Kevin Durant Speaks Out About NBA All-Star Game Criticism

The NBA All-Star Game has been a point of emphasis for the league over the past few years. The contest itself has seen its luster wear off during recent iterations, and drastic measures were taken to try and boost interest for the 2025 version over the weekend. But Sunday’s festivities were widely met with criticism, which some players responded to after the game and on Monday morning.

Kevin Durant Calls Out Critics Of NBA All-Star Game

The changes to the format of the All-Star game were not the problem. The NBA has struggled with players taking the game seriously in recent years, which has led to a lower quality of basketball and a product that was becoming less watchable. The changes this year to a mini-tournament style helped the competitiveness of the main event, which was noticed by the players and fans alike.

But the problems arose from the way the game was presented. TNT’s broadcast was dominated by ads and stoppage time, both of which took away from the viewing experience for people who tuned in to watch basketball. Over the course of the three-hour presentation, there were just 33 minutes of total basketball action to consume. Instead of the on-court product, viewers were “treated” to loads of advertisements, which both followed and preceded the massive amount of air time that was given to TNT’s analysts as well as comedian Kevin Hart.

NBA: “We want the players to take the All Star Game more seriously”

Middle of the game: pic.twitter.com/bYGUYiBsBN

— Geofferson (@geoF_THAT) February 17, 2025

The championship game was even stopped for nearly 15 minutes in order to hold a farewell ceremony for the Inside The NBA crew.

Players did their best to keep their composure during their post game interviews, but Twitter and the rest of social media were ablaze with negative opinions from viewers and fans. The reception was overwhelmingly negative, even from notable media members, and continued into Monday morning.

One of the event’s participants, Kevin Durant, weighed in on Twitter:

“I think its more fun to complain about the NBA than to actually watch it. Crazy, cancel All-Star Weekend and let’s just give everybody a break since we’re so miserable around this time”

Durant’s comments certainly weren’t directed at the event itself, but the criticism that it brought along. He had mostly positive things to say with his post game comments, saying that it was a positive experience overall but would need some getting used to.

But if the vast majority of the fans and viewers were unhappy with the product, then the talking point of a poor experience will remain at the forefront. Don’t be surprised to see the NBA make even more changes come 2026.