Boston Celtics: NBA holding an All-Star Game is incredibly insane

Last week, Boston Celtics fans learned of the exciting news that both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be playing in the NBA All-Star Game, which is scheduled for Sunday evening in Atlanta.

Tatum will be starting for Team Durant, while Brown will serve as a reserve for Team LeBron. In addition, both Tatum and Brown will participate in the 3-Point Contest as part of the All-Star festivities.

While it is obviously great for Celtics fans to see their two young stars participating in the showcase event, the fact that the NBA is holding an All-Star Game at all this season is completely ridiculous.

On one hand, the league is using the game as a fundraiser for historically black colleges and universities. This is obviously an important cause, and it is great that the NBA is using a showcase event like the All-Star Game to support HBCUs.

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However, the fact of the matter is, there is still a global pandemic going on. The NBA is already walking on incredibly thin ice in trying play during a pandemic without a “bubble” akin to the one that it had last summer. Hence, they should be taking every possible precaution in order to ensure that a COVID outbreak does not derail the season.

Gathering 26 players from 18 different teams in one location for a meaningless exhibition game doesn’t exactly seem like the most intelligent move.

Boston Celtics: Why the NBA All-Star Game is insane right now

NBA players have had to make countless sacrifices in order to be able to play during the pandemic. They haven’t been able to go to restaurants, shops, or even grocery stores, in order to avoid catching the virus and potentially spreading it to their teammates.

Many of them haven’t been able been able to see their families for many months. And last summer, the entire league shifted its operations to a completely isolated “bubble” in Orlando.

And now, after all that the players have sacrificed, the league is going to bring players from 18 different locker rooms (essentially 18 different “COVID bubbles”) together for an exhibition game?

With all due respect, that is incredibly insane.

By holding an All-Star Game, the NBA is playing with fire. Because if there is a COVID outbreak at the event, (which doesn’t seem super unlikely, given the “bubble mixing” that is involved), it’s not just one team that would be effected. It’s 18.

If that scenario plays out, the NBA legitimately might be forced to hut down the entire league for 10-14 days in order to allow all of the All-Star Game attendees to quarantine.

Is that really a risk worth taking?

If raising money for HBCUs is such a huge concern for the players, then surely the league should be able to come up with an alternative fundraising event. But there is absolutely no logical reason why the NBA should be holding a meaningless exhibition game in the middle of a pandemic-altered season.

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Use some logic, NBA. Keep your players in their respective “bubbles,” continue to test them frequently, and try to make it through the rest of the season without a major COVID outbreak. The All-Star Game can wait until next year.

I promise, we won’t even miss it all that much.

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