Barack Obama rips NBA's biggest stars in interview with Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton

Barack Obama was known to play aggravated pickup hoops games pinch a mini circle of Beltway insiders during his Presidency, arsenic writer Michael Lewis reported astatine nan time.

So erstwhile nan erstwhile Commander In Chief watches nan lackadaisical play astatine NBA All-Star Games, he can't thief but beryllium disgusted.

'Y'all gotta person a small much pridefulness successful that All-Star Game,' Obama told NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton connected his podcast, Young Man and nan Three. 'It's not arsenic if you each don't play pickup during nan summers. You cognize really to play successful a measurement that, 'alright, I'm not going to wounded anybody, I'm not going to return anybody out,' but that All-Star Game, it's broke, man.

'Like, group conscionable for illustration not running,' Obama added. 'Everybody conscionable trying each kinds of... it utilized to beryllium erstwhile Kobe [Bryant] and Michael [Jordan] and Isaiah [Thomas] and those guys were playing, man. I mean they weren't playing nan measurement they did regular season, but they wanted to win.

'This is your business,' he concluded. 'This is your product. You don't want group reasoning you're each retired location conscionable half-assed.'

There are nary rules against playing defense successful NBA All-Star Games, but nan believe has go frowned upon arsenic nan yearly sponsor-driven arena devolves into a layup statement each year.

February's was nary different.

The East hit nan westbound 211-186, successful what Milwaukee Bucks prima Giannis Antetokounmpo described arsenic 'fun.'

Viewers were little convinced.

Despite mounting a grounds for full points (397) and made 3-pointers (42), NBA All-Stars drew disapproval from conscionable astir anyone who had hoped to spot a competitory exhibition.

Even commissioner Adam Silver has admitted nan All-Star Game is efficaciously surgery owed to excessively overmuch attraction being placed connected halftime performances and such.

'We're sending mixed signals,' he told ESPN. 'And if we want guys to dainty this for illustration a existent crippled … we person to dainty it that way.'