Kevin Durant calls out Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic: “They don’t care at all”
Durant criticizes the international stars’ effort in the NBA All-Star Game as the league experiments with a new USA vs. World format.
With the 2026 NBA All-Star Game just around the corner, the familiar debate has resurfaced: is the game even competitive anymore? Once treated with a professional edge by players, the All-Star Game in recent years has become more of a showcase than a true contest. It still draws huge TV audiences in the U.S. and serves as a major spotlight for the league, but inside basketball circles, frustration is growing over how little effort some stars put in on the court. The NBA itself seems aware of the issue, constantly tweaking the format in search of a setup that motivates players to actually compete.
New format: USA vs. the world
This year, the league is rolling out a new twist: Team USA against the rest of the world. The 24 selected players will be split into three teams, two U.S. squads and one international squad. Will this finally fix the problem?
“This format could change the game, but who knows? We’ll see,” Kevin Durant told reporters after playing his final game with the Houston Rockets before heading to Los Angeles for All-Star weekend. Durant will join fellow U.S. veterans like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard on the court.
Durant singles out European stars
The more striking comments came when Durant turned his attention to the international players, specifically Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, questioning their commitment to competing.
“You should ask the Europeans, the world team, if they are going to compete," Durant said. “I mean, we look at Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic now. Let’s go back and look at what they do in the All-Star game. Is that competition? We haven’t questioned what they’ve been doing, but we’re going to question oldheads and the Americans. But these two dudes out there, Luka and Jokic, they don’t care about the game at all. These dudes are lying on the floor. They shoot from half court. But you’ve got to worry about the old heads playing hard.”
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