Obama Grills Indiana Pacers Star Over NBA’s Underwhelming All-Star Games: ‘Y’all Gotta Have a Little More Pride’

Barack Obama used a podcast appearance with Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton to air his grievances about the NBA’s recent All-Star Game performances.

The NBA and its stars have been heavily criticized over the last few years for the lack of competitive play during the All-Star Game. Many argue that despite the game bringing together together some of the very best players the league has to offer, the on-court product hasn’t lived up to the hype in years. Last year’s game was particularly brutal, with multiple media personalities — including Stephen A. Smith — calling players out for their effort.

On a recent episode of The Young Man and the Three, Obama told Haliburton he felt the same way.

“Can can I say something, though?” Obama asked. “Y’all gotta have a little more pride in that All-Star Game. I mean, look, it’s not as if y’all don’t play pick-up during the summers, so there’s — you know how to play in a way that’s, ‘Alright, I’m not going to hurt anybody. I’m not going to take anybody out,’ but that All-Star game’s gotten — it’s broke, man. I mean, people are just not running, everybody’s just trying all kinds [of things]. It used to be when [Kobe Bryant] and [Michael Jordan] and [Isiah Thomas] and those guys were playing, man — I mean, they weren’t playing the way they did regular season but they wanted to win.

“It insults the game.”

Haliburton explained how during his first All-Star Game, he was simply “reading the room” and followed the lead of the veteran players. The players did plan on raising the intensity of the last one — and even held a pre-game meeting about it — but it didn’t play out that way.

Obama believes that needs to change.

“This is your business,” the former president said. “This is your product. You don’t want people thinking y’all are out there just half-ass.”