Murray calls All-Star Game criticism a ‘disservice’ to players originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Keegan Murray is not going to stand for the criticism that has been directed towards NBA stars for their lack of effort and competitiveness in the 2024 NBA-All Star Game this past Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Kings forward, who participated in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge over the weekend for a second consecutive year, addressed the topic after practice Tuesday, and as expected, the 23-year-old sided with his colleagues and made a valid point along the way.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on about it,” Murray said to reporters. “I feel like that game, if anything, is just a recognition for the guys in this league.
“I feel like it’s not much about the game, it’s about what those guys are doing around the league in the regular season. So, I feel like to pinpoint one game is kind of doing a disservice to the guys that are playing.”
Keegan Murray reflects on his participation in the Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend, thoughts on the lack of competition in the All-Star game, looking ahead to the rest of the season and returning to today’s first practice back in Sacramento. pic.twitter.com/6ed8EQDPPj
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) February 21, 2024
Sunday’s event, which culminated in a 211-186 Eastern Conference win, was the talk of the NBA’s celebratory weekend – and not because of the result setting an All-Star scoring record.
It was the supposed lack of defense and individual effort from the players that got the basketball community talking, including Murray.
Murray was the lone Kings representative at All-Star Weekend, with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento’s 2023 selections – omitted from Sunday’s game.
Last Friday, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft represented Team Tamika, recording five points from the floor while adding three rebounds and two assists in over 11 minutes.
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