Boston Celtics beat reporter Jay King of The Athletic strongly objected to Anthony Edwards shooting the ball with his left hand during a portion of the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge that required a corner 3-pointer; condemning the act as a joke.
"I never thought the skills challenge could be dumber but then Anthony Edwards shot only with his left hand," King prefaced before saying, "Glad the contestants take it seriously. What a joke."
He'd later ask, "Why are we supposed to treat this like it matters if the players think it’s a joke?"
Edwards' rock-bottom showing for the NBA All-Star Weekend event may just have the league reconsidering future festivities. There's a good chance that the Gatorade commercial-esque showdown between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu is the future of the All-Star Game's Saturday night.
Of course, the Slam Dunk Competition that Jaylen Brown is taking part in will never go anywhere. Nor will the 3-point contest. But the All-Star Skills Competition has become too gimmicky for its own good.
Boston Celtics reporter: 'Noting fun' about All-Star Skills Challenge
King is completely out on the concept of the All-Star Skills Challenge; going as far as to say there's "nothing fun" about it.
"There’s nothing fun about the skills challenge," King prefaced before saying, "It’s the least creative idea anyone could possibly think of for a 'fun' part of all-star Saturday festivities."
Now that's not an opinion the Houdini can endorse. In 2008, just before the "Redeem Team" took the court and won the Gold in Beijing after a disgraceful Team USA performance in Athens, Greece during the 2004 Summer Olympics, four Team USA guards (Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams) took part in the All-Star Skills Challenge. That was electric.
And it meant something.
Even with bettors throwing their money on the event, the players just can't get behind the current overcomplicated rules; rules that make the viewing experience suboptimal for even those who aren't tying in hard-earned funds for this lack of fun.