Rachel Nichols has spent more time around current and former NBA players than just about anyone else in sports media, and she blames the league for its All-Star game stumbles—not the guys on the court.
In an appearance on The Ringer NBA Show this week, the veteran sports reporter sharply criticized the league for prioritizing sponsors and corporate partners over the quality of the game.
“I think some of the structure with All-Star weekend, until that changes, I’m not sure any of this tinkering is going to work,” Nichols said of the league’s change to a pickup-style All-Star format for 2025.
“The game is literally almost an afterthought. Players get in there on Thursday most of the time, and the NBA has set up that weekend as sponsors’ opportunities to sort of do things with their players. …By the time you get to Sunday, guys literally have jets waiting on the tarmac, running, waiting for these players to ditch out and go back home. I’ve tried to interview players after the game, and it’s almost a lost cause.”
While NBA All-Star viewership was up in 2024, commissioner Adam Silver was openly critical of players slow-rolling the game during the MVP ceremony postgame. The league has gone through several formats over the years in a desperate attempt to get players to bring more energy and competitive spirit to one of its tentpole events.
Nichols recalled speaking with a representative from a major NBA partner at the Sunday evening game this past year, who told her they were leaving at halftime to get out of town before the work week. That, Nichols argued, shows how the emphasis on business during All-Star weekend bleeds into a bad in-arena environment come the end of the weekend when the players take the court for the alleged centerpiece of the weekend.
“The players feed off that,” the former NBA Countdown host and ESPN sideline reporter argued. “If nobody’s yelling at them, ‘Hey, you’re a bum, get back on defense,’ no one’s doing that, so they’re not feeling that little push from the crowd or that big ovation when they’re doing the well. The vibe of the game is church-like, in some ways.”
Nichols suggested moving the game itself to Friday or Saturday night, before players are wiped out from activations and appearances. Such a move would also mean more fans and partners stay in town for the game compared with the traditional Sunday evening slot.
If not, Nichols, who is now a contributor to the All the Smoke podcast network and FS1, believes the league could benefit from engaging the local community to fill the arena and enliven the atmosphere of the game. With half-engaged suits in attendance now, players have no reason not to go through the motions.
“Until some of those fundamentals are changed, I don’t think that they’re going to get where they want to go,” Nichols said.
The league recently announced it will replace the game with a pickup-style tournament in 2025. The hope is that by replicating the playground, players will compete harder.
But if Nichols is skeptical, NBA fans probably should be too.
