Inside the Ruffles Celebrity All-Star Game at the Forum

The ghosts still live in the rafters of the Forum.You can feel them the moment you walk through those circular corridors in Inglewood — the echoes of Magic’s no-look passes, Kareem’s skyhook carving air like a sculptor’s blade, the bass line of the Showtime Lakers pulsing through a building that once felt like the center of the basketball universe.With most of NBA All-Star Weekend migrating down the street to the glistening new Intuit Dome, it felt right — almost rebellious — that the Ruffles Celebrity All-Star Game planted its flag back inside the old cathedral: the Fabulous Forum.Before a single ball was tipped, the afternoon delivered its most authentic moment.

Former NBA forward Richard Jefferson strolled his kids through the legendary Forum Club entrance, where Lakers icon James Worthy greeted them like a velvet-rope guardian of basketball history.Worthy playfully demanded a password before letting them in, smiling as he reminisced about the good old days.

It was nostalgia with a wink — a reminder that this building once demanded excellence.Then the game started.And excellence quietly slipped out the side door.Let’s call it what it was: a glorified YMCA pick-up game with better lighting and worse defense.I’ve had runs at 24-hour fitness with more urgency and effort.

The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game has always been an exhibition, but this version often felt like an influencer’s content shoot masquerading as competition.There were more air balls than baskets made.

Strange gimmicky bonuses floated through each quarter like carnival prizes.NBA Mascots playing defense? Eight-point shots? Sure.

Why not.When Chinese actor-singer Dylan Wang received the loudest ovation of all during the roster introductions — you understood immediately what Friday afternoon was really about: spectacle over substance.There were moments worth the price of admission.

Watching Victor Wembanyama conduct the opening tip while looking up — actually looking...