2023 NBA All-Star Weekend: Too Much Hype, Not Enough Excitement

Every year, my family and I get excited for NBA All-Star Weekend. But sadly, the past few years didn't live up to expectations. This year's weekend full of events had its ups and down, but at the end of the weekend, we were all in agreeance that it was more disappointing than not.

Last year, the dunk competition was talked about by everyone. It was terrible. Boring. NBA fans literally wanted to end this competition because of how bad it went last year. Luckily, this year's dunk competition really took center stage. It was amazing, and possibly brought back the excitement for many who dreaded another disappointing event this year. I felt this was actually the big highlight of the weekend.

The other competitions held on Saturday, the skills challenge and 3-point competition, fell flat.

The Ruffles Celebrity All-Star Game was also a highlight this year, which isn't always the case. There was a lot of action on the court by non-NBA players, little twists and turns during the game that made it more exciting, such as former NBA player and current sports analyst Richard Jefferson playing the role of commentator, referee and player all during the game.

The last few seconds of the game had my entire house screaming because it was so unexpected. WWE's The Miz made a half-court shot that would have won the game for Team Ryan but the ball left his hands after the buzzer sounded so it didn't count, but was an amazing shot nonetheless.

Leading up to this year's All-Star Game, new additions were announced that seemed to really excite fans. One major change - the way the captains drafted their teams. For the first time ever, the draft happened live before the game in a playground pickup game style. Sounds exciting, right? I thought it would be a great addition, and while it was interesting, it took forever.

It wasn't necessarily the process of drafting players that took a long time. It was all the build-up, ads and talking that dragged it out for way longer than we expected. It took so long to get through the draft itself that the eight teenagers in my house, who were excited to watch the game, lost interest and went outside to play their own basketball game.

Once the game finally began, everyone came back inside to watch, but it wasn't long before they all disbursed again claiming it wasn't holding their attention. And these kids are die-hard NBA fans. I couldn't disagree with them one bit.

There was literally no defense played in this game, not even in the fourth quarter when it usually feels more like a regular NBA game. As a consolation, there was no lack of impressive three-point shots, dunks and passes, but that can only hold a person's attention for so long.

Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown probably said it best, "That's not basketball. That was a glorified layup line."

Team LeBron's coach, Michael Malone, also had the same thoughts. "It's an honor to be here, it's an honor to be part of a great weekend, great players, but that is the worst basketball game ever played."

Giannis Antetokounmpo's team won the game - 184-175 - over LeBron James' team, which was a huge victory for the Bucks star.

NBA fans had a lot to say about the All-Star Game on social media. The majority of comments were negative.

"Not one of my favorite All-Star games I’ve ever watched, I won’t lie. I will say, I’m stunned no one played defense even in the final quarter when Team LeBron got within 6-7. Wide open threes still without anyone getting in a defensive stance ?‍♂️ Last year’s ASG was amazing. Steph went off, then both teams locked down for the final target score which led to a LeBron game-winner & the vibe was really competitive. This year was the Jayson Tatum show — which was great — with the most defense being played when Tatum & Brown played 1-on-1," one fan wrote in the comments of an Official NBA Buzz Instagram post.

Another fan simply added, "Worst game I’ve ever seen in my life."

One fan talked about how the slam dunk competition sort of saved the weekend. "The Worst All star Weekend EVER. The slam dunk contest saved it from being horrible but over still really really bad. This buddy culture the NBA has where everyone is friends is friends is killing the game. Playing absolutely no defense, half court shots, etc. since when did players not like to compete, since when did NBA players not want to compete against each other. I would want a refund if i paid to go to this game. Players care more about image, seeming like a fashion icon and they aren’t rather than playing ball. So sad smh."

Playmaker Hoops on Instagram did a poll of of their followers asking if they enjoyed the game and 58% said no.