Giannis: USA vs. World in ASG 'would give me extra juice to compete'

Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the best possible remodeling of the All-Star Game involves the NBA pitting its best American players against its top international stars.

"I would love that," the Bucks forward said Sunday when asked about a "USA vs. World" format for the midseason event, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. "I think that would be the most interesting, exciting format.

"That would give me extra juice to compete."

Antetokounmpo, who was voted an All-Star starter but will not play in Sunday's tournament-style edition because of a calf injury, also voiced his support for another idea to improve the exhibition's competitive spirit. When asked about the All-Star Game being played overseas, the Greek star was on board and rattled off a few international suggestions.

"That would be really, really fun," he said, per 95.7 The Game. "Having a game, like in the U.K. or the game in Paris ... Greece is obviously a small country, but why not?

"Having a game in China ... all the stars go there for a weekend and play the game, that would be fun. And I think it would bring more attention to the game, more fun."

The NBA's All-Star Game has drawn persistent criticism regarding players' lack of competitiveness, spurring the league to implement multiple changes in recent seasons. In 2018, the league allowed the leading vote-getters to draft their teammates but abandoned that format in 2024 to return to the traditional East vs. West style. It's also experimented with target scores, requiring teams to score a specific amount of points to win as opposed to a traditional timed contest.

However, Antetokounmpo argued no format tweak will produce increased competition if a player's desire isn't there.

"Everybody's a grown man," he said, according to Goodwill. "You cannot force anyone to play hard if they don't want to."