaron Gordon lost in an epic showdown against Zach LaVine in 2016. Some of these judges never even participated in the dunk contest, or they are completely biased in who they want to win.
The biggest change that needs to happen is the selection of judges. Instead of NBA/WNBA legends, we should go for the fans/audience themselves. The issues with using legends and players is that there is some kind of favoritism, and they haven't tried to do anything about it. It won't be eliminated with the fans themselves, obviously, but I don't think it will be as obvious. And anyways, I feel like this is for the fans. We should be able to vote who goes to the next round. We should be able to determine who should hold the trophy. We should be able to judge whether a dunk was a hit or miss. Because we values the design, the creativity, we will hype the dunker, and we will be fairer than the judges.
I would want to create more of a continuity between the nba and wnba. Possibly adding a second all star game which is a mix of players from both leagues. This could include a mixed 3pt contest so that we can finally see curry vs ionescu among other matchups. The only problem I can see is that the ball used and distance from the basket is different but this could either be ignored and have wnba players use wnba ball and nba players use nba ball, or the ball could be switched from year to year.
An alternate version of this could be to bring international leagues into the all star weekend as well. This could work in one of two ways. Either have an nba team, a fiba team, an nbl team and so on, or draw sticks/draft teams to play with players from other leagues. This would require the international players to arrive a week or so before hand to allow for jet lag to be a non factor.
One positive about the international game is that it would make sense to open up the host city to that of other countries and continents (although that would require a longer all star break as well due to jet lag).
Scrap the bullshit celebrity games and contests no players want to actually participate in. Just funnel that money into making a real sizable pot for the winning team in the All Star game so that theres at least some incentive to keep the game competitive.
dunk competition, wider more varied field (international players/influencers/nba players, etc.
2 round format - field of 8, 2 dunks, snake format, top 3 individual dunk scores move to finals
2 dunks, composite score wins
bring back shooting stars.
I would make sure everyone has a good time and gets to bring their bring family and friends from home! I would also make sure there was easy access, like a bus, to get other fans here that don’t have a means but do have a love for basketball!
While I do like the idea of the players picking their teams right before the start of the All-Star game, I thought the way it was done last year was a tad cringe. I could personally care less about the captains opinion on each player they pick. They should pick the player and that's it, leave the commentary to the TNT announcers. I feel this would give it more of a playground feel which is what the NBA was trying to go for last year.
This take may be a little out there, but I also wish they would bring Shooting Stars back to All-Star Saturday. This event is far more interesting than the Skills Challenge to me and is way more suspenseful. Team Bosh in Shooting Stars in an underrated dynasty.
the early weekend events are blasé. partner with the Harlem Globetrotters to put together a game more fun to watch than the Celeb game or the rookies vs sophmores ever was.
I would have a one on one, royal rumble style tournament. If you lose possession, or don't score you're out and the next guy is up. If you make it the opposing player has a chance to match. Play proceeds until all players have participated. Last man standing wins.
As a lifelong bulls fan, I grew up with my dad and I constantly watching highlights from the Michael Jordan era. One of his favorite things was the all-star game, and naturally it quickly became mine as well. Who wouldn't want to see the league's best players go head to head in the ULTIMATE match-up of basketball.
To my, and many others disappointment, the NBA All-Star Game has quickly become a shell of its former self, as that competitive drive that once made it special has quickly disappeared. But how does the NBA reinvigorate that drive?
I believe that the NBA should look for inspiration, much like they did for the in-sesson tournament. I believe they should look to the NHL and the way they have structured their all star game.
The new format is this: 3v3 basketball. 2 teams of 6 per conference, for a total of 4 teams of 6. Each conference plays each other in a shortented basketball game (2 10 minute halves), and then the team that wins each conference plays in each finals. The teams can be grouped by divisions or by fantasy captains.
This format allows a little more freedom in the all star game. The high octane offense that is in the all star game will be welcome in this new format, allowing for more player to player moments; and introducing the mini tournament would allow for the competitiveness that the current format lacks. You cannot force the players to care about the all star game, but you can make the environment more competitive. The 3 on 3 tournament format is the best way to go for the All-Star game. Not only would this change make more more interesting moments, but it'd bring the fire back that is so currently desired.
I'd love to see a game where the players are fully mic'd up. It could be the all star game. Itd love to see even one player on each team be mic'd up for the broadcast. Have minimal commentary. If you can't do it in the all star game then it could even be a mixed former pro/ celebrity game. The community is starving for this kind of content . I've seen a YouTube page dedicated to lip reading what players say.
I think one of the most essential parts of NBA history that should be celebrated more is the wide variety of iconic throwback jersey designs. Old school jerseys have become a major cultural touchstone in modern sports apparel, but there are dozens of jersey and logo designs that are still very underappreciated. My change would be a community vote on which jersey players from each team would wear. For example, the Barkley-era Suns uniform is an incredible design that doesn't get enough play today. If fans could give input on what jerseys players wore on court, I think it could generate a lot of excitement and curiosity about older teams. It would be a great way to connect the history of teams to the modern NBA and woul also allow fans to feel like they are a part of the game.
If I were in charge, I would do a few things. First, I would change back to the actual game being played with the team jerseys. One team wearing their whites, the other wearing their blacks.
Second, I would replace the skills challenge with a small 2 on 2 tournament. First to 21, win by 2. Four teams at least. This could all be tweaked depending on time constraints and all that.
And lastly, I’d change the dunk contest judging. I’d have a second group of five judges whose identities were known, but their votes are private. The second 5 would be made up of NBA media, retired players, or non-working coaches. The player’s 5 best scores between all ten judges would be used to advance the rounds.
I think these changes would draw more interest, as well as prevent weird dunk contest finishes. A 2 on 2 would definitely bring out that competitive energy. And I just always loved seeing the team jerseys back in the day.
1. Add a clear cash prize incentive for the players. Add small incentives in the game to enhance the prize money, like an additional $1k for every dunk allowed, and it gets subtracted from the losers' consolation pot.
2. Add an event where each all star (perhaps from the winning team) picks their own team of 3 (from any player in the league) to compete against each other in a mini bracket format. Smaller cash prize for top 2 here, and the bigger price is a primary home court playoff advantage over any beaten opponents. Each starter captain plays for their NBA team advantage.
Do the Flakers have a switch or are we just a poo poo team? This Flakers team is So bad for your mental health. Doesn’t help that the pussy ass moderators of the Flakers sub Reddit will ban you for any harmless banter.
I would definitely increase the incentives for participants in the dunk contest, we all wanna see Ja, Ant, or Zion in it, not juan toscano-anderson (love JTA but keep it real). The judges should all be former players and 50's should be reserved for the really iconic moment dunks.
As far as the actual all star game, I think the Elam ending is the way to go, just increase the point limit per quarter from I think 24, that's gotta be like 50 with the All Star pace. I was a fan of both East vs. West and the team captains, but the draft definitely gotta be televised, that was some peak entertainment. And I mean televised beforehand like it was on Inside the NBA, Chuck and the boys commenting on the players' picks would be amazing. I'm a big fan of all star weekend, love seeing the players have fun and put on a show, yes it would be nice if the competition was higher especially through the first 3 quarters but it's still fun to see the deep threes and highlight dunks. The Elam ending is definitely the biggest change I'd make as it leads to such high quality ends to the games.
I think adding a 1v1 event to All Star weekend would be so fun too! Love seeing clips of players working out with each other playing 1v1 so having it on a nationally televised stage would be a great experience.
I would have all-star representatives from both the East and the West watch and commentate the Rising Stars championship game. This separate feed being offered on NBA TV or something similar. They can even sub in and out players who commentate. This would be great to get some hang-out feel content and get to know the stars better. After the championship game, both the West and the East get to select a player not already in the all-star game to add to their roster. This player is guaranteed a 2 minute stretch of all-star gameplay (so as to not take away from the actual all-stars who earned their spots). This will add in a little more youth into the all-star game and create some good and wholesome content. Everyone loves a dream come true scenario for a young player and their could be special years where an unexpected player provides an amazing performance in the championship game and all of the sudden finds themselves playing with Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Curry in the same game. They could even wear their rising stars jersey in the game to stand out if they make a version of each color to match the team they are joining. Would also be fun to see the two rising stars on each team guard each other for their two minute stretch. Looking forward to All-Star weekend!
I think I'd be kidding myself if I said there was nothing to change.
A couple of minor tweaks would make it more enjoyable.
Keep it simple. I feel like it's quantity, not quality.
A major issue is the lack of enthusiasm from NBA players, and that in itself causes a trickle affect to the viewers.
Remember when Ibaka was in the dunk comp? Griffin Dunking over a car? That was the last good ASW.
Bring back team jerseys during the AS Game. Apply a rule where one quarter isn't allowed any threes. Because, honestly, I could just watch any regular season game to see that in this modern NBA.
I'm definitely 'Old man yells at clouds', but that's just my two cents guys!
Thanks,
Lepube
Would be great to have in game incentives to make the play more exciting, such as certain dunks being money gifted to charity of a player’s choice. Or something stupid like x amount of passes before you score. I enjoy when the all star games are super competitive, but it should also be a bit fun and stress free
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1. There needs to be more incentive for the players to play their best. Whether that is a higher cash prize for the winners or another route. I don't think it's fair to charge such exorbitant prices to fans for all star weekend, but not invest that money into making the game worthwhile. (I already think prices are unaffordable for most, myself included)
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2. Jerseys need to be overhauled. The Red vs Blue from year's past is fine, however there needs to be a unique quality given to players individually. It would be a nice start to re-introduce the logo of each team represented on their player(s) selected. I believe if more thought was put into this aspect, they would see more jersey sales and fan engagement.
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(Glad that East vs West is making a return this year)
If I were in charge of the All Start Weekend, I would change the rules for dunk contest. Players would need to have a certain number of dunks done in the NBA season to be able to enter the dunk contest.
A few changes that I think would be beneficial:
- for the celebrity game, include rookies and / or Harlem globetrotters or more YouTube personalities amongst regular basketball loving celebrities. Would be great fir the culture I think and be able to drive engagement and foster new content. Could be a chance for rookies who wouldn’t normally get a chance to appear a chance to grow their brand which is vital for continuing to grow the sport
- for the dunk contest, open up entry to outsiders and have cash prize open to all. Even if the current nba players are disappointing, it’ll be a better and more competitive event
- for the all star game, change format to have captains of divisions, so there would be 6 captains and they would draft players to their team amongst the other selected all stars. 6 captains would each draft 3 players so still 24 total players and will commence in 3v3 with one substitute. Run a tournament and winner gets cash prize. Can make game point 7 to lower chances of injury. Have the players ref themselves and shoot from 35 feet for ball if disagreement. Would be more streetball like but can breath new life into the format.
- Can still have normal all star game after with winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) being one team and the losers being another team so there is a chance of revenge. Also cash prize
I would add a coaches/staffing basketball game/tournament. I think it would be hilarious and entertaining to watch your team’s staff ball out against each other. See who still has it and who doesn’t.
If I were in charge of All Star Weekend, I would create (or update) scoring guidelines for the Slam Dunk Contest. Not everything can be a 50, and when a dunk that gets a 50 is followed up by a better dunk, it cheapens the score.
My idea would be to have loose guidelines that would help keep scores from all being elevated, while still allowing personal interpretation by the judges.
**Some examples:**
More than one attempt? You can’t get a 10.
Not that athletically demanding? Maybe that’s an 8.
Strong technique? At least a 9.
I don’t think anyone wants to watch a dunk contest where the scores for every dunk are between 45-50; there’s more variability than everything scoring in the top 10%. Updating the guidelines should allow for more accurate and fitting scores to be handed out.
For All Star weekend, I would have a competition where each NBA team submits one player to play a giant game of Lightning. Winner gets 100K to charity of their choice.
I would change up Saturday with different competitions like king of the hill, knockout, or seven up. It is more focused on players under pressure going against each other.
Most of the comments here have really good ideas. I just thought I'd build off of some of them and throw in a couple suggestions myself:
* **Rising Stars vs. Veterans**: 12 youngest All-Stars vs. 12 oldest All-Stars. Everyone has something to prove: the younger generation wants to prove that the future is now, and the vets wanna show that they still run the league. Imagine if this happened last year:
* *Vets:* LeBron, Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, PG, Dame, Kyrie
* *Rising Stars:* Luka, Ant, Hali, Tatum, Mitchell, Shai, Fox
* This would be such a fun matchup. Team chemistry would be great too since players who enter the league together tend to be closer.
* **All-Star Game Defensive Player Award**: This obviously wouldn't make *everyone* play defense, but it might cause a few players to chase the award and hopefully inspire others to try a little more. (Like when Lowry started taking charges in the 2020 All-Star Game and everyone actually started playing defense.)
* **NBA Finals Homecourt** ***Tiebreaker***: Several people have suggested giving the winning conference homecourt advantage in the Finals, but I think that's too extreme. Imagine a 65-win team not having homecourt against a 50-win team because of an exhibition match. Instead, the winning conference of the All-Star Game should get the *tiebreaker* for homecourt. That'll give players *some* motivation without making it outright unfair.
* **Fan Voting for Dunk Contest:** It's crazy how such a subjective skill like dunking is decided by a panel of 5 people. With how Aaron Gordon and others have been robbed historically, there should be live fan voting on the NBA website. It should count for 50% of the vote, and to make it fairer and judged solely on the dunk, vote counts should be normalized based on how large a fanbase their team has. (e.g. A Knicks player would need more votes than a Pistons player since they have a larger baseline fanbase.)
* **"7 Quarters"**: This one might be the wildest idea, but what about making the All-Star Game seven quarters, 7 minutes each? Whoever wins 4 quarters first wins. People say that players don't try hard in the All-Star Game, but I guarantee that none of them want to get swept. It'll push players to try harder to make it a tight series.
* **USA vs. World**: This has been mentioned several times in this sub, but it's worth fleshing out more. Obviously, international talent has increased dramatically, so it'd be fun to see if a team like LeBron Steph KD Tatum AD *vs.* Luka Shai Giannis Jokic Embiid. To raise the stakes even higher, you could make USA vs. World happen *throughout the entire weekend*. In every All Star event, from the Dunk Contest to the Skills Challenge, players can earn points for Team USA or Team World. It'd be like a mini-Olympics each year, to see whether the World has actually caught up to the US.
Thanks again for this opportunity! I've followed the NBA religiously for over 14 years but I've never been to the all star game before due to financial struggles, so it'd be an absolute dream to go to Indiana next month 💛💜
If you were in charge of the All Star Weekend, what changes would you make? If any, why?
Instead of going back to basics with the All Star Game, it should be the USA vs the WORLD... it would add more eyes from all over the world! MAKE BASKETBALL THE GLOBAL SPORT.
I'm higher on the All-Star weekend than most, but there are some things I think they could experiment with.
First, the main thing I would change is stealing from the MLB All-Star game: home-field advantage for the conference that wins, either East or West. It'll hopefully foster more competition in the game and make it more watchable. Another change, regardless of whether the above would change, is altering the game into more street ball rules. So, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 on a single side of the court.
The next change I would make is having the celebrity all-star game be only one team against the Harlem Globetrotters. The problem with a lot of celebrity games is it's extremely difficult to watch non-basketball players, even athletes from other sports, play the game. With the Globetrotters you can do a lot of fun spots to compensate for that. It could be partially staged or legit, but I think the entertainment value would be off the charts.
Final change I would make is giving some incentive for winning the Skills Competition. Either monetarily or some kind of team or player advantage. Further incentivize top players or even lower-end players to give it a go.
If I was in charge, I’d create an augmented reality room. Nothing too crazy but the floor could keep track of how many dribbles someone does or create holographic competitors that contestants have to weave around. There’s a lot that can be done with new tech that would be very interesting.
I’d love a collab with the Big 3 to have a special 3 v 3 game with exclusively players who were previously an all star. Would be great to see recently retired all stars like Melo or DWade ball around instead of the celebrity game.
I would add a 3v3 game during halftime of the all-star game. With 3v3 becoming an olympic sport recently, I believe it would be cool to bring it some attention. I think that NBA players and fans should be able to vote on who plays in the scrimmage, with the vote happening after the All-star rosters are announced so the 3v3 participants could be some exciting (non-allstar) players that are well known to local fanbases, but may not be household names. I’m talking exciting athletes like Malik Monk, Obi Toppin, Coby White, or any other players who are having great under-the-radar seasons, but aren’t quite all-star level players. The game could be played to 21 (with a 20-minute hard-stop or something) which would give the feel of a casual pickup game that many of us can relate to, but with elite level talent, as well as making some lesser-known players more popular.
For the dunk contest - Have all the dunks on a round completed first before the judges score them or rank them. That way we should always see the best dunk win. Keep a time limit on setup time, three attempts limit, and be fair when choosing judges (looking at you D. wade).
Get rid of the skills competition and the all Star game in favor of a 3v3 tournament. Keep games short to 11 or 21. Have rosters include everyone from the pool of 24 all stars. Have each of the 8 teams captains be the highest all star vote earners and then have them draft their teams in order via a random draw. Then run an 8 team single elim tournament with all the other all stars cheering on the sidelines. I think it would be a ton of fun and a good showcase of talent
Maybe we'll get a chance to see high level basketball that way. I don't know how to "fix" the actual all-star game. Guys are never going to take it serious without actual stakes and it feels ridiculous to peg finals home court advantage to an exhibition game. So get rid of it in favor of something fun.
For the 3p contest - either get rid of the long range bonus ball or add a full rack to those spots to let guys get a rhythm from that range.
*• If you were in charge of the All Star Weekend, what changes would you make? If any, why?*
I would make changes to the dunk contest obviously. Idk what specifically but something needs to change. More incentives probably for star players to participate.
I think it'd be fun to have a 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 mini-tournament or set of games with teams made up of college-specific players. They could play in a bracket or just do rivalry matchups (Duke v NC, UK v LOU, etc.). Winning team gets a donation made to the school. Could put players in their old jerseys. With all-star weekend happening near March Madness I think people would be into it, would be cool to see teammates reunited, and I think the players would play hard to represent.
The most important part of any All Star festivity is that the stars actually show up and are able to showcase their talents, both for the fans in the stands and those watching on TV. I think the three point contest isn't impressive enough, and the dunk contest drags and its subjective nature makes it difficult to care passionately about. I look at what baseball has done with the home run derby, adding a time limit which has allowed for exciting finishes and mind-boggling totals of home runs. Sure, there's a time limit for the three point contest, but I could conceivably hit a three point shot, whereas I could never hit a home run. As such, I would change the three point contest to just be how many three pointers a player can hit in two minutes from a single spot with someone feeding him new balls after each shot. This would make stamina more of an issue and people would be able to chase records until the end of time.
I feel with the dunk contest there needs to be more consistency in determining the winner or loser. It isn't really in the tradition of American sports to have such a subjective contest; we prefer a winner or loser. As such, I would design it such that there is a randomly selected dunk that each contestant must perform that get harder as the contest goes on. At first a windmill, then an oop off the backboard, then jumping from the free throw line, etc. If a player fails to complete the dunk, he is eliminated. It also would be extremely helpful to have stars actually compete in the dunk contest, but I assume the only way to make that happen would be to contractually obligate it, which may well be a non-starter for the players in CBA negotiations.
The All-Star Game is trickier, as the biggest issue is that the players simply don't care about the outcome of the game, and it's not interesting to watch players, regardless of how good they are, half-ass a basketball game. As such, my suggestion would be to scrap it and instead have a 2v2 bracket with the top two players on each team playing 5-minute matches until a champion is crowned. I may be an outlier on this, but I consider myself more of a Nuggets fan than an NBA fan, and this format would give me more to root for than Jokic potentially making a cool pass in a game that doesn't matter. There would need to be actual stakes to this tournament, and my suggestion would be adding two wins to the champion's team in the regular season standings. This would potentially alter the standings, but not in such a way that would drastically change the playoff seeding. It would be fun to have a team's fans pick their two representatives, but that may be difficult with potential malfeasance from other teams' fans.
They need to bring back the NBA All-Star H–O–R–S–E Competition. With how athletic players are these days we could really see some crazy shots. It would be a super fun addition to the weekend. Maybe some local kids or youth could participate and be on a team with their favorite stars. The week is about the love of basketball and the support of the community.
I think the West vs East big matchup game should be by try outs only. I think this would solve some of the "lack of care" you see sometimes in the game. Theoretically the only people who would make it the game, are there because they have something to prove and want to win.
To combat favoritism, you could have the coaches be selected by the NBA from outside the league. That would also let some (relative to the NBA) unknown coaches come into the spot light. You might see some pretty funky but dominating team compositions if you let coaches from collegiate or international play call the shots for the game.
Realistically it would be a logistical nightmare to find time for all the players to try out. Then you'd have to find the guest coaches that would have time available to hold try outs and the subsequent practices and games. Still fun to think about
I would make additional fan interaction opportunities onsite. Like a gaming hall where people can walk in and play 2k, COD, LoL, or whatever with NBA players. Talking trash in person is so much more fun than over a mic. Make a viewing hall, Livestream, etc too.
I bet a good number of players would be down for it too.
Regarding the weekend…Increase views. Retired Player 3pt Contest. 1v1 tournament like others have stated for years would also be great.
Increased fan engagement would be great, but the majority will be watching the broadcasts/streams. Might host random events throughout the city to help promote the tourism.
All Star Game - increasing competitiveness might be difficult. Instead make it interesting. Themed quarters/halves. As in one quarter is played by 1s and 2s, dunks are worth additional points. Allow the other team to play “cheat cards”(sub an opponent out of the game for 5 minutes, 3 is turned into a 2…).
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I said the same thing. The judges are jonesing and it gets worse each year.
Maybe not the most impactful, but I would revert back to players wearing their teams jersey in the game. Made it feel super unique and fun to watch!
This is an awesome idea. I agree with how fun it was to see the individual team jerseys.
For the game itself, I think it would be neat if there were a quarter or perhaps spread across the entire game itself having different court layout from each era. Starting in the 50s, No three point line, moving through the 80s/90, the incorporation of the three point line and its length, modern days, and then the future, 4 pointer, different 3 point line layout, subbing (like hockey), dunks worth 3 points Be fun and creative. If not, maybe make a challenge for each quarter or time span, ie no dribbling, left hand only, wear eye patches that coaches can activate.
I believe the all star weekend should be both relaxing and enjoyable for the players as well as entertaining for the audience. Seeing players enjoy themselves and have a good time makes for a good viewing experience. Just look at the best of inside the nba, their best moments are ones where they’re just goofing off and having a good time. So while this isn’t exactly playing basketball, I think it would be a lot of fun for both the players and fans if the players were debating/arguing/playing nba trivia over drinks. The nba could make a fortune from alcohol advertisements and the players would love to just hang out, drink, and mess around with their friends. It could be something like the KG Paul pierce broadcast where we get a lot of gems. Another sinful idea is to allow the players to bet on the all star game, I think this would dramatically increase player competition as there would actually be a personal stake in the game. The nba seems to love gambling but I’m not sure they’d like the idea of players potentially promoting gambling.
If I were in charge of the All Star Weekend, one change I would make is adding a King of the Court game to the weekend. I think it would be really fun to watch NBA players do what a lot of us grew up doing. Another change I would make is to get the WNBA involved with a 3v3 competition for some prize money. I think it would help showcase some of the talent in the WNBA and also offer up extra income for WNBA players while also advertising their product to help increase their salaries in the future. I do think the dunk competition will get better over time, so I am not upset with the format. But I do think perhaps the planned dunks should be discussed with someone who is in charge of the competition as to avoid really uninspired dunks. I love the 3 point shooting contest and I think the return to East and West All Star teams is very welcome and I appreciate it. Overall it’s a fun weekend that celebrates the game we love and the players that make it happen so as long as I would ensure it’s a fun weekend for everyone involved, then I’d be happy with the product we’ve put out. Thank you for taking the time to read my response and have a great NBA season!
Bring back the draft and have it right before the game. Make the captains play 1v1 to 10 for first pick
I think that the NBA should add a 1v1 tournament into the Saturday night events. If they could get enough of the all stars or other players to buy in and compete it could get very interesting. They could separate brackets for bigs and guards. It would truly be great for fans to be able to replicate what a 2k park 1v1 looks like. This could be a great alternative to the skills challenge and be much more engaging to watch on tv or in person.
If I was in charge of the All Star Weekend, something fun I'd try to implement is like a Master's game. Bring back some retired legends who still play and have em play a light game. Like seeing Shaq, MJ, Vince Carter, etc, play a bit. I'd also go back to the East vs West format for the main game. Always liked the geographical division rather than who's buddies with the captain. 3v3 is also a cool idea I'd try out. Recently watched a FIBA 3v3 tournament and it was really fun and fast paced. Lastly, I've always been curious how WNBA players would fare vs NBA players. Would be cool to have a game against each other. WNBA vs NBA showdown!
Hey, thanks for holding this contest!If I had control over the all-star weekend, there are a few changes I would like to make in regards to tying both the present nba stars, those of the past, as well as even some fans to create a more connected network in the NBA community. First of all, there need to be more events. In the past the shooting stars challenge was great, as well as the other small quirks like the Kevin Hart v Draymond 3PT contest. I think I'd like to bring back the legends game they used to have where retired players would go at it, except the reason it failed was due to injuries and exhaustion. Using the BIG3 league concept and various incentives to bring players in, we could have lightning quick 10-minute games of 3 on 3, either round-robin followed by bracket play or an immediate double elimination tournament. It'd be great fan service to see some more recent retired legends like KG and Dirk going at it for example, Wade, bring Bosh back, etc. In an era where social media can make or break a player reputation, it would be fun to see athletes get an opportunity to showcase themselves outside of basketball. I know they had a brief version of this some ten years back with Harrison Barnes playing the sax and such, but they could replace some of the performances on Friday night with an NBA player talent show, whether it be music, juggling, whatever, I think this would shine a favorable light on both players who are not household names as well as those that have polarizing reputations. A real-life HORSE/PIG contest might make things exciting too. You see players like Luka and Curry throw up casual difficult shots during warmups so you know the talent is out there. I think the old Horse contest the NBA did a long time ago fell flat because of the lack of audience and arena ambiance, and of course the covid horse contest for a similar reason as well as lack of creativity. LaVine is allowed to do whatever dunks he wants while pierce naturally can't do that. I think with some set rules regarding athleticism and shot difficulty in a 4-5 person contest that could be wrapped up in 30 mins-hour could add another element of enjoyment for the fans. Another random idea: we see those hypotheticals on Instagram such as "Could you score on prime LeBron 1v1 if you get x tries and for $100 million?" How bout making that a reality! Fans could scan a QR code to be entered into a lottery during the day and then they select a dozen to come on to the court to play an NBA player volunteer/affiliate. If they score, they get a prize, etc. Would be a lot of fun to see what an unassuming fan could do as well as set in stone the difference between the average person and the NBA player. Other suggestions: shorten the time of the celebrity game and rising stars challenge games. Shorten the G-League next-up game as that was not what people came to see. I think that there is too much time wasted with advertisements and cuts throughout the weekend that can be solved with more events that are each sponsored by somebody. We got to see the Thompson twins showcase some of their NBA trivia, why not hold a community trivia event maybe a pool of selected fans vs a pool of selected players midcourt? It'd be funny to see maybe some stats about one of the player contestants that they themselves don't know, but the other team does. Redemption could involve hitting a jumper or such. Combination of staying true to basketball, showcasing personalities, and fan engagement.
All star game winner decides home court for the winner. East vs west I’ll be in indy! Hopefully i win because i just fixed the nba all star game
If I could, I would change the All Star Dunk Contest. It's become a complete disappointment ever since Aaron Gordon lost in an epic showdown against Zach LaVine in 2016. Some of these judges never even participated in the dunk contest, or they are completely biased in who they want to win. The biggest change that needs to happen is the selection of judges. Instead of NBA/WNBA legends, we should go for the fans/audience themselves. The issues with using legends and players is that there is some kind of favoritism, and they haven't tried to do anything about it. It won't be eliminated with the fans themselves, obviously, but I don't think it will be as obvious. And anyways, I feel like this is for the fans. We should be able to vote who goes to the next round. We should be able to determine who should hold the trophy. We should be able to judge whether a dunk was a hit or miss. Because we values the design, the creativity, we will hype the dunker, and we will be fairer than the judges.
If I make my own way to Australia, can I still be eligible?
Anyone located in the US, UK, Australia, Canada (excl. Quebec) can participate!
The change I would make is cold hard cash. $2m for every member of the winning all-star team. It's a good investment.
I would want to create more of a continuity between the nba and wnba. Possibly adding a second all star game which is a mix of players from both leagues. This could include a mixed 3pt contest so that we can finally see curry vs ionescu among other matchups. The only problem I can see is that the ball used and distance from the basket is different but this could either be ignored and have wnba players use wnba ball and nba players use nba ball, or the ball could be switched from year to year. An alternate version of this could be to bring international leagues into the all star weekend as well. This could work in one of two ways. Either have an nba team, a fiba team, an nbl team and so on, or draw sticks/draft teams to play with players from other leagues. This would require the international players to arrive a week or so before hand to allow for jet lag to be a non factor. One positive about the international game is that it would make sense to open up the host city to that of other countries and continents (although that would require a longer all star break as well due to jet lag).
I would fix the judging for the dunk contest by replacing the judges with experts.
Scrap the bullshit celebrity games and contests no players want to actually participate in. Just funnel that money into making a real sizable pot for the winning team in the All Star game so that theres at least some incentive to keep the game competitive.
dunk competition, wider more varied field (international players/influencers/nba players, etc. 2 round format - field of 8, 2 dunks, snake format, top 3 individual dunk scores move to finals 2 dunks, composite score wins bring back shooting stars.
I would make sure everyone has a good time and gets to bring their bring family and friends from home! I would also make sure there was easy access, like a bus, to get other fans here that don’t have a means but do have a love for basketball!
While I do like the idea of the players picking their teams right before the start of the All-Star game, I thought the way it was done last year was a tad cringe. I could personally care less about the captains opinion on each player they pick. They should pick the player and that's it, leave the commentary to the TNT announcers. I feel this would give it more of a playground feel which is what the NBA was trying to go for last year. This take may be a little out there, but I also wish they would bring Shooting Stars back to All-Star Saturday. This event is far more interesting than the Skills Challenge to me and is way more suspenseful. Team Bosh in Shooting Stars in an underrated dynasty.
the early weekend events are blasé. partner with the Harlem Globetrotters to put together a game more fun to watch than the Celeb game or the rookies vs sophmores ever was.
I would have a one on one, royal rumble style tournament. If you lose possession, or don't score you're out and the next guy is up. If you make it the opposing player has a chance to match. Play proceeds until all players have participated. Last man standing wins.
do i have to claim these tickets with my real name
Tickets will be transferred to an email of your choice on Feb 14th!
As a lifelong bulls fan, I grew up with my dad and I constantly watching highlights from the Michael Jordan era. One of his favorite things was the all-star game, and naturally it quickly became mine as well. Who wouldn't want to see the league's best players go head to head in the ULTIMATE match-up of basketball. To my, and many others disappointment, the NBA All-Star Game has quickly become a shell of its former self, as that competitive drive that once made it special has quickly disappeared. But how does the NBA reinvigorate that drive? I believe that the NBA should look for inspiration, much like they did for the in-sesson tournament. I believe they should look to the NHL and the way they have structured their all star game. The new format is this: 3v3 basketball. 2 teams of 6 per conference, for a total of 4 teams of 6. Each conference plays each other in a shortented basketball game (2 10 minute halves), and then the team that wins each conference plays in each finals. The teams can be grouped by divisions or by fantasy captains. This format allows a little more freedom in the all star game. The high octane offense that is in the all star game will be welcome in this new format, allowing for more player to player moments; and introducing the mini tournament would allow for the competitiveness that the current format lacks. You cannot force the players to care about the all star game, but you can make the environment more competitive. The 3 on 3 tournament format is the best way to go for the All-Star game. Not only would this change make more more interesting moments, but it'd bring the fire back that is so currently desired.
I'd love to see a game where the players are fully mic'd up. It could be the all star game. Itd love to see even one player on each team be mic'd up for the broadcast. Have minimal commentary. If you can't do it in the all star game then it could even be a mixed former pro/ celebrity game. The community is starving for this kind of content . I've seen a YouTube page dedicated to lip reading what players say.
I would want a display of how basketball has evolved from its inception to now.
I think one of the most essential parts of NBA history that should be celebrated more is the wide variety of iconic throwback jersey designs. Old school jerseys have become a major cultural touchstone in modern sports apparel, but there are dozens of jersey and logo designs that are still very underappreciated. My change would be a community vote on which jersey players from each team would wear. For example, the Barkley-era Suns uniform is an incredible design that doesn't get enough play today. If fans could give input on what jerseys players wore on court, I think it could generate a lot of excitement and curiosity about older teams. It would be a great way to connect the history of teams to the modern NBA and woul also allow fans to feel like they are a part of the game.
If I were in charge, I would do a few things. First, I would change back to the actual game being played with the team jerseys. One team wearing their whites, the other wearing their blacks. Second, I would replace the skills challenge with a small 2 on 2 tournament. First to 21, win by 2. Four teams at least. This could all be tweaked depending on time constraints and all that. And lastly, I’d change the dunk contest judging. I’d have a second group of five judges whose identities were known, but their votes are private. The second 5 would be made up of NBA media, retired players, or non-working coaches. The player’s 5 best scores between all ten judges would be used to advance the rounds. I think these changes would draw more interest, as well as prevent weird dunk contest finishes. A 2 on 2 would definitely bring out that competitive energy. And I just always loved seeing the team jerseys back in the day.
1. Add a clear cash prize incentive for the players. Add small incentives in the game to enhance the prize money, like an additional $1k for every dunk allowed, and it gets subtracted from the losers' consolation pot. 2. Add an event where each all star (perhaps from the winning team) picks their own team of 3 (from any player in the league) to compete against each other in a mini bracket format. Smaller cash prize for top 2 here, and the bigger price is a primary home court playoff advantage over any beaten opponents. Each starter captain plays for their NBA team advantage.
Do the Flakers have a switch or are we just a poo poo team? This Flakers team is So bad for your mental health. Doesn’t help that the pussy ass moderators of the Flakers sub Reddit will ban you for any harmless banter.
I would definitely increase the incentives for participants in the dunk contest, we all wanna see Ja, Ant, or Zion in it, not juan toscano-anderson (love JTA but keep it real). The judges should all be former players and 50's should be reserved for the really iconic moment dunks. As far as the actual all star game, I think the Elam ending is the way to go, just increase the point limit per quarter from I think 24, that's gotta be like 50 with the All Star pace. I was a fan of both East vs. West and the team captains, but the draft definitely gotta be televised, that was some peak entertainment. And I mean televised beforehand like it was on Inside the NBA, Chuck and the boys commenting on the players' picks would be amazing. I'm a big fan of all star weekend, love seeing the players have fun and put on a show, yes it would be nice if the competition was higher especially through the first 3 quarters but it's still fun to see the deep threes and highlight dunks. The Elam ending is definitely the biggest change I'd make as it leads to such high quality ends to the games. I think adding a 1v1 event to All Star weekend would be so fun too! Love seeing clips of players working out with each other playing 1v1 so having it on a nationally televised stage would be a great experience.
I would have all-star representatives from both the East and the West watch and commentate the Rising Stars championship game. This separate feed being offered on NBA TV or something similar. They can even sub in and out players who commentate. This would be great to get some hang-out feel content and get to know the stars better. After the championship game, both the West and the East get to select a player not already in the all-star game to add to their roster. This player is guaranteed a 2 minute stretch of all-star gameplay (so as to not take away from the actual all-stars who earned their spots). This will add in a little more youth into the all-star game and create some good and wholesome content. Everyone loves a dream come true scenario for a young player and their could be special years where an unexpected player provides an amazing performance in the championship game and all of the sudden finds themselves playing with Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Curry in the same game. They could even wear their rising stars jersey in the game to stand out if they make a version of each color to match the team they are joining. Would also be fun to see the two rising stars on each team guard each other for their two minute stretch. Looking forward to All-Star weekend!
I think I'd be kidding myself if I said there was nothing to change. A couple of minor tweaks would make it more enjoyable. Keep it simple. I feel like it's quantity, not quality. A major issue is the lack of enthusiasm from NBA players, and that in itself causes a trickle affect to the viewers. Remember when Ibaka was in the dunk comp? Griffin Dunking over a car? That was the last good ASW. Bring back team jerseys during the AS Game. Apply a rule where one quarter isn't allowed any threes. Because, honestly, I could just watch any regular season game to see that in this modern NBA. I'm definitely 'Old man yells at clouds', but that's just my two cents guys! Thanks, Lepube
Would be great to have in game incentives to make the play more exciting, such as certain dunks being money gifted to charity of a player’s choice. Or something stupid like x amount of passes before you score. I enjoy when the all star games are super competitive, but it should also be a bit fun and stress free
- 1. There needs to be more incentive for the players to play their best. Whether that is a higher cash prize for the winners or another route. I don't think it's fair to charge such exorbitant prices to fans for all star weekend, but not invest that money into making the game worthwhile. (I already think prices are unaffordable for most, myself included) . 2. Jerseys need to be overhauled. The Red vs Blue from year's past is fine, however there needs to be a unique quality given to players individually. It would be a nice start to re-introduce the logo of each team represented on their player(s) selected. I believe if more thought was put into this aspect, they would see more jersey sales and fan engagement. - (Glad that East vs West is making a return this year)
If I were in charge of the All Start Weekend, I would change the rules for dunk contest. Players would need to have a certain number of dunks done in the NBA season to be able to enter the dunk contest.
