Scottie Pippen rips the 2024 All-Star Game: "It's doing more harm than good to the game right now"

Pip takes a jab in the recent All-Star Game.

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fans, former players, basketball personalities, media, and others across social media have voiced their dissatisfaction with how the 2024 NBA All-Star Game turned out as a massive snooze fest. 

From the lack of competitiveness amongst the 24 participating stars, the event in Indianapolis handed nothing but an underwhelming impression. Among many others who expressed their disappointment has been Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen.

A damaging showcase for the game

For Pippen, what transpired throughout the event poses questions and an alarming perception amongst the current league stars about the All-Star Game.

“I didn’t catch any of it, and I think I did a good job,” he said during a press conference to kickstart the 2024 NBL playoffs. “I think we have been seeing this for the last few years, with the All-Star game, and the importance of the game. I think it all falls back on the players, whether or not they want to compete. I heard one player say they don’t think anyone wants to be there.

“Maybe there is a time and place for it. Maybe the players are making too much money, they don’t feel that they can generate the energy, the excitement in mid-season to go out and excite the fans any more. It’s something the league has to take a look at, because it’s doing more harm than good to the game right now.”

The 73rd annual edition of the NBA’s All-Star Game made history as the 2024 Eastern Conference reached 200 points for the first time ever in their 211-186 against the West. As such, behind this high-scoring feat is the dubious lackluster effort performed by the best players in the world.

A deeper conversation is needed

As a renowned seven-time All-Star who experienced the thrill of the competition in the ‘90s, Scottie hopes that the league will further take action on how they can recover the lost attention, anticipation, and intensity of fans and players for the All-Star Game.

“Obviously from a player’s perspective, it’s fun to get up and down. But at the end of the day, our competitive nature don’t like to have free-flowing scoring like that,” he said.

“But I think the good thing that came out of tonight was none of the players were injured, and everybody came out unscathed or how they were before the game started. So it’s a deeper conversation.”

Scottie Pippen stepped out of Michael Jordan's shadow and won the only MVP award of his NBA career