"Worried about losing to somebody for their ego" - Charles Barkley gets honest about current generation of superstars devaluing NBA All-Star weekend

Heading into this year's NBA All-Star Weekend, Charles Barkley is one of many experts who wants to see stars give their best effort during the weekend. In recent years, the intensity of the All-Star game has continued to decline, with stars preferring to put on a show rather than battle it out with the best of the best.

Similarly, fans have witnessed a decline in the number of stars who have been participating in the Saturday dunk contest tradition. While players like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and even Kobe Bryant once took pride in competing in the contest, high-profile stars no longer participate in the event.

This year, the dunk contest will feature two-time champion Mac McClung, who will be looking to three-peat, compete against rookies Stephon Castle and Matas Buzelis, and sophomore Andre Jackson Jr.

During an interview with The Ringer's Howard Beck ahead of what will be the final NBA All-Star weekend broadcast on TNT, Charles Barkley weighed in on the state of the NBA All-Star weekend while focusing on the dunk contest.

“Obviously, we would like to have household names in it," Barkley said. "Those guys (the stars) are all worried about getting embarrassed. Ain’t like the old days, where the stars got in it. These guys are worried about losing to somebody for their ego purposes.”

NBA and NBAPA reportedly set to meet with players prior to Sunday's All-Star game with hopes of sparking competitive play

In years past, the NBA All-Star game has come under scrutiny, with fans speaking about how players need to give more effort in the game. Last season, Hall of Famer Larry Bird encouraged players to compete hard during the NBA Legends Brunch prior to the All-Star game.

While his plea fell on deaf ears, this year, the NBA will take matters into their own hands. The league and the NBA Player's Association will be meeting with the All-Stars ahead of the game according to reports.

On Friday, NBA Insider Chris Haynes wrote about the development on X:

Haynes also spoke about the changes in a video that accompanied his tweet:

"With the changes to the All-Star format to multiple teams, and the heightened scrutiny about players seeming uninterested on All-Star Sundays, this message is expected to highly urge players to put up more of a fight for the consumer and for business."

In addition to speaking with players about their level of effort, the league also seems to be hopeful that the new tournament-style format of the NBA All-Star game will fuel competition.

After the Rising Stars mini-tournament, the winning team will earn a spot in the All-Star mini-tournament on Sunday. Given that the young hungry players will likely be competing hard, the hope seems to be that the NBA's All-Stars will follow suit.