Mind of Michael: NBA All-Star thoughts

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us, with its usual controversies on who got voted onto the teams, who will participate in the contests, and what the contests are.

I want to talk about who made the All-Star teams and what I would change or keep the same. But first, there is a special contest happening this weekend during the events.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty will go head-to-head in a three-point competition on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Ionescu is one of, if not the best three-point shooters in the WNBA, shooting an impressive 44.8 percent from three in the 2023 season.

The competition between the two seems to be a good idea to me. It will be great exposure for the WNBA and an opportunity for one of the best players in the league to showcase her skills.

On the other hand, regardless of the results, there will be misogynistic comments and feedback on social media.

I never understood that type of rhetoric coming from men on the internet. It is disheartening and honestly disgusting as to what some people will say about women’s basketball.

The actual All-Star Game is Sunday, Feb. 18. This is my favorite event during the whole weekend, and I agree with the players who made the teams, for the most part.

There was one player, though, I felt got snubbed but was later placed as an injury replacement reserve: Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young. If he did not make the All-Star team this year, it would have been the ultimate snub.

Young is averaging 27 points, 10.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds a game this season. If those aren’t All-Star numbers, I don’t know what would be.

Other than Young having to be a replacement for an injured player, I have no big complaints with the rosters.

The NBA reverted to the classic East vs. West, and timed fourth quarter for this year’s game, but will keep the charity aspect of the game.

I’m not mad about this, although I enjoyed the drafting of the teams, and the untimed fourth quarter made the games a little more interesting.