NBA star suggests staging All-Star Game in China, but Chinese fans give hostile reaction
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s idea badly received, while in the game itself, Shaq’s OGs overcome LeBron James injury to triumph in new format
The NBA All-Star Game took place under a revamped format in San Francisco on Sunday, but superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo suggested going a step further and staging it abroad, potentially in China.
However, his views sparked a largely negative reaction from Chinese fans, who were quick to question the motivations behind the idea.
The Greek forward was discussing how to improve the annual event and said taking it overseas, with a new format of Team USA v Team World, was a potential solution.
Regular-season matches in the North American league have already been staged elsewhere, with Paris having last month hosted two fixtures between the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs.
Antetokounmpo had to sit out Sunday’s All-Star matches with a leg injury, but he still made an appearance at the Chase Centre, and said that it would be “fun” for the event to take place abroad.
“Having a game in Paris would be really, really fun,” said Antetokounmpo, who won the NBA in 2021 with Milwaukee Bucks. “Having a game in the UK or having a game in Paris or having a game in Greece.