Stephen A. Smith Has Clear NBA Prediction After Recent Announcement

The NBA All-Star Game has been a strong topic of conversation for years, and it might need drastic changes.

In a recent interview, NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the league was once again changing the format for the All-Star Game. After trying tournaments and team captains among other things, the 2026 edition of the game will feature a U.S. team matching up with a World team.

While the specifics are yet to be revealed, this move is yet another example of the league’s desperation to put out an entertaining and competitive All-Star Game. Of course, getting players to buy in is easier said than done.

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith also understands the difficulty of getting NBA stars to buy into the All-Star Game. With the news of this latest change, Smith didn’t hold back about what the NBA’s next move might need to be.

“If this doesn't work, I think you're going to see the NBA do away with All-Star weekend,” Smith said. “And this era of players will forever be stained for the rest of their lives because All-Star weekend was banished because of a lack of effort.”

Smith is far from the first person to suggest the end of All-Star Weekend or the All-Star Game altogether. While the game has always had some problems in terms of competitiveness, those issues have ramped up considerably over the past decade and forced the league into tough decisions.