Imago
Dec 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shown on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Imago
Dec 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shown on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Who thought that fans would get the WrestleMania experience before the All-Star Weekend? The scene on the streets of Los Angeles was extremely chaotic, leading to frustrated souls, to say the least. As the star-studded Foot Locker Takeover activation kicked off at L.A. Live Courtyard, including a high-profile visit from Adidas athlete Anthony Edwards, social media was instead flooded with brawl videos from the venue.
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Hundreds of fans had gathered outside the gate in a stampede-like situation. Several sneakerheads were already on the ground, while the rest tried to kick and push their way in. With the security personnel visibly struggling, you’d think the situation would’ve improved over time with people calming down. However, further videos showed two fans fighting in the middle of the lane, throwing punches at each other, while people either watched or recorded the fight.
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The Foot Locker Takeover event featured sneaker brands like Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Puma, Crocs, and Converse, with NBA stars in attendance. One of the biggest hoopsters to make an early appearance was Anthony Edwards.
Deandre Ayton, LaMelo Ball, and Mac McClung also showed up. Famous internet personalities like Cam Wilder and Cash Nasty were set to appear. However, the chaotic scene from the L.A. Live Courtyard overshadowed the Minnesota Timberwolves star and his peers’ visits.
However, in stark contrast to the crowded scene outside, things looked comparatively gloomy inside the Intuit Dome.
Despite the NBA doing its best, the reality of NBA All-Star Weekend doesn’t look encouraging
If you were one of the few people watching the Rising Stars Game live on television, you would’ve seen that the courtside seats right behind the benches and two baskets were filled to their capacity. However, unlike NBA games, when the cameras try to capture the emotions of fans from the nosebleeds to courtside, today looked different. This time, the broadcast focused only on the courtside seats. And those who made it to the arena also booed the contests.
Intuit Dome has a capacity of 18,000, but the scene from the Rising Stars game was bewildering. A fan revealed that 95% of the seats were vacant. Another observer claimed that about 4,000 to 8,000 people attended the event. Many blamed the high ticket prices. However, that doesn’t seem to be true.
According to The New York Post, the price of the All-Star Game tickets started from $1,200. However, the ticket prices for other events were much lower. On StubHub, the Celebrity Game tickets started at $81, and the Rising Stars Game tickets averaged a little over $110.
The empty seats are a big issue for Adam Silver and the league. However, they’d hope it changes in the next two days, especially on Sunday night. The whole point of bringing back a rendition of the USA vs. World format was to attract more eyeballs and evoke some nostalgia.