The new All-Star format, yet it seems that the fans have the same disappointment. Shaquille O’Neal’s OG’s won the tournament, Bay Area’s beloved, Stephen Curry won the MVP award, but the overall product still had issues. Some critiqued the format, while some critiqued the current players for not playing hard. One such person who has watched the game closely is Shaq’s cousin from his mother’s side. He provided a different point of view of fans towards the current generation of players.
Dwyane Wade on his podcast asked Bill Bellamy about the difference in All-Star games. “I’m going to give you two levels of it right and you guys can relate to this as players. I think we had more superstars in a little pocket than it was ever before because you got to figure we had Shaq, we had AI, we had Grant Hill, we had Vince.” Bellamy who was the face of MTV in the 90s hyped the superstar players of the previous generation, including Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.
“It was like everybody was really really a All-Star and you knew who they were. And you were running to get an autograph. Now you got All Stars you don’t know.” As per the $6 million worth comedian, current stars don’t garner the same hype as the players of the past. This also could be the reason why the ratings have not hit the previous highs. As per reports from Statista, the 2003 All-Star game had 10.8 million average viewers. In two decades, the number has fallen drastically.
Bellamy continued, “You like who that he an All Star wh? Oh my man! oh he play for so and so you got to Google them. Back then, you was like, YO! Barkley, Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Steve Francis. It was just crazy and they played hard.” The 2024 All-Star viewership numbers were reduced by close to half. Yes, the report stated that only 5.5 million average viewers tuned in for the game.
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver (right) presents Team LeBron guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (30) with the The Kobe Bryant Trophy for being the most valuable player after the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The last year’s game was also the first time when a team scored 200 points in its 73-year history. That’s why the reason to change the format started doing rounds. The player’s popularity could also be the reason for fans are not interested in the product. Speaking about popularity, Bill Bellamy had a reality check, thanks to his cousin.
Despite his own stardom, the comedian felt short next to Shaquille O’Neal
The O’Neal family always believed that Shaq would achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. But Bellamy still had early reservations regarding his cousin’s success in the league. But those doubts got thrown out of the window during one of the family trips. The LSU alum’s first team was Orlando Magic, so naturally the family would go on a trip to Disney World.
“We go to Walt Disney World together bro, this is when he(Shaq) first came to Orlando. It was like walking around with a a Disney character because the kids love Shaq people could see him from Miles Away.” Bellamy spoke on the Mark Jackson show, about his misconception about his cousin’s popularity.
Let’s not forget that he was the face of MTV during that time and Shaquille O’Neal just entered the league. So, it is obvious to question if the Big Aristotle had the same following. Seeing the popularity so closely, it makes sense why Bellamy has such reservations regarding current All-Star players.
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