The NBA are reportedly moving forward with their plans of conducting the annual All-Star game in Atalanta. The league’s plans to schedule such a game amid the pandemic and chaos has not gone down well with Sacramento Kings‘ De’Aaron Fox, who labelled the plot as downright “stupid”.
Following the Kings’ win against the Boston Celtics, Fox stated that he fails to see the point of hosting an exhibition game in the middle of the ongoing season which has already seen plenty of matches being postponed due to health and safety concerns.
“If I’m going to be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid,
“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?
“Obviously, money makes the world go round, so it is what it is.” Fox said
The league have already reported the teams regarding the schedule and location for the high-profile game. According to the memo sent, the 2021 All-Star game is slated to be held on March 7. The travelling and testing protocol situations are yet to be outlined or addressed. It also remains unknown whether fans would make a presence for the match.
“The NBA has made the All-Star event mandatory for players in the past, but opt-out clauses have been included in much of the pandemic, including the Orlando restart and the 2020-2021 regular season. That’s believed to be part of the discussions around the All-Star Game as well,” sources state
Fox not among the top vote-getters, Durant leading the list
The fan-balloting results on Thursday revealed that Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant led the race with 2.3 million votes. Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James is a close second with just under 2.3 million votes while Steph Curry has just over 2.1 million votes.
This would mark Atalanta’ third time hosting the All-Star game with the 1978 and 2003 editions being the earlier ones. Next year’s edition is set to be held in Cleveland while Salt Lake City and Indianapolis hold the rights to host the game in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Also Read:
