By Connor Grott
Feb. 4 (UPI) — Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox believes the NBA’s plan to have an All-Star Game this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic is “stupid.”
League sources told ESPN earlier this week that the NBA and the players’ union were working toward an agreement for an All-Star Game on March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
When asked Wednesday night whether he was surprised about the All-Star Game potentially returning this year, Fox indicated that the decision to stage the event was likely financially driven.
“If I’m going to be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid,” Fox told reporters after the Kings’ win over the Boston Celtics. “If we have to wear a mask and do all of this for a regular game, then what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?
“Obviously, money makes the world go around, so it is what it is.”
Despite voicing his concerns about the possible return of the annual game, Fox said he is “not really worried” about playing in the All-Star Game if he is selected.
“If I get voted in, so be it,” he said. “… You know you get fined — if you’re supposed to be in it and you’re not hurt and you decide not to play, that’s a hefty fine. So hell yeah, I would play in it.”
The 23-year-old Fox is averaging 22.3 points and 6.6 assists per game this season. He wasn’t among the top 10 Western Conference guards in the initial fan voting, which was announced Thursday.
