Why NBA All Star Weekend is bigger than the game on the court
07 March 2024
While the headlines out of the 73rd annual NBA All Star Weekend centered around the awkward, non-defensive dunk fest it was, those headlines missed what the event is truly about.
This weekend is one of the most important, entertaining and beneficial events in global basketball.
I’ve been fortunate to attend this event for several years, as President of Basketball Australia and now as CEO of EngageRM. The weekend is the ultimate connector, I’ve met hundreds of people in all capacities from across the sport, and watched firsthand the impact this weekend, and the NBA organization, has on global basketball.
What made this year’s showcase particularly special was Indiana, the home of basketball to me, hosting the event. It’s also a stone’s throw away from the birthplace of my idol, Larry Bird.
Bird and the Celtics, along with Magic Johnson and the Lakers reinvigorated the league in the early 80s through their iconic rivalry. It set the scene for the battle between East and West, grit and glamour, and of course, financial and media success.
With all that history awaiting me when I walked in the gates, my expectations and excitement were fever pitch, and I walked away, yet again, with the long-held belief that the NBA truly is the best-run and most iconic sports league in the world.
The state of the game in 2024
It’s simple, the NBA’s influence now spreads to every corner of the globe and continues to go from strength to strength under the exceptional leadership of Commissioner Adam Silver.
Such is Silver’s command of his domain that he is revered by athletes, owners, executives and fans – truly an amazing achievement in a world where high pressure and super-sized egos are just the tip of the iceberg.
However, there is one chink in the NBA’s armor – the All Star game itself. Speaking as a basketball fan, it’s a blight on the game, and I didn’t speak with anyone in Indianapolis who disagreed, over the years, players have increasingly approached the game with a casual nature.
In the context of a very demanding 82 game season, plus the post-season, you can see why. Everyone but the all-stars are resting so, while the all-star players want to be recognized as the league’s best, they also want (and probably need) a break.
That leads to the compromise we see; attend the game, have fun on court, don’t play defense, and see if the scoring records can be broken yet again.
In the players defense, no one wants an injury leading into the most important part of the season and the athletes do give a lot of themselves outside the game. They attend events and promote the sport, but it’s still excruciating to see the game played without care or intensity.
There is no obvious solution, apart from a financial incentive to play hard or the oft-mentioned concept of ‘USA versus The World’, but I’d say we’re still a while off that coming to fruition.
While I don’t have the answers for that one less-than-perfect element of the event, the focus on the game itself fails to take in the impact of the overarching weekend.
It brings together and promotes so many things that are great about basketball and sport in general, while creating incremental value for the teams, the league, their partners and suppliers, such as EngageRM.
Amongst many important outcomes, here are three I love, and show why All-Star Weekend is much bigger than the game itself.
The NBA sees basketball as a platform for good
One area the NBA outshines than any other league is how they value the athlete as a celebrity. They promote it with vigor and allow the athletes to bring their true personality to the fore.
This approach ensures athletes indulge their interests off the court – be it in fashion, music, art, technology, entertainment, investment, or any other area. As a result, the All-Star Weekend has a myriad of events.
Interestingly the most sought-after ticket is a non-basketball event – the NBA Tech Summit, where some of the globe’s greatest technology innovators take the stage. I’ve only attended once of the 7 All Star weekends I’ve visited!
That year the headline speaker was Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter (now X), with appearances from Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, Steve Ballmer, Wolf Blitzer amongst many others.
On top of this there are separate start-up investment bootcamps and hackathons, art shows, concerts, and general events and parties for just about every kind of interest, from clothing, to fitness, cooking and more.
The NBA recognizes the power of its athletes to transcend the game, and do it with rigor, attracting additional audiences that may not otherwise show interest.
This year I sat next to Sakeya Donaldson at All Star Saturday Night. Sakeya is a highly awarded Wardrobe Stylist who has now started The Science of Beauty, a STEM program using beauty as the foundation to engage African American girls in the field.
There’s a local community aspect too, each year the NBA gathers volunteers to participate in the NBA Cares Day of Service. For 2024 it was a marathon 24-hour effort, where volunteers, including myself, packed food for Indiana’s homeless. Past and present players were on hand to welcome the workers, a DJ kept people entertained, and everyone worked side by side for the good of the local community.
