A suddenly hot topic in the NBA is the 2021 All-Star Game, which appears set to take place in Atlanta next month. While the parameters of the game were reportedly agreed to by the league and the Players Association, De’Aaron Fox and LeBron James have both voiced serious concerns about it being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic — Fox cited the lengths to which players already have to go to stay safe, while James, citing exhaustion, said he was looking forward to having a week to decompress following last season’s slog and the rushed offseason.
Now, a third player has decided to speak up, although it’s someone who isn’t particularly concerned about getting the call to head down to Atlanta, as Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker spoke to the media on Friday and backed up James’ stance on the whole thing.
Kemba Walker agrees with LeBron James that the All Star Game shouldn’t be played – “We all seen what Bron said. I agree. He’s a smart man. A lot of things he says is correct. I’m probably gonna be on vacation.”#Celtics pic.twitter.com/ZWsWaZKyzm
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 5, 2021
“I’m probably not gonna be selected, so I could care less,” Walker said. “We all seen what ‘Bron said, so.”
When asked if he shares the sentiment shared by James, Walker said, “Yeah, I agree. He’s a smart man, he’s been around, he’s a leader. A lot of things he says is correct, man. He feels the way he feels. I’m probably gonna be on vacation, so.”
The Celtics have opted to ease Walker into this year after getting treatment on his knee during the offseason, meaning he has appeared in seven games and is averaging 15 points and 4.3 assists a night. He is right that it’d be a surprise if he was an All-Star — Walker did not appear in the first top-10 roundup of fan voting — but even if he did get a nod, Walker appears to be in the James camp of really wanting to chill out for a week instead of participating in an extra basketball game.