LeBron James: Having All-Star Game 'A Slap in the Face' to Players

LeBron James is speaking out against the NBA's decision to hold All-Star festivities in Atlanta amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Following the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, James told reporters it's a "slap in the face" by the league:

"Short offseason for myself and my teammates. It was 71 days. 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 fifth 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. And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face."

James isn't the only player who is unhappy about the decision to hold an All-Star event on March 7. 

"If I'm going to be brutally honest, I think it's stupid," Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox said to reporters on Thursday night. "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?"

This year's All-Star weekend was originally scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, but the NBA and Indiana Pacers announced in November the city will now host the 2024 festivities because "public health conditions" made it impossible to host a proper fan-focused event. 

In the same press release, the NBA said it would announce plans for a revised All-Star event at a later date. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Thursday that the NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to host a one-night All-Star event in Atlanta. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the event is expected to include a Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference game and skills competition. 

Amid the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA only released the first half of the 72-game regular-season schedule on Dec. 4. The second half of the schedule is expected to be released before the end of this month, per Wojnarowski. 

The first half will conclude on March 4, followed by a five-day break from March 5-10. The second half of the regular season will run from March 11-May 16. 

James and the Lakers had a quick turnaround after defeating the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Oct. 11. Their 71-day offseason from the end of the 2019-20 season and beginning of 2020-21 season is the shortest in the history of the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL.