Enough of blaming just the superstars for the NBA All-Star Game’s decline. The event, which began in 1951 and reached its peak during the eras of legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, has seen an unimaginable drop in competitiveness over the last few years. Active players have often been called out for their lack of defense and effort, but Dwyane Wade has shed light on another major factor behind the event’s downfall—one that has drained players’ interest and motivation to give their best performance.

Wade believes the All-Star Game has become more about everything but basketball. “Come to All-Star weekend and see all the sh*t you got to do before you get to that game and see what if you’re going to want to play at 8 o’clock that night,” he said.

Imagine this: players are tied up in commitments starting at 3 p.m., running from event to event, fulfilling obligations before they even get a chance to lace up. By the time the game tips off, exhaustion has already kicked in. That’s exactly Wade’s point. “It’s hard for them to get, for guys to get up to want to compete when it’s not about the game. It’s about all the sponsorships, the partners…” he explained.

The Flash remembers a time when the All-Star Game was actually about basketball. But over the years, things changed. “When I first got in, it was a little bit closer to being about the game. Then they start adding NBA Cares. Then they start, then they start, everybody start getting different brands and partnerships…” Wade noted. The list kept growing, and suddenly, the game itself became just another thing on the schedule.

Now, think about this—if players are spending hours doing media appearances, photo shoots, and brand events, how much energy do they really have left? “And then it’s saying, ‘Hey, 8:00, come and play in this game.’ ‘I’ve been taking pictures all day, I’m not ready to hoop,'” Wade said on The Underground Lounge. And honestly, can you blame them?

With players checked out before the game even starts, it’s no surprise that the All-Star Game has become a glorified layup line. Defense? Nowhere to be found. Competitive fire? A distant memory. And the numbers prove it. According to former New York Post reporter Ryan Glasspiegel, around 4.7 million people tuned in this year, making it the second least-watched All-Star Game in history.

If fans aren’t interested and players aren’t engaged, Wade is asking the big question: why even have it?

“From a player’s perspective… I may take it away. We just stop it. They don’t care about it while we’re doing it… If we don’t care about it, let’s stop wasting our time,” Wade said.

For Wade, the All-Star Game should be a moment for players to showcase their skills, to put on a show that fans actually want to see. But if that’s not happening anymore, what’s the point? He didn’t completely let players off the hook, though, calling out their lack of competitiveness. “‘I ain’t gonna play.’ What do you mean? So just take it away. Let me take it away from [them] and see if [they] want it,” he said.

However, it’s not as if Wade is not taking any accountability, considering he himself was a part of All-Star games in 13 instances.

Dwyane Wade believes his clash with Kobe Bryant led to the decline of competitiveness in All-Star events

Ever wondered when All-Star games lost their competitive edge? According to Dwyane Wade, he might be the one to blame. While he was clearly joking, it’s hard not to reconsider after hearing his take.

During the Underground Lounge podcast, the Miami Heat legend revisited the infamous 2012 NBA All-Star event, where an aggressive play from him left Kobe Bryant with a broken nose. It was an accident, but Wade believes that moment may have changed everything.

“I think that was the end of the competitiveness right there. I think I f—– the All-Star game up… It was when I hit Kobe. Everybody like ‘No, we not playing no more defense.’ My bad, my bad y’all,” Wade said.

Even if Dwyane Wade was half joking, there is no denying the All-Star games have lost all their spark and will soon be out of existence. The only saving? Either the players or the format will have to reinvent themselves.