Barack Obama famously played intense basketball games with a small circle of Beltway insiders during his presidency, as author Michael Lewis reported at the time.
So when the former commander-in-chief watches the lax play at the NBA All-Star Games, he can’t help but be disgusted.
“You should all be a little more proud of that All-Star Game,” Obama told NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton on his Young Man and the Three podcast. “It’s not like you all don’t play pickup in the summer. You know how to play in a way that says, ‘Okay, I’m not going to hurt anyone, I’m not going to take anyone out,’ but that All-Star Game is bust, man.
“For example, people like not to run,” Obama added. “Everyone’s just trying all kinds of…it used to be with Kobe [Bryant] and Michael [Jordan] and Isaiah [Thomas] and those guys were playing, man. I mean, they didn’t play like they played in the regular season, but they wanted to win.
“This is your business,” he concluded. ‘This is your product. You don’t want people to think you’re half-hearted.”
Barack Obama is done watching the NBA All-Star Games until something changes
Tyrese Haliburton interviewed Obama on his podcast, Young Man and the Three
There are no rules against playing defense in the NBA All-Star Games, but the practice is frowned upon because the annual sponsor-driven event transitions to a layup line each year.
February was no different.
The East defeated the West 211-186, in what Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo described as “fun.”
Viewers were less convinced.
Despite setting records for total points (397) and three-pointers (42), NBA All-Stars was criticized by virtually everyone who had hoped to see a competitive exhibition.
Even commissioner Adam Silver has admitted that the All-Star Game is effectively being broken because too much emphasis is placed on halftime performances and the like.
“We’re sending mixed signals,” he told ESPN. “And if we want guys to treat this like a real game … we have to treat it like one.”