Getty Image / Tim Nwachukwu
The NBA All-Star Game was on Sunday night and it received mixed reviews. Mainly because it’s no longer a competitive contest with the league’s best players.
Instead, the players use it as an opportunity to show off their offensive skillsets. For Jayson Tatum, that was more than true after he recorded 50 points.
That performance etched Tatum’s name into the history books. However, NBA fans aren’t impressed at all.
According to Matt Williams, Jayson Tatum is the first player to record 50 points in a regular season game, playoff game, and All-Star game.
Tatum is the first player in NBA history to have a 50-point game in:
✨Regular-season game
✨Playoff game
✨All-Star Game(h/t @StatsWilliams) pic.twitter.com/Yds34ztYS6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2023
That is a rather impressive feat. Even so, the All-Star game lacks so much defense that NBA fans are brushing Jayson Tatum’s accomplishment to the side.
Weakest 50 piece ever.. no defence being played and his team feeding him the ball on majority of plays… no disrespect to Tatum the talent is there… would’ve been a different story if the opposition even played at half of their defensive capabilities.
— lockyBolzon (@BolzonLocky) February 20, 2023
Tatum was shooting at will.
yeah it was so fun watching him take 40 shots in an all-star game.
— Benn (@the_b_ho_show) February 20, 2023
Bring back defense in the All-Star game!
Every player in the league coulda scored 50 last night
— Nah (@EggMan1989) February 20, 2023
When it comes down to it, the players aren’t willing to give it their all in the All-Star game anymore. There isn’t anything on the line. Additionally, why play hard and risk injury in a meaningless game?
Even so, Jayson Tatum will go down in the history books, even if the fans aren’t impressed.