How the PBA All-Stars can learn from the NBA

A big crowd graces the last NBA All-Star Game while last year's PBA All-Stars draws sparse attendance

I watched the NBA All-Star Game on TV last Sunday and I can say that the NBA is miles ahead of its Philippine counterpart when it comes to putting up a good All-Star show.

The NBA used the musical group The Roots to introduce both the East and West All-Stars while John Legend's halftime show was also well-received.

The players didn't disappoint, like Anthony Davis, who scored 52 points while Kevin Durant's alley-oop pass to Russell Westbrook in the first quarter drew cheers from the crowd and from their West teammates.

In the end, the West pulled off a 192-182 victory. Not as exciting as in past All-Star games, but the fans in New Orleans went home happy.

ABS-CBN Sports also put up a very excellent coverage with the tandem of Boom Gonzales and TJ Manotoc teaming up for their seventh All-Star Game since their network took over the NBA free TV broadcast rights.

In contrast, the last PBA All-Star Weekend held last year drew a very sparse crowd at the Araneta Coliseum simply because the league had little time to bring the event out-of-town, which was the normal practice since the time of former Commissioner Noli Eala in 2004.

If I remember right, when I was still back in Manila, the PBA opened its All-Star Weekend in Palawan for free in 2015 and it drew a big crowd, thanks to former PBA board member JB Baylon who was the main organizer of the event,

I think the PBA should exert more effort to invite bigger names in showbiz and entertainment to grace future All-Star events. The problem lies in the games being covered on TV5 and rival networks like ABS-CBN and GMA don't normally allow their contract stars to perform at PBA events except when they are muses.

It is also no secret that ABS-CBN tried to bid for the PBA TV rights many times before but failed so it is not surprising not to see Kapamilya stars at the PBA games.

And the PBA should stop making its All-Stars do a dance-off before the game starts. The NBA players don't do that.

I heard that the PBA All-Star Game will be divided into a mini-tournament of sorts where the All-Stars will be formed into four teams, one representing a certain province, instead of the normal North-South format which has been overused, to be honest,

In line with what I just said, the PBA should hire a more competent marketing director to replace Rhose Montreal after the latter left under controversial circumstances. Whoever takes over should have more radical ideas to improve the All-Star Game.

Maybe by next year, someone who can sing and play the piano like Gary Valenciano can do a live piano rendition of Lupang Hinirang before the All-Star Game begins.