Barack Obama criticizes the state of the NBA All-Star Game: “It insults the game”

Former President Barack Obama is not a fan of the NBA All-Star Game.

During an appearance on JJ Redick's “The Young Man and The Three” podcast, formerly “The Old Man and The Three” and now hosted by the Pacers' Tommy Alter and Tyrese Haliburton, Obama ripped into the league's midseason show and claimed he didn't look at her anymore.

“You all need to be a little more proud of this All-Star Game,” Obama told Haliburton. “It’s not like you all don’t play pickup in the summer. They know how to play like, “Okay, I'm not going to hurt anyone, I'm not going to take anyone out.” But this All-Star Game is a bust, man.

“It insults the game,” he continued. “This is your business. This is your product. You don't want people to think you're just half-assed out there…Take it more seriously. You have to do something because I’m not watching this thing anymore.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver made several changes in recent years to spice up the competition, including adding team captains and a draft process to determine teams, before returning to the old East vs. West format.

As recently as last November, Silver blamed himself for the lack of intensity at the NBA All-Star Game.

Before the final game last February, Silver expressed his hope for a more competitive All-Star Game, with Hall of Famer Larry Bird saying he hoped the players would take it more seriously.

“I know what this league is about and I’m very proud of it,” Bird said. “I’m proud of today’s players. I like the game they play. … I think it's very important when you have the best players in the world together, you have to compete, play hard and show the fans how good they really are.”

The teams collectively broke scoring records and played little defense, prompting Silver to strike a different tone.

“We may be at the point where guys and teams are incentivized to play a competitive All-Star Game in the middle of the season,” Silver said during an appearance on “NBA Countdown” in June. “It’s the nature of the league.”