USA NBA stars don't want international All-Star break because 'they'd get their a-- kicked:' Stephen A. Smith

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Both the NBA and NHL were on their respective All-Star breaks this month, but for once, hockey absolutely trampled basketball.

That's because the NHL opted for their new "4 Nations Face-Off," which resulted in the most-watched non-Stanley Cup games since 2019.

Meanwhile, the NBA skills competition was the least-watched ever, and the game itself had the second-fewest viewers of all time.

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Steph Curry and LeBron James react in the second half against France in the men's basketball gold medal game. (Rob Schumacher-USA Tod Sports)

The success of the 4 Nations tournament, which certainly was benefited by politics between the United States and Canada, has led to conversation about whether the NBA could follow suit.

However, Stephen A. Smith said on Friday that American NBA players would not be interested, because they are afraid of the outcome.

"Team USA fears they'd get their a-- kicked by those international players. I’m going to say it on national television: the international players will bust their living behinds. Yes they would," Smith said on "First Take" Friday. "Not just because their skillset is on par with them, but because they care, and they're compelled by their audience from their homelands more so than (the Americans)."

Kevin Durant, #7 of the USA Men's National Team, looks on during the USA Men's National Team practice at Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan on July 25, 2024, in Paris, France.  (Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

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That is quite the take, as the Americans have