After two decades in the NBA Lakers star LeBron James rightfully has some ideas on how NBA may improve as a league, but the four-time NBA champion isn’t ready to have a full conversation on the subject just yet.
However, before the Lakers game against Kings of Sacramento on Thursday, James was specifically asked about his thoughts on the newly released album NBA All-Star Formatand is open to the league’s approach.
“We have to do something,” James told reporters. “Obviously, it hasn’t been great All-Star games on a Sunday night the last few years.”
[2025 NBA All-Star Game to feature mini-tournament: Everything you need to know]
While James didn’t seem particularly excited or disappointed with the new tournament-style All-Star Game setup, he did reveal a broader discussion about the league’s style of play, specifically three-point shooting.
“It’s a bigger conversation. It’s not just the All-Star game. This is our match overall. Our game is… a lot of three-pointers. So it’s a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game, James said.
FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd agrees that three-point shooting has become a problem in the NBA and suggested changing its own rules.
“I would move the three-point shot to the bench, eliminate the corner and take it a step back,” Cowherd said. “Make it part of the game, not the game.”
James is a 20-time All-Star and three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP. The 39-year-old saw the game go through many variations – from high dunks and spectacular moves in quick breaks, to players at all positions jumping from beyond the arc to score strong three-pointers.
During last year’s All-Star Game, the East defeated the West 211-186 in a battle in which the West missed 25 of 71 three-point attempts and the East made 42 of 97 attempts.
Splitting the number of All-Star three-point shooters on one team this year could force players to revert to the old-school, streetball mentality James first encountered in the league. However, given the current three-point shooting percentage in the league, this may be wishful thinking.
[Related: Kevin Durant slams new NBA All-Star format: ‘Absolutely hate it’]
Voting for NBA All-Stars begins on Thursday, and fans can vote daily through January 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET on the NBA app or on NBA.com.
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