Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think American NBA players have the chops to replicate the NHL’s international tournament because they are afraid they’d lose.

Speaking on “First Take” with Michael Wilbon, Smith was recapping the Four Nations Faceoff the NHL created in lieu of a traditional All-Star weekend. In no uncertain terms, it was a smashing success (aside from Canada winning the whole thing), showcasing the world’s best hockey players in a format where everyone acted like a Stanley Cup was on the line. I could go for hours on how amazing of an event it was, but you can just read all of our fantastic coverage of it here.

After talking about the NHL’s product, Smith again harped on how the NBA’s All-Star weekend is an absolute joke. Players don’t care about it at all or put in any effort into the game, and it feels like a massive waste of time. A logical way to potentially improve this format is to replicate what the NHL did: have a game of American stars faceoff against international ones. 

However, Smith doesn’t think the American players would buy into that idea because they know they would get embarrassed.

“I’m going to say it on national television: the international players will bust their living behinds. Not just because their skillset is on par with them, but because they care and are compelled by their audience from their homelands more so than (the Americans)…They go all out, they ain’t playing,” Smith said.

It’s amazing what a Round Robin tournament of guys who give a rip about their sport can do to bring change to one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world.

We don’t know for sure who would win in a potential NBA format, since for right now this is a hypothetical matchup (SEC fans are drooling hearing that phrase). However, Smith is not far from the truth. A roster with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakim, Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a nightmare for Team USA. Throw in a compete level that’s higher than the entitled American brats that have infested the league, and an international squad could easily win. 

Smith ended his monologue by saying that the NBA should get rid of All-Star weekend if they don’t change the format, and he’s 100 percent right. If pro basketball wants to make that event worth something again, they must follow the NHL’s lead. Anything less than a total makeover would result in complete disaster.

Who knows? Maybe Smith’s words will motivate American NBA players to show they actually care about more than themselves.