We’ve all seen how the NBA’s All-Star Game has become a bit of a joke.
It seems not even the players take it seriously anymore.
What was once an honor and a sign of recognition among the league’s finest has now become the least-competitive game in the basketball world, with absolutely no intention of playing defense.
The last edition was the biggest evidence of that, a game that finished with a 184-175 box score and with Jayson Tatum scoring 55 points.
However, there was a play where one of the biggest names of the game decided to turn the intensity up a notch and play some defense.
LeBron James might have gotten back at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers when he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, as he didn’t want him to have a big moment in the All-Star Game.
James rushed back on defense to block Shai when he was getting up for a dunk, perhaps the only defensive play in the whole night.
LeBron James is still mad that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder beat the Lakers on the night he broke the scoring record. pic.twitter.com/UxHumYaFOV
— Jon Metler (@JonMetler) February 20, 2023
That’s why the Canadian star vowed revenge over The King, calling him out for playing defense on that play and letting him know that he’ll get something ready for him the next time they meet:
“He wasn’t playing no defense but the one time I tried to get a dunk, he wanna play defense. I got something for him next time,” Shai said.
SGA on the LeBron block: pic.twitter.com/AKY31zmGib
— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) February 20, 2023
Notably, their next meeting might as well be the most crucial yet, as both teams are still in the race for a spot in the Play-in Tournament.
Will Shai get the last laugh? We’ll have to wait and see.
NEXT: Thunder Star Introduced Himself Strongly On Sunday