Igor Rakocevic: 'They destroyed the NBA All-Star' / News - Basketnews.com

Retired player Igor Rakocevic, who left a mark in the EuroLeague and also played in the NBA, had harsh criticism of the recent evolution of the American league.

Credit: AFP-Scanpix Credit AFP-Scanpix

Former NBA and EuroLeague player Igor Rakocevic weighed in on the latest NBA All-Star and criticized it heavily.

Igor Rakocevic

Position:PGAge:45Height:191 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Belgrade, SerbiaProfileNewsStatistics

The retired prolific scorer had these to say on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

"I used to wake up in the middle of the night to watch the NBA All-Star, record on tapes, and watch the same game 200 times... Matches like the play-off final, players who held their own, gave their best and tried to prove to each other who is better and to bring victory to their 'side' of the NBA," Rakocevic began, reminiscing about the old NBA.

"And today, they destroyed the All-Star so much, with a pointless skill challenge, by not putting effort into the game to the point of embarrassment, by deliberately missing the 'opponent,' by shooting from 10 meters... That I haven't watched [it] for years," he lambasted the current realities. "Total commercialization and pampering of 'stars,'" Rakocevic said.

The Serbian former player is also under the impression that the underwhelming All-Star competition is the best representative of this recent unfavorable trend in the NBA.

"Unfortunately, the entire NBA has been going in that direction for a LONG time, with rare players and teams that are exceptions. Soft play, not returning to defense, a million interruptions, absence of any serious tactics (especially in defense), irresponsibility of even the best players, technical fouls for the slightest expressions of emotion..." he continued to criticize the NBA.

"But the biggest representation of this is at the All-Star. Eventually, I'll watch the Dunk Contests to see new physical achievements..." said the former player with a hint of irony, considering the underwhelming nature of the latest Dunk Contest.

This year's NBA All-Star has been subjected to harsh criticism, particularly from within the NBA. The Eastern Conference team scored a staggering total of 211 points, while the Western Conference team had 186 points in the All-Star Game, which, according to critics, shows that defense has completely been abandoned in the league.

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