Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant has been a staple in the NBA All-Star Game since 2009. The only year he missed it was in 2020, as he was rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. He’s been a witness to how the competitiveness of the event has dwindled. Over the past few years, there have been criticisms about how players don’t take the event seriously.
Durant appeared on Wednesday’s episode of “Unguarded,” a podcast hosted by his teammate Fred VanVleet. The two discussed the issue of players not appearing to take the All-Star Game seriously. KD told VanVleet that he’s always “locked in” during the games. He also mentioned the NBA star LeBron James does the same thing.
“Bron locked in every all star game. He not out there shooting from half court,” Durant said.
Sticking to the topic, he blamed his former teammate, Stephen Curry, for the gimmick he does during All-Star Games. Kevin Durant also mentioned Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard for the same antics.
Kevin Durant blames Steph Curry and Dame for the All Star game and says there’s no fixing it 😳
“Bron locked in every all star game. He not out there shooting from half court. I’m blaming Steph. It’s Steph fault. He come out there and shoot half court bro. I’m blaming him for… pic.twitter.com/ZcDP3I6iTr
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 17, 2025
“I’m blaming Steph. It’s Steph fault. He come out there and shoot half court bro. I’m blaming him for the All Star game. I’m blaming Dame too.”
This season, fans expect the All-Star Game to be competitive as the league welcomes a new format. It will be a contest between the best American players and international talents.
Kevin Durant reveals how differently he would’ve approached the 2019 NBA Finals
The 2019 NBA Finals remain iconic for the Toronto Raptors. They dethroned the Golden State Warriors that had Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. One of the most striking moments was when Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 5.
Looking back, Durant said that he had no regrets about what happened. However, he told VanVleet that he would’ve been extra cautious if he had known that his calf strain would result into him tearing his Achilles tendon.
“I don’t regret going out there and playing, but if I had known that information, I would’ve made a different decision,” Durant said. “If they told me, ‘Ah, you can tear your Achilles,’ I probably wouldn’t have gone out there.”
Durant left the Warriors following that and joined the Brooklyn Nets. He missed the 2019-20 season, rehabbing from injury.
