NBA Fans Irked Over Initial Kobe Bryant All-Star Game Tribute Plans

The death of Kobe Bryant forced a lot of changes on the NBA this week, with some games being canceled and tributes planned due to the shocking passing. One of the biggest twists has been the plans for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago.

While the showcase of NBA talent has gone through a few changes over the past few years, including the focus on team captains drafting their own teams, this year has been adjusted quite a bit to pay tribute to the Black Mamba.

However, despite the positive nature of the changes and the obvious mourning many players are dealing with, some fans aren’t happy.

The game will still feature captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, playing for charity organizations of their choice in the Chicago area. From there, things have been shaken up a bit with each team playing to win one of the first three quarters. Then when the fourth quarter begins, the teams’ scores will be added up and get 24 added to them as a final score goal in honor of Bryant’s number.

“This decision has led to some confusion among fans and has cast doubt over it going smooth for those officiating the game,” one puzzled fan wrote.

“[Feel] like the NBA tried [too] hard to make something up themselves instead did just listening to the fans,” another fan questioned the NBA’s decision.

“What would be nice is a halftime video tribute,1 team wear 8, the other wears 24. Rename the MVP all star trophy to Kobe Bryant Memorial All Star MVP award. Donate a portion of proceeds from jersey sales of the all star game to his favorite charity. This new format sounds dumb,” a third noted, adding their own take on the perfect tribute.

But some fans had no trouble understanding what was expected in the All-Star Game and how it will play out on the court.

“Basically after the 3rd Quarter is over, the 4th quarter has no time limit and which ever team scores 24 points wins. Let’s say both teams have 80 points after the third quarter is over, the first team to get to 104 wins the game, the clock won’t stop till one team scores the 24,” one fan wrote, defining the rules in plain language.

Apart from the in-game changes to honor Bryant, both teams and the NBA will pay tribute to the late star, his daughter Gianna, and the other victims of the crash in their own way. This includes both teams wearing patches with 9 stars representing all the victims of the chopper accident, while James’ team will sport number 2 in honor of Gianna’s number and Antetokounmpo’s team will wear number 24 in honor of Bryant.