The NBA All-Star Game should continue this year despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Now that the All-Star Game is only weeks away, the conversation of whether it should be held has erupted among basketball and non-basketball fans alike. 

The NBA has done a good job creating a COVID-19 free bubbles and practicing safety protocols to keep players safe all season, so it should work with the All-Star Game. 

Teams including the Golden State Warriors have shown fans they take NBA guidelines very seriously when it comes to COVID-19.    

Aside from those on the court, everyone else practices social distancing while wearing face coverings. The NBA is also very strict when ensuring the safety of the players.

According to the NBA’s official website, “any player who tests positive, even if asymptomatic, will not be allowed to exercise for a minimum of 10 days and then must be monitored in individual workouts for an additional two days.” 

The All-Star Game can also increase morale among players and fans to create a sense of normalcy. 

“Aside from a small group of players’ guests, no spectators will be admitted to the arena,” according to a Feb. 18 New York Times article.

This is a smart idea since it would still compromise the player’s health to have any fans present. 

It will not be the same without as many fans in the arena, but still having the event and playing the game will be fun to watch even at home. 

I know I’ll be watching to see who will be the best 3-point shooter in the league and watching the All-Star Game will definitely help me feel like everything is the way it used to be before the pandemic.  

Some may argue it would be best to hold off on the All-Star Game and that it seems more like a money grab than anything else. 

A handful of NBA stars, including LeBron James, have shared their opinion about playing in this year’s All-Star Game. 

In a post game interview after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 4, James stated he wasn’t excited about this season’s All-Star Game. 

“Short offseason for myself and my teammates and then coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we’d have a nice little break,” James said. “Then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face.”  

However, this All-Star Game will be beneficial for certain communities as the money made during the game will be donated toward historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). According to a Feb. 18 ESPN article, 

“The NBA, along with the National Basketball Players Association, will give more than $2.5 million to [HBCUs] as part of holding the event, as well as to support awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 care, relief and vaccines.”

The game will be safely executed and exert a sense of normalcy, all while helping communities in need by donating profits to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, according to the official NBA website.   

This year’s NBA All-Star Game will be beneficial for everyone involved.