Larry Bird just delivered a strong message against the NBA All-Star game: 'He thought it's a joke'

Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird is among those who aren't thrilled with the NBA's decision to change the All-Star Game format to a tournament-style affair in the hopes of making it more competitive.

According to Ryan, he recently visited Larry Legend in the latter's six thousand-square-foot home in Naples, Florida, where the Celtics Hall of Famer lies low during the second half of every year.

"I said, 'Larry, what was your attitude toward All-Star games? 'He said 'I wanted to win' period, quote unquote. 'I wanted to win. We played competitive games,' said Ryan. "You didn't want anybody to get hurt, you didn't go nuts, you didn't go crazy, you didn't do stupid things. But you played basketball. And you wanted to win. Well, we've gotten away from that."

Larry thinks it's a joke now

The NBA All-Star game has taken a tragic turn since Bird's days. Well, it was still competitive when Kobe Bryant was around. But in recent years, the mid-season classic has been reduced to a lay-up line, with players refusing to put in even a little effort.

With the hopes of restoring the game's luster, the NBA reverted to the traditional East versus West format, which was used during Bird's era. That did not work, as the two teams combined for an All-Star game record 397 total points scored, with the East scoring a ridiculous 211.

"He's disgusted. He was invited last year," added Ryan. "He thought it was a joke, and it is a joke. And it's awful."

The NBA brought in Bird to inspire last year's All-Stars but they didn't budge

As Ryan said, the NBA invited Bird to last year's All-Star game along with Julius Erving and Andre Iguodala. The three took turns giving speeches to the players inside their locker rooms, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver hoping they inspire the current stars to put in a better effort.

"The one thing I would really like to see is they play hard tonight in this All-Star Game," Bird said the morning before the game. "I think it's very important when you have the best players in the world together; you've gotta compete, and you've gotta play hard, and you've gotta show the fans how good they really are."

We told you earlier what happened to last year's game. And for Bird to see it first-hand a couple of hours after he asked them to play harder, and in his hometown, that must have felt disrespectful. Next year, the game will be played at Chase Center on February 16, 2025. If you don't see Bird in the crowd, you already know why.