LeBron: 'I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game'

LeBron James isn't thrilled about the NBA's sudden decision to stage an All-Star Game this season.

"I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year," James told reporters Thursday after the Los Angeles Lakers' 114-93 win over the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't even understand why we're having an All-Star Game."

The league informed teams Wednesday it will soon finalize an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association to stage an All-Star Game in Atlanta on March 7, an event that could also feature a Slam Dunk Contest and a Three-Point Contest. The showcase was initially scheduled for Feb. 14 in Indianapolis, but the NBA pushed the city's hosting duties to 2024 due to public health concerns.

James called the decision to proceed with the event a "slap in the face" to players who hoped to receive a break in March. He referenced the Lakers playing into mid-October to capture last season's NBA championship, a run that left them with just under two-and-a-half months off before opening the 2020-21 campaign on Dec. 22.

"Short offseason for myself and my teammates, 71 days," he said. "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. Five days (in March) from the fifth through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well, some of the guys in the league.

"And 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."

James isn't the first player to speak out against the event. Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox said Wednesday he considers it "stupid" to carry out the exhibition amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If we have to wear masks and do all this for a regular game, then what's the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?" Fox said. "But obviously, money makes the world go round, so, it is what it is."

James could still relax in March if fans don't vote him an All-Star, though that currently appears highly unlikely. The 36-year-old was the Western Conference's leading vote-getter in the first returns from fan voting Wednesday and was second in the league behind Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.