Barack Obama torches 'broken' NBA All-Star midseason showcase for 'insulting' the game

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former President Barack Obama slammed the "broken" NBA All-Star midseason showcase and said that "y’all gotta have a little more pride in the game."

The ex-POTUS made the statement during an appearance on 'The Young Man and The Three' podcast which aired on Wednesday, October 23, and claimed he’s done watching it, per the New York Post.

Obama rips 'broken' NBA All-Star midseason showcase for 'insulting' the game

Obama said during the podcast, "Y’all gotta have a little more pride in that All-Star Game. It’s not as if you all don’t play pickup during the summers. You know how to play in a way that, ‘Alright, I’m not going to hurt anybody, I’m not going to take anybody out.’ But that All-Star Game, it’s broke, man."

The former president continued, "It insults the game. This is your business. This is your product. You don’t want people thinking you’re all out there just half-assed … Take it more seriously. Y’all need to do something because I ain’t watching that thing no more."

Meanwhile, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has made several changes in recent years to make the contest more exciting, including adding team captains and a draft process to know the teams before returning to the old format of East vs West, per the outlet.

Adam Silver takes blame for lack of intensity in NBA All-Star Game

In November 2023, Adam Silver took the blame for the lack of intensity in the NBA All-Star Game. He talked about his hope for a more competitive All-Star Game, with Hall of Famer Larry Bird saying he hoped the players would take it more seriously. 

Bird said, "I know what this league’s all about and I’m very proud of it. I’m proud of today’s players. I like the game they play. … I think it’s very important when you have the best players in the world together, you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to show the fans how good they really are."

During an appearance on 'NBA Countdown' in June 2024, Silver said, "We may be just past the point where guys and teams are incentivized to play a competitive All-Star game in the middle of the season. It’s the nature of the league."

Obama slams Donald Trump during Michigan rally

Barack Obama rallied in Detroit where the former president mocked Donald Trump for his meandering rallies and inability to coherently answer questions.

Obama said, "Have you seen Mr Trump lately? … He’ll give two-and-a-half-hour speeches, just a word salad, you don’t know what the heck he’s saying. The other day he had a town hall meeting .. about 45 minutes into it, he says: ‘You know what? I don’t feel like taking questions no more,’ and then he just played music for half an hour."

Obama again took a jab at Trump for his publicity stunt at a McDonald’s and praised Kamala Harris. He said, "This is a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice, need a champion – somebody who was raised in the middle class. She worked at McDonald’s when she was in college to pay her expenses. She did not pretend to work at McDonald’s when it was closed."