(Reuters) – Los Angeles Lakers attacker LeBron James said the NBA’s bid to host an All-Star Game amid the COVID-19 pandemic was a “slap in the face.”
US media reported that the league and its players’ union had agreed to hold the annual exhibition event in Atlanta on March 7, with an official announcement expected this week.
“I have no energy and no excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” James told reporters after Thursday’s 114-93 win over Denver Nuggets. “I don’t even understand why we have an All-Star Game, but it’s the deal.
“At the start of this season we were told we didn’t have an All-Star Game, so we would have a nice little break … a chance for me to recalibrate a bit for the second half of the season.
“Then they throw us an All-Star Game like this, it’s kind of a slap in the face. We’re still dealing with a pandemic, with everything that’s going on, and we’re going all the way. in a city that is still open. “
James, a 16-time All-Star, was one of the lead voters in the first round of fan votes and said he would be in the body.
“I’ll be there physically when I get selected. I’ll be there physically, but not mentally,” said the four-time NBA champion.
Sacramento Kings security guard De’Aaron Fox said it was “stupid” trying to keep the game.
“If we have to wear a mask and do all this for normal play, what’s the point of bringing back the All-Star game?” he said. “Obviously money makes the world go round, so it is what it is.”
(Reported by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; edited by Peter Rutherford)