After the 2024 NBA All-Star Game drew some criticism, Draymond Green has a solution to try and fix the event going forward. During a recent episode of his podcast, Green stated that All-Star weekend's obligations make it a tough task for players to give 100% in the game itself on Sunday evening.
"It's called game day for a reason because everything you do that day is to prepare for the game," Green said. "The All-Star Game, you do a million other things before the game. And then, you're asking the highest level of athletes to then go exert an extreme amount of energy.
"So, if you want the game to be a game, you need to make sure that guys can prepare for what? A game," he added
The Golden State Warriors forward then pitched that the NBA should hire physical therapists who are present at the All-Star Game. If players aren't able to prepare for the All-Star Game as they would a normal game, then it could be dangerous if the players give their all during the contest.
"That's when you're going to get guys hurt," Green said. "Because if it's the same obligations where you can't focus on getting your body ready for a game, and then you're going to say, 'Hey, here's a bright shiny object that is a million dollars.' That's when you're going to get guys hurt. Why? Because they are exerting energy to get a million dollars and not properly preparing to exert that energy."
The NBA All-Star Game has altered the format of the annual assembly of talent on multiple occasions in recent years. In 2024, the league returned to the East/West format instead of the top two vote-getters drafting their respective teams.
