The NBA and its commissioner, Adam Silver, have already been through enough problems over the past 11 months. Recently it has only gotten worse as the poster boy for the league, LeBron James, came out against the organization’s leaders and their plans for the 2021 NBA All Star Game. As James himself said in a post-game interview, “It feels like a slap in the face” as the NBA plans to have an All Star Game even with the state of the current pandemic and the health risks that come with doing such a thing.

 LeBron James was not the only player to be in disagreement with how the NBA is handling this situation. Players like Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics and De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings also thought that it was a bad idea for the players and that the league should not even be taking that chance. “If I’m invited I’ll only attend to avoid a fine” remarked De’Aaron Fox. This goes to show that there is a fair share of players who believe this is a bad idea, but the players’ opinions aren’t the only thing important to the NBA and its commissioners. If anything, the opinion of the fans is what the NBA truly cares about, as they are the ones putting money in the NBA’s pockets. In order to find out more,  I took the opportunity to get a fan’s perspective on the issue by interviewing NBA fan and FHS Science teacher Frank Marcille to get his thoughts on the situation.

Marcille is a good source to represent the overall opinion of fans due to the fact that he has very little bias in this situation. He is neither a LeBron “fanboy” or a LeBron hater, so he can be trusted to give a fair opinion on the comments and how he feels it should have been handled. Mr. Marcille says he understands where LeBron and the other players are coming from, but at the same time, “LeBron is an employee, and you must do what your employers tell you to do.” Marcille suggests that, at the end of the day, you signed a contract and you should do what the league is telling you to do, even if it comes with some risks. For fans of the NBA, the All Star Game is something that you look forward to all season: the opportunity to see all of these stars on one court is something that only happens once every year. The point Marcille is trying to get across is that taking away the All Star Game would heavily upset the fans. “As a player, you have an obligation to the fans to go out there and perform for them.” Technically, he argues, the fans are the ones who give the players everything, so the least they can do is to go out there and put on a show for them.

This just goes to show that perspective is very important when regarding disagreements and decisions to do things like the NBA All Star Game. From a player’s perspective, it seems almost disrespectful and makes it feel like the league does not care for its stars,  while coming from a fan of the NBA, that narrative completely changes. At this point, since the All Star Game has passed we can only hope for a better experience next year for both the players and fans.