The biggest talking point in the sports world right now is the incredible intensity of hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off compared to another lackluster NBA All-Star Game. And ESPN NHL analyst P.K. Subban weighed in on Tuesday morning’s Get Up to send a message to the biggest stars in basketball on the lessons they could learn from their hockey counterparts.
Subban was asked about an idea that has been floated around about trying out a USA vs The World format for the NBA All-Star Game that has support from the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But instead of directly answering the question, he used the opportunity to go all in on a hockey versus basketball culture war with some stern words for the NBA’s biggest stars in a segment that is sure to draw attention from fans of both sports.
.@PKSubban1 weighs in on if the NHL could inspire the NBA to change the All-Star format to USA vs. the World ✍️ pic.twitter.com/QcJGB3kfL3
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 18, 2025
“Hockey’s a different sport from the NBA. You can’t compare the cultures because of the way the game is played. You can step on an NBA floor and go through the motions. You can’t do that in hockey,” Subban said.
Basketball fans could latch onto this quote because you totally can step on a hockey rink and go through the motions. We saw it for years in the NHL All-Star Game as they went through the same identity crisis that the NBA is experiencing now with low ratings, 3-on-3 tournaments, fantasy drafts, and lack of intensity.
John Scott’s All-Star MVP was an incredible story, but let’s not forget it started as a meme campaign. Nobody was dropping the gloves and throwing vicious bodychecks in the Team McDavid vs Team Matthews game last year. The sport of hockey is certainly having a moment right now, and it’s totally deserved, but some of the culture talk can go a little too far.
The rest of what P.K. Subban had to say, especially in his message to NBA players over the current state of their All-Star Game product versus the 4 Nations Face-Off and some of the issues around the quality of the product and load management, was definitely on point, though.
“This was the most viewed game that we’ve had in years. And you see it, it’s because it’s not just based on the skill and talent. It’s based on the pride, honor, playing for the guy next to you. I got a question for the NBA players – what the hell are you playing for? What are you playing for!” Subban asked.
“It’s not about the money, you make all the money. What, you’re injured? Well there’s a difference between being hurt and injured. Are you hurt or are you injured? There’s a difference. In hockey, we play hurt. We play injured. That is the culture of the sport. It’s always been that way. So you want to talk about the business, the CBA, fans get all of that. But what do fans resonate with? They resonate with what’s real. You got to fight some times for your country. You got to compete. You got to go out there and leave it on the ice because those people are paying the price of admission.”
P.K. Subban then highlighted the investment of hockey players in the 4 Nations Face-Off compared to NBA players in their current All-Star Game. While not mentioning it directly, LeBron James sitting out of the All-Star Game at the last minute has certainly become a greater symbol of the disengagement from an entire generation of NBA stars from doing anything above the bare minimum at the All-Star Game. Even his biggest fans like Shannon Sharpe have been critical of the move.
“It was the players that did that for the 4 Nations, it’s not the league. The league set it up but the players went out there and decided, ‘you know what boys? We’re all in.’ When is the NBA going to do that?” he asked.
“You got to be on the court. You got to be there and when you’re there, you got to go all in. The fans got to feel that they’re getting their money’s worth. And right now there’s a big difference between what the NHL is doing with those events and what the NBA is doing. 4 Nations works because the players are all in,” Subban exclaimed.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an All-Star Game, an international hockey tournament, or even a total exhibition like the TGL. It’s really a simple equation for sports fans. If players care, then fans will care. But culturally, it can and does happen in basketball. Look no further than the Netflix trailer of Team USA at the Summer Olympics and Kevin Durant tearing up over winning a gold medal. It was just six months ago that fans were enthralled over the NBA’s best playing for pride and country. But right now it’s not happening for the NBA All-Star Game.
The biggest issue for the NBA is whatever narratives are created during this season of comparison between it and the 4 Nations Face-Off and All-Star Game have sticking power because they feed into the stereotypes that already exist between hockey and basketball, rightly or wrongly. Yes, NBA players play hurt… when it counts. But as more fans buy tickets and watch games only to see their favorite stars sit out for load management over the years, and as they see the lack of interest and effort in doing something for fans at the All-Star Game, it’s going to feed into this cycle of negative fan relationships and experiences. And that’s something the NBA and its players can not so easily dismiss.
