Players expressed a desire to get paid for playing in All-Star game / News - Basketnews.com

NBA players have expressed a desire to be paid for their participation into the All-Star competition.

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

After the NBA In-Season Tournament, the NBA management might be looking to introduce prize money to another competition.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, players have expressed a desire to get paid for the NBA All-Star.

The discussions hail from the fact that this year's rendition had very little hustle and defensive intensity. So much so that the Eastern Conference recorded a staggering 211 points in four quarters of play while the Western Conference had 186 to boot.

Although Amick has not noted any concrete attempt by the NBA to make this "pay-for-play" scheme a reality, it is apparent that the league wants players to compete harder. This is evidenced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's lack of excitement in the game's aftermath and Larry Bird's pre-game calls for players to compete more.

The concept of pay-for-play has worked well for the In-Season Tournament. Some players felt more compelled to join and try to win the so-called "NBA cup," considering that the champion team's players would all get $500 thousand each.

Even though this year's All-Star was better received and had more viewership in comparison to the last few years, it is undeniable that the flashiest event of the NBA season has hit a rough patch regarding declining interest and ratings.

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