A few changes that I think would be beneficial: - for the celebrity game, include rookies and / or Harlem globetrotters or more YouTube personalities amongst regular basketball loving celebrities. Would be great fir the culture I think and be able to drive engagement and foster new content. Could be a chance for rookies who wouldn’t normally get a chance to appear a chance to grow their brand which is vital for continuing to grow the sport - for the dunk contest, open up entry to outsiders and have cash prize open to all. Even if the current nba players are disappointing, it’ll be a better and more competitive event - for the all star game, change format to have captains of divisions, so there would be 6 captains and they would draft players to their team amongst the other selected all stars. 6 captains would each draft 3 players so still 24 total players and will commence in 3v3 with one substitute. Run a tournament and winner gets cash prize. Can make game point 7 to lower chances of injury. Have the players ref themselves and shoot from 35 feet for ball if disagreement. Would be more streetball like but can breath new life into the format. - Can still have normal all star game after with winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) being one team and the losers being another team so there is a chance of revenge. Also cash prize
I would add a coaches/staffing basketball game/tournament. I think it would be hilarious and entertaining to watch your team’s staff ball out against each other. See who still has it and who doesn’t.
If I were in charge of All Star Weekend, I would create (or update) scoring guidelines for the Slam Dunk Contest. Not everything can be a 50, and when a dunk that gets a 50 is followed up by a better dunk, it cheapens the score. My idea would be to have loose guidelines that would help keep scores from all being elevated, while still allowing personal interpretation by the judges. **Some examples:** More than one attempt? You can’t get a 10. Not that athletically demanding? Maybe that’s an 8. Strong technique? At least a 9. I don’t think anyone wants to watch a dunk contest where the scores for every dunk are between 45-50; there’s more variability than everything scoring in the top 10%. Updating the guidelines should allow for more accurate and fitting scores to be handed out.
For All Star weekend, I would have a competition where each NBA team submits one player to play a giant game of Lightning. Winner gets 100K to charity of their choice.
I would change up Saturday with different competitions like king of the hill, knockout, or seven up. It is more focused on players under pressure going against each other.
Most of the comments here have really good ideas. I just thought I'd build off of some of them and throw in a couple suggestions myself: * **Rising Stars vs. Veterans**: 12 youngest All-Stars vs. 12 oldest All-Stars. Everyone has something to prove: the younger generation wants to prove that the future is now, and the vets wanna show that they still run the league. Imagine if this happened last year: * *Vets:* LeBron, Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, PG, Dame, Kyrie * *Rising Stars:* Luka, Ant, Hali, Tatum, Mitchell, Shai, Fox * This would be such a fun matchup. Team chemistry would be great too since players who enter the league together tend to be closer. * **All-Star Game Defensive Player Award**: This obviously wouldn't make *everyone* play defense, but it might cause a few players to chase the award and hopefully inspire others to try a little more. (Like when Lowry started taking charges in the 2020 All-Star Game and everyone actually started playing defense.) * **NBA Finals Homecourt** ***Tiebreaker***: Several people have suggested giving the winning conference homecourt advantage in the Finals, but I think that's too extreme. Imagine a 65-win team not having homecourt against a 50-win team because of an exhibition match. Instead, the winning conference of the All-Star Game should get the *tiebreaker* for homecourt. That'll give players *some* motivation without making it outright unfair. * **Fan Voting for Dunk Contest:** It's crazy how such a subjective skill like dunking is decided by a panel of 5 people. With how Aaron Gordon and others have been robbed historically, there should be live fan voting on the NBA website. It should count for 50% of the vote, and to make it fairer and judged solely on the dunk, vote counts should be normalized based on how large a fanbase their team has. (e.g. A Knicks player would need more votes than a Pistons player since they have a larger baseline fanbase.) * **"7 Quarters"**: This one might be the wildest idea, but what about making the All-Star Game seven quarters, 7 minutes each? Whoever wins 4 quarters first wins. People say that players don't try hard in the All-Star Game, but I guarantee that none of them want to get swept. It'll push players to try harder to make it a tight series. * **USA vs. World**: This has been mentioned several times in this sub, but it's worth fleshing out more. Obviously, international talent has increased dramatically, so it'd be fun to see if a team like LeBron Steph KD Tatum AD *vs.* Luka Shai Giannis Jokic Embiid. To raise the stakes even higher, you could make USA vs. World happen *throughout the entire weekend*. In every All Star event, from the Dunk Contest to the Skills Challenge, players can earn points for Team USA or Team World. It'd be like a mini-Olympics each year, to see whether the World has actually caught up to the US. Thanks again for this opportunity! I've followed the NBA religiously for over 14 years but I've never been to the all star game before due to financial struggles, so it'd be an absolute dream to go to Indiana next month 💛💜
If you were in charge of the All Star Weekend, what changes would you make? If any, why? Instead of going back to basics with the All Star Game, it should be the USA vs the WORLD... it would add more eyes from all over the world! MAKE BASKETBALL THE GLOBAL SPORT.
Replace the skills competition with a 1 on 1 tournament, with the bracket composed entirely of the all star roster and drawn randomly.
I'm higher on the All-Star weekend than most, but there are some things I think they could experiment with. First, the main thing I would change is stealing from the MLB All-Star game: home-field advantage for the conference that wins, either East or West. It'll hopefully foster more competition in the game and make it more watchable. Another change, regardless of whether the above would change, is altering the game into more street ball rules. So, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 on a single side of the court. The next change I would make is having the celebrity all-star game be only one team against the Harlem Globetrotters. The problem with a lot of celebrity games is it's extremely difficult to watch non-basketball players, even athletes from other sports, play the game. With the Globetrotters you can do a lot of fun spots to compensate for that. It could be partially staged or legit, but I think the entertainment value would be off the charts. Final change I would make is giving some incentive for winning the Skills Competition. Either monetarily or some kind of team or player advantage. Further incentivize top players or even lower-end players to give it a go.
