Adam Silver’s 4.7B Success Worthless as Master P’s Son Hercy Miller Drops Urgent NBA All-Star Plea (Exclusive)

“We’re not necessarily looking for players to go out there as if it’s the Finals, but we need players to play defense. We need them to care about this game.” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s words last year made his intentions clear. Silver wanted the players to be more invested in the games. He wanted that hint of competitiveness that drew a large audience, that made it one of the best events on the sporting calendar. But you know the tales of 2025. If not, Hercy Miller is here to spell it out and with one particular take to reason the distaste. 

Before the last bucket of the contest went down, Kenny Smith spoke for a lot of us. “I think they’re gonna change the format back,” he would say on TNT. The viewership numbers were telling a story.

The All-Star Weekend’s TV ratings dropped 13% from last year, stopping inches away from 2023’s record low. However, there was a bit of relief on the digital engagement that came in with a clutch. NBA League Pass signups jumped by 56%. Moreover, All-Star content across social media reached 4.7 billion views! It seemed like the new format had managed to win over the younger audience. But were the viewers satisfied?

Well, not really. There was a row of criticism starting with Draymond Green on the TNT broadcast. Adding to the sting, the weekend did not even appeal to the whole of the younger audience, which had been one positive speculation. American rapper, and record producer Master P’s Son, Hercy Miller, just seemed to have made that clear.

Talking to EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw, the Southern Utah guard stated, “I didn’t really enjoy it too much.” Why? Competitiveness. “Like me growing up, I always anticipate the All-Star game to be like kind of competitive and there’s like, you are having fun.” Be known, Hercy grew up in a basketball family with a competitive father and The entertaining weekend of a season was hardly a thing to miss.

In the late 1990s, Master P tapped into the NBA waters, playing for the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors during the pre-season. Long after he’d had his last stint, the rapper, then 32 years old, was even serious about giving it another try. He calls it a ‘therapy,’ something he can turn towards to get things off his mind. So music has taken him places, but all the while, basketball had remained a passion he couldn’t continue. It is only natural then that the younger Miller inherited that interest, and then some.

A 6’3″ guard, Hercy Miller currently plays for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds and admits that in growing around the game it ‘gravitated’ towards him. Even now, Master P keeps the competitive juices flowing among his sons, taking them on the court frequently. So basketball in his blood, Hercy knows how he needs his All-Star weekends — some old charm, with the same old rivalry.

“I love when it was West versus East. I love that format, I think they should bring that back,” he added on ES Exclusives. Well, there is enough proof of that working after the 1993 game pulled 22.91 million viewers and 2002 drew 13.10. But the Thunderbird star isn’t alone and it isn’t just about the format.

Hercy Miller calls for a change in the play

The NBA All-Star Game used to be can’t-miss TV. The pace, intensity, defense, starpower– everything a regular season game lacked, the weekend delivered. It wasn’t just about the offense, average in the late 1990s limited to 94.4 points. Even as early as 2014, it was limited at 101 points at an average pace of 93.9. But last year, the total was a one-sided  211-186. Moreover, there were 67 threes made on 168 attempts. That’s 37 more than the ones made in the game a decade ago.

There was no entertainment and Hercy Miller, isn’t letting that point slip.

“You don’t really see people playing defense. Like I am big on that. I like people competing. I am a competitor. So I feel like, when it was West vs East, people took that to the heart,” he said in conversation with Whitelaw. But he isn’t the only one feeling the sting of lost competitiveness and a sense of greatness All-Star weekend once held. While Adam Silver tried to bring the heat through the new changes, it ended up falling flat on the face. First thing? Rookies and newbies were getting an opportunity to set foot on the All-Star hardwood where a few years ago, biggest of players had grappled to earn their place.

“I had to work so hard to play on Sunday night of All-Star Weekend,” Draymond Green remarked. “My first two years, I didn’t touch that game. And these guys get to touch the All-Star floor? On Sunday night?”

Well, the league’s bigs weren’t of much help either. LeBron James pulled out just two hours before tipoff due to foot discomfort, ending his 20-year All-Star streak and Anthony Edwards never played, reportedly dealing with groin soreness. Their absences added to the sense that the event was losing importance. There was a fading effort– lazy shots and little defense.

Ultimately, no amount of format changes can fix the real problem: if players don’t take the game seriously, neither will the fans. Until the stars bring back true competition, the All-Star Game’s decline will only continue.