Everyone has a place at All Star, and in the NBA and sport more generally. I have a fundamental belief that the world has never needed sport more than it does now, and this connection is exactly one of the reasons why.
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Connecting the global basketball community
The NBA is a global connector and hub for the sport, and while they could set a high barrier for entry, the league goes out of its way to welcome the basketball community from all corners of the world.
While I’ve spent a lifetime in the sport, in many respects I still consider myself an outsider. Yet I’m welcomed with open arms each year and made to feel like I belong – there’s nothing more powerful than that.
It’s even more powerful when you look at the amalgamation of people at All Star. Firstly, there’s the owners, executives and staff from the teams and the league itself. Then others from the sport in the US, such as USA Basketball President Retired General Martin E. Dempsey, CEO Jim Tooley and their team, to those from colleges and high schools coming to meet, connect and trade ideas and opportunities.
There are commercial partners and suppliers, such as Microsoft and EngageRM, and then the international basketball community, including FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and his colleagues. This was alongside volunteers and staff from every corner of the globe. I reunited with people from every continent and met many more for the first time, several of whom I plan to stay in touch with.
Many come from federations, leagues and commercial organizations around the world. This year Australia was well represented by FIBA Deputy President David Reid, Basketball Australia CEO Matt Scriven, NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger and his colleague Vince Crivelli and many others. Those from other sports also come to see and learn, this year the event welcomed former AFL CEO Gil McLaughlin.
The NBA uses its power and influence for greater good and is a true connector. Basketball is fast becoming the world’s number 1 sport and this aspect of All Star is a direct contributor to that.
Showcasing the past, present and future of the game
The NBA is nothing without the players, and the league does so much to recognize, celebrate and promote them, especially at All Star.
The Past
On the Sunday morning, the NBA hosts a breakfast for 2000 people for the NBA Past Players Awards Ceremony. This event brings together the great stars of yesteryear, including Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and others.
Male and female players are inducted into the Hall of Fame and the careers of players, coaches and administrators are acknowledged. It is wonderful to see those people being kept together in a community they helped build and now recognizes their contribution.
The Present
Despite a heavy full-season schedule and weekend of activity, the All Star players themselves attend events and engage with the public throughout the weekend. Events are organized across the city, including the massive NBA Interactive event at the Convention Centre, where fans can meet their heroes and participate in shootouts and other activities. The players are great at this, recognizing that the opportunity they have is driven by individuals who love the game and are willing to pay for it.
Whether it’s sharing highlights, behind-the-scenes moments, or player interviews, maintaining a strong online presence helps cultivate fan engagement and loyalty.
It doesn’t end with social, you need to host fan events and build a community around the team too. Fan festivals, meet-and-greets, and community outreach programs not only create memorable experiences for fans but also strengthen the connection between the team and community, with any additional revenue a by-product.
The Future
Friday night opens the on-court activity with the Future Forces game, selecting the best players from the NBA and their G-League affiliates to participate. Some of these players will one day become All Stars themselves, so this is a perfect training ground for what may lie ahead.
But perhaps the best display of future greatness is at the Basketball Without Borders camp, a joint venture between the NBA and FIBA. Athletes between the ages of 15 and 19 are invited from every corner of the globe to train together for 3 days and compete in pick-up games.
Australia’s Patrick Hunt has been Camp Director for many years and has seen some of today’s stars come through the program. The level of skill must be seen to be believed, and it’s obvious that many were built for basketball. A 7-foot 1 inch 16-year-old player from New Zealand was amongst the bigger players, but at least 5 others were taller, and all could handle the ball like a guard. I left thinking the game is truly changing.
So, in an iconic basketball city, the NBA showed yet again that while everything in its world isn’t perfect, the game goes on, and the organization seeks to be a leader and custodian both on and off the court. Any business could learn so much by studying this weekend and seeing what commitment to a vision can do.
The NBA is iconic because it thinks globally, acts locally, and puts people at the center of all it does. See you in San Francisco!
