After a fun basketball filled weekend, this NBA All-Star edition brought lots of memorable moments to our TV screens.
The NBA All-Star Weekend took place between February 14th through the 16th, and had some amazing moments for the league and its players. The three-day event was very big for the Golden State Warriors as they hosted it for the first time since 2000. The Warriors had eight active players participating throughout the weekend.
Steph Curry was a main star on the court as he took home the Kobe Bryant Trophy after becoming the All-Star MVP for the second time, and the first for his All-Star team. During the championship tournament, Curry had 12 points in a 4 for 8 shooting across his two games. A lot of Curry’s attempts were three-pointers and he also had four rebounds, along with an assist and a steal. Curry really showed up and showed out in his home arena on his team "Shaq's OGs", doing his signature "Night Night" celebration as he beat Chuck’s global stars 41-25. The game really gave viewers a look at his range along with plenty of three-pointer shots. The only other time that Curry has won All-Star MVP was back in 2022. Later on, he would also go on to win NBA Finals MVP during the same season.
The weekend didn't just showcase NBA stars, but also gave some online influencers and celebrities a shot at the court in the Ruffles Celebrity Game. The game featured some retired athletes, WNBA players, music artists, and many more. There were numerous familiar faces playing in the game including online creators Kai Cenat and Druski; Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell; music artist Shaboozey and Noah Kahan; pro football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, and the list goes on. Representing the Golden State Warriors was former guard Baron Davis who played on the 2007 "We believe" team. He tallied six points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. He helped his coach Barry Bonds, a former MLB heavyweight, and his team in order to beat Jerry Rice's team, a pro football Hall of Fame receiver, in a final score of 66-55.
The Slam Dunk Contest by AT&T is another one of the traditions occurring at the All-Star event. On February 15th, after a thrilling competition, Mac McClung from the Orlando Magic became the first player in contest history to win three times in a row. McClung showed off his dunking skills by reverse dunking over a KiaK5 which showed no match from the other players. Although rookie from the San Antonio Spurs Stephon Castle made it to the final round, McClung stepped up his game by dunking a pair of basketballs with one being from the rim, as he scored all 50s to secure the win once again. "It kinda feels like a blur," McClung said. "It's something I love doing. That's where my creativity comes in and I genuinely love this contest and I love to dunk." With the victory secured for McClung, that didn't stop others from taking to social media, especially some potential stars being interested in taking on the contest. Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies commented "Mac might make me decide to dunk." Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks replied to Morant's comment declaring "If you do it, I’ll do it with you." More players seem to be interested in the contest which could make the Slam Dunk Contest an exciting event to look forward to in the future.
Last memorable moment from the weekend was a special tribute to a fan-beloved NBA show "Inside the NBA" as Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal said their goodbyes to the weekend and to the show, as the final midseason classic will be on NBC starting next season. From the usual-chemistry and the funny observations, it will be an end to a good long running show along with some of the traditions, including Ernie at the Legends Brunch and Smith's call on the Dunk Contest. While it was an entertaining event without a doubt, the NBA All-Star is still making changes to future weekends in order to improve viewership and make the contests better and better. We will have to keep our eyes open to new changes in the next few years as the All-Star Game keeps drawing new followers and new players.
Edited by Elsa Olano
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