NBA All Star Weekend

By: BHS Sports Staff

February 23, 2023

Taking place in Salt Lake City Utah, expectations were high for this year’s NBA All Star Weekend.

Starting off the All Star festivities was the Ruffles Celebrity Game. The Celebrity Game rosters included the Miz (WWE superstar), Calvin Johnson (former NFL player), Albert Pujols (MLB player), Jesser (content creator), DK Metcalf (NFL star), 21 Savage (rapper), and many more.

DK Metcalf was the star of this celebrity game with multiple explosive dunks and leading Team Dwayne with 20 points and 10 rebounds. There were also good laughs out of this game when Richard Jefferson played and also refereed. Another comical moment was when Guillermo Rodriguez (ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live Correspondent) took his best shot of the night, which resulted in a Wedgie.

With a couple seconds left, Team Dwayne was up 81-78, but the Miz sank a half-court shot to tie the game, but it was quickly waved off and did not count.

Right after that came the Jordan Rising Stars contest with these four teams: Team Pau, Team Joakim, Team Deron, and Team Jason.

In the first round, Team Pau got an easy victory against Team Deron, and Team Joakim got the victory against Team Jason. Team Pau kept their momentum going in the finale against Team Joakim led by Jose Alvarado, who hit the game winning three-pointer. Because of Alvarado’s amazing performance, he won the Rising Stars MVP Award. 

The first event of the NBA All Star Saturday was the Kia Skills Challenge. The teams for this year were Team Jazz consisting of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler; Team Antetokounmpo with Thanasis, Alex, and Jrue Holiday; and finally Team Rooks featuring Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, and Jaden Ivey. The Antetokumpos could not manage to win a single game, ending in last place with zero points.The Rooks were only up by one game, and Team Jazz (the home team) took first place with 400 points.

Going into the second round, the elite three-point shooters were left. Portland Trailblazer star Damian Lillard took care of business as he had a rhythm with every shot. He put up and ended with 26 made baskets, beating out Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers. With all the pressure on Tyrese Haliburton, he was up next and he could not find his rhythm, and Damian Lillard won the three-point contest.

Next was the 2023 NBA Dunk contest. The dunk contest roster was Trey Murphy III (Pelicans), Kenyon Martin Junior (Rockets), Jericho Sims (Knicks), and Mac McClung (76ers). The contest started off with Murphy III who got his ball stolen by teammate Jose Alvarado, who then threw him an alley-oop off the glass to complete a 360-dunk. Next was Sims who completed a self alley-oop off the glass and dunked it with half of his arm in the hoop. Martin was next and received an alley-oop off of the side of the glass with a reverse dunk. Then McClung, who jumped over two people, did a reverse dunk to finish the first round in major fashion. 

In the second round, it was Martin’s turn, and he did a double-clutch, reverse dunk. Murphy III was up next and did a fake, two-handed, reverse dunk, which was pretty cool. Sims followed this up with practically the same dunk, but this time, he grabbed a paper net with the numbers “50” for his score. McClung finished the second round with a 360-reverse, moving the ball up then down. It is no wonder why he received some high numbers from the judges because he was quickly becoming a crowd-favorite.

Murphy III started off the third round with a between the legs alley-oop followed by a windmill. McClung was up next, and he jumped over someone, double-clutched, and reverse dunked. The crowd went absolutely crazy! Murphy III then went again and did a 360-reverse windmill, getting the crowd on their feet. It was McClung’s turn again, and he decided to throw on his high school jersey for his last dunk. He did a 450-reverse dunk, and the crowd could not handle it anymore. They went crazy, and everybody was on their feet for this once-in-a-lifetime dunk. Even the announcers said, “It’s over!” After his dunk, the winner was decided, and it undisputedly went to the 76ers’ very own, Mac McClung. 

Finally, what we have all been waiting for, the All Star game. However, instead of drafting a few days before the game, the NBA decided to go playground basketball style and draft right before the game. It was Team Giannis versus Team Lebron this year, and the Greek Freak came prepared with an entire book of notes, while James just had a piece of paper. Here were the results of the draft: Team Lebron had some great picks, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic paired together, along with Kyrie Irving. Team Giannis also got who he wanted, having three-point winner Damian Lillard and his teammate on the Bucks, Jrue Holiday. He also got our very own Cleveland Cavalier Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum.

After a great performance from Post Malone and 21 Savage, the 2023 All Star Game started. “Head Coach” Giannis Antetekumpo got an early dunk to start off but quickly fouled Doncic to go to the bench, as his wrist was injured, and he did not want to risk further injury. 

The first quarter was back-and-forth with some highlight plays from James and Tatum. The opening period ended in a tie, which meant each team received $50,000 to their charities. 

However, the second quarter was different, as Team Giannis took charge of the game, easily cruising by Team Lebron for a second quarter win. 

Throughout the entire first half, there was little-to-no defense played, allowing for high scoring from both teams, with Team Giannis leading 99-92 at the half. 

The halftime performance showed famous Nigerian artists including Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema doing an Afrobeats-themed crowd-pleaser.

After a stunning halftime performance, the all stars were ready to finish the game, and Tatum, especially, was electric, scoring 27 points in the third quarter, breaking the All Star record. Team Giannis went on to easily earn $100,000 dollars towards their charities. The third quarter was also filled with highlight plays but still little defense. 

The fourth quarter is where Team Giannis closed out the game, but Team Lebron had one last run in them. The first team to score 182 points was the winner, and by the time Team Giannis was three points away, Mitchell and Tatum tried lobbing halfcourt shots, but it was a three-pointer dagger by Lillard who ended the game. 

The All Star game ended with Tatum being the MVP, shattering the record with 55 points. Other great performances were from Mitchell, who had 40 points, and Boston Celtic Jaylen Brown, who dropped 35.

This was a great All Star weekend from Salt Lake City, Utah. 

(For up-to-date events and schedules, visit Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics.)