MMA personality Ariel Helwani takes a huge shot at NBA’s All-Star Weekend, comparing it to the "astronomical" NHL 4 Nations Face-Off

Ariel Helwani recently shared his opinions about the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the NBA's All-Star Weekend. In contrast to the NHL event, which was lively and exciting, Helwani said the NBA event was disappointing.

The 2025 4 Nations Faceoff began on Feb. 12, 2025. It is now taking place in Montreal at the Bell Centre and in Boston at the TD Garden. Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams meeting in the final.

Meanwhile, NBA All-Star Weekend is currently being held in San Francisco. The Golden State Warriors host the usual league celebrations for the first time since 2000. The Celebrity All-Star Game and the Rising Stars Challenge marked the start of the day.

Helwani took to X and expressed his thoughts on both events. Despite being an avid basketball fan, the MMA journalist was dissatisfied with how things were going at the NBA All-Star Weekend, writing:

''I’m the biggest NBA fan on the planet but the difference in buzz, vibe and intensity between NBA’s All Star weekend and the NHL 4 Nations is astronomical. Pains me to say it, but it’s not even close. 4 Nations is absolutely brilliant. The NBA effort this weekend (again) … not as much.''

Luka Doncic, one of the biggest stars of the sport, won't feature in the NBA All-Star Game since he's been battling with some injuries. The entire basketball community was rocked by the European's mid-season transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Helwani took to X to share his thoughts on the trade, writing:

''Forget NBA, this has to be one of the most stunning trades in North American Sports history. No rumors. No whispers. The face of the franchise shipped off just like that?! Gotta be more to this story. Truly shocking. And I feel so very sorry for Mavs fan. How do you come to terms with this?!"

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Ariel Helwani is willing to reconcile with Dana White

Ariel Helwani mentioned during his most recent visit on Bo Nickal's podcast that he and Dana White had a wonderful relationship and would communicate frequently up until his ban from the promotion in 2016.

Despite their strained relationship since then, Helwani stated that he would be open to making amends with the UFC CEO:

''Despite all the differences and there's much more that happened, if Dana White called me up now and said, 'Come to Vegas and let's bury the hatchet', I would have many reasons to say, 'F you, I'm not interested', but I would say, 'Yes'. I would be on a plane. I'm not looking to do that, to get interviews or scoops or access. I just believe you live life once and I don't want any hate in my heart. I don't want any animosity. I think life is too short for that."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below: