Kevin Durant Says Steph Curry, Damian Lillard Changed How NBA All-Star Game Is Played

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant went on teammate Fred VanVleet's Unguarded podcast for a two-hour conversation that covered a host of topics, and one of them was about the All-Star Game, which has drawn much ire for its quality (or lack thereof) in recent years.

During that talk, Durant had this to say about why he thinks the All-Star Game has taken a downturn, mentioning Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

"I'm blaming Steph, I'm blaming Steph. It's Steph's fault. Because he come out there and shoot from half-court, bro. He shoot from half-court bro...I'm blaming him for the All-Star Game, 'cause he come out there and shoot from half. Him and Dame. I'm blaming Dame too."

For the record, this was a rather light-hearted conversation, and it didn't seem whatsoever that Durant was angrily pointing the finger at them for why the game has become problematic.

Defense has long been an issue in this game, though, as best evidenced by the now infamous 2024 All-Star Game, which saw 397 combined points (East 211, West 186).

Hand-in-hand with the defense, effort has also been highly questionable at times. Players routinely lightly jog up and down the court and simply watch players shoot buckets or drive to the rim uncontested.

Shot selection isn't ideal sometimes, either, with players taking shots you wouldn't see in a game that meant something.

Curry, for instance, took (and made) a half-court shot during the All-Star Game last year. He's known for hitting long-distance threes, but even the greatest shooter in NBA history doesn't regularly stray that far from the arc.

In 2024, Lillard notably took (and made) a half-court shot in the middle of the third quarter. On the play before, then-Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić tried to throw the ball off the backcourt to himself for a dunk, but he did not make it.

Basically, the game has become a contest where players take turns and show off their individual offensive talents when they get the ball with little to no defensive disruption.

It is what it is, at this point, and numerous efforts to shake up the format have unfortunately done little to motivate players to care more.

On the flip side, perhaps more has been made about the All-Star Game than it needs to be, as it's just mindless entertainment now and a respite from the real basketball before the season truly gets going in earnest in the race toward the playoffs.

As for this year's All-Star Game, it will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers. This year's format will feature a three-team USA vs. World round-robin tournament format, with two American teams and one international squad.