Multiple insiders have reported that the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association have come to an agreement regarding the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. Initial reports suggest that the league will hold the game on March 7 in Atlanta, Georgia. While some were excited about the possibility of having the game take place, others were frustrated by it. Leading the way, Sacramento Kings Point Guard De'Aaron Fox expressed his concerns regarding the possibility of having an NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.
"If I'm going to be brutally honest, I think it's stupid," Fox said on Wednesday.
"If we have to wear a mask and do all of this for a regular game, then what's the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?"
Fox was not the only NBA star to voice his frustration regarding the potential event. Reigning NBA Finals MVP LeBron James told reporters that he has "zero" interest in participating in an NBA All-Star Game. James and his teammates in Los Angeles are coming off the shortest off-season of their careers. With the 2020-2021 season beginning less than three months after the 2020 NBA Finals ended, James was looking forward to a much-needed vacation. However, it appears that he will be headed to Atlanta instead.
"Short offseason for myself and my teammates, 71 days," James told reporters on Thursday.
"And then coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we'd have a nice little break. Five days [in March] from the 5th through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. Some of the guys in the league."
With or without James, it appears that the game will move forward in Atlanta. Thus far, the reigning NBA Finals MVP and two-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant have lead fan voting. The final 2021 NBA All-Star Game rosters will be determined later this month.
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