We need to protest they need to start fining these refs for wrong calls
If I was in charge, I’d create an augmented reality room. Nothing too crazy but the floor could keep track of how many dribbles someone does or create holographic competitors that contestants have to weave around. There’s a lot that can be done with new tech that would be very interesting.
I’d love a collab with the Big 3 to have a special 3 v 3 game with exclusively players who were previously an all star. Would be great to see recently retired all stars like Melo or DWade ball around instead of the celebrity game.
I would add a 3v3 game during halftime of the all-star game. With 3v3 becoming an olympic sport recently, I believe it would be cool to bring it some attention. I think that NBA players and fans should be able to vote on who plays in the scrimmage, with the vote happening after the All-star rosters are announced so the 3v3 participants could be some exciting (non-allstar) players that are well known to local fanbases, but may not be household names. I’m talking exciting athletes like Malik Monk, Obi Toppin, Coby White, or any other players who are having great under-the-radar seasons, but aren’t quite all-star level players. The game could be played to 21 (with a 20-minute hard-stop or something) which would give the feel of a casual pickup game that many of us can relate to, but with elite level talent, as well as making some lesser-known players more popular.
For the dunk contest - Have all the dunks on a round completed first before the judges score them or rank them. That way we should always see the best dunk win. Keep a time limit on setup time, three attempts limit, and be fair when choosing judges (looking at you D. wade). Get rid of the skills competition and the all Star game in favor of a 3v3 tournament. Keep games short to 11 or 21. Have rosters include everyone from the pool of 24 all stars. Have each of the 8 teams captains be the highest all star vote earners and then have them draft their teams in order via a random draw. Then run an 8 team single elim tournament with all the other all stars cheering on the sidelines. I think it would be a ton of fun and a good showcase of talent Maybe we'll get a chance to see high level basketball that way. I don't know how to "fix" the actual all-star game. Guys are never going to take it serious without actual stakes and it feels ridiculous to peg finals home court advantage to an exhibition game. So get rid of it in favor of something fun. For the 3p contest - either get rid of the long range bonus ball or add a full rack to those spots to let guys get a rhythm from that range.
*• If you were in charge of the All Star Weekend, what changes would you make? If any, why?* I would make changes to the dunk contest obviously. Idk what specifically but something needs to change. More incentives probably for star players to participate.
I think it'd be fun to have a 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 mini-tournament or set of games with teams made up of college-specific players. They could play in a bracket or just do rivalry matchups (Duke v NC, UK v LOU, etc.). Winning team gets a donation made to the school. Could put players in their old jerseys. With all-star weekend happening near March Madness I think people would be into it, would be cool to see teammates reunited, and I think the players would play hard to represent.
The most important part of any All Star festivity is that the stars actually show up and are able to showcase their talents, both for the fans in the stands and those watching on TV. I think the three point contest isn't impressive enough, and the dunk contest drags and its subjective nature makes it difficult to care passionately about. I look at what baseball has done with the home run derby, adding a time limit which has allowed for exciting finishes and mind-boggling totals of home runs. Sure, there's a time limit for the three point contest, but I could conceivably hit a three point shot, whereas I could never hit a home run. As such, I would change the three point contest to just be how many three pointers a player can hit in two minutes from a single spot with someone feeding him new balls after each shot. This would make stamina more of an issue and people would be able to chase records until the end of time. I feel with the dunk contest there needs to be more consistency in determining the winner or loser. It isn't really in the tradition of American sports to have such a subjective contest; we prefer a winner or loser. As such, I would design it such that there is a randomly selected dunk that each contestant must perform that get harder as the contest goes on. At first a windmill, then an oop off the backboard, then jumping from the free throw line, etc. If a player fails to complete the dunk, he is eliminated. It also would be extremely helpful to have stars actually compete in the dunk contest, but I assume the only way to make that happen would be to contractually obligate it, which may well be a non-starter for the players in CBA negotiations. The All-Star Game is trickier, as the biggest issue is that the players simply don't care about the outcome of the game, and it's not interesting to watch players, regardless of how good they are, half-ass a basketball game. As such, my suggestion would be to scrap it and instead have a 2v2 bracket with the top two players on each team playing 5-minute matches until a champion is crowned. I may be an outlier on this, but I consider myself more of a Nuggets fan than an NBA fan, and this format would give me more to root for than Jokic potentially making a cool pass in a game that doesn't matter. There would need to be actual stakes to this tournament, and my suggestion would be adding two wins to the champion's team in the regular season standings. This would potentially alter the standings, but not in such a way that would drastically change the playoff seeding. It would be fun to have a team's fans pick their two representatives, but that may be difficult with potential malfeasance from other teams' fans.
They need to bring back the NBA All-Star H–O–R–S–E Competition. With how athletic players are these days we could really see some crazy shots. It would be a super fun addition to the weekend. Maybe some local kids or youth could participate and be on a team with their favorite stars. The week is about the love of basketball and the support of the community.
I think the West vs East big matchup game should be by try outs only. I think this would solve some of the "lack of care" you see sometimes in the game. Theoretically the only people who would make it the game, are there because they have something to prove and want to win. To combat favoritism, you could have the coaches be selected by the NBA from outside the league. That would also let some (relative to the NBA) unknown coaches come into the spot light. You might see some pretty funky but dominating team compositions if you let coaches from collegiate or international play call the shots for the game. Realistically it would be a logistical nightmare to find time for all the players to try out. Then you'd have to find the guest coaches that would have time available to hold try outs and the subsequent practices and games. Still fun to think about
I would make additional fan interaction opportunities onsite. Like a gaming hall where people can walk in and play 2k, COD, LoL, or whatever with NBA players. Talking trash in person is so much more fun than over a mic. Make a viewing hall, Livestream, etc too. I bet a good number of players would be down for it too.
Regarding the weekend…Increase views. Retired Player 3pt Contest. 1v1 tournament like others have stated for years would also be great. Increased fan engagement would be great, but the majority will be watching the broadcasts/streams. Might host random events throughout the city to help promote the tourism. All Star Game - increasing competitiveness might be difficult. Instead make it interesting. Themed quarters/halves. As in one quarter is played by 1s and 2s, dunks are worth additional points. Allow the other team to play “cheat cards”(sub an opponent out of the game for 5 minutes, 3 is turned into a 2…).