Basketball’s biggest stars gathered in Southern California as the NBA celebrated its 75th annual All-Star Weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., from Feb. 13-15.
The event began on Friday, Feb. 13, with the All-Star Celebrity game. Team Giannis beat Team Anthony 65-58, coached by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and actor Anthony Anderson, respectively.
Actor Rome Flynn earned MVP honors. Notable participants included screenwriter and actor Keegan-Michael Key, music producer Mustard and actor Simu Liu.
“The Celebrity Game MVP performance by Rome Flynn was [one of] the most memorable [moments],” said sophomore Kevin Lew. “I feel like he’s not really known, so seeing a lower-tier celebrity was pretty cool. It kind of put him on everyone’s radar.”
Following the celebrity game, the Rising Stars Challenge saw Team Vince, coached by NBA legend Vince Carter, emerge victorious in a 25-24 nail-biter against Team Melo, coached by former NBA forward Carmelo Anthony, in the final. Philadelphia 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe secured MVP honors after scoring 17 points in the semifinal and hitting game-winning free throws in the final.
“[The Rising Stars] was a pretty exciting game,” said junior Nathan Samson. “Getting to see the rookies and the younger players be competitive and actually play with each other was really entertaining.”
Saturday featured three events. Team Knicks, led by star guard Jalen Brunson, star center Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston, won the Shooting Stars Challenge. In the Three-Point Contest, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who has not played this year due to a torn Achilles, beat Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker 29-27, according to USA Today.
The night concluded with the Slam Dunk Contest, featuring high-flyers like Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, Orlando Magic rookie Jase Richardson and Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson. Johnson topped Bryant in the final, with an average dunk score of 48.7 to 46.5.
On Sunday, the NBA debuted a new three-team, round-robin tournament for the All-Star Game: Team USA Stars, Team Stripes and Team World. Team USA Stars, led by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, faced the veteran-heavy Team Stripes, which included Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Meanwhile, Team World competed against Team Stripes in games two and three, led by international superstars like Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
In the championship, Team USA Stars cruised to a 47-21 victory over Team Stripes. Edwards tallied 32 points across the entire tournament, earning the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award.
“What really gives value to the All-Star Weekend is the amount of effort and dedication the players put into it,” Samson said. “Having multiple games rather than just one big one brings more excitement, and [it brought in a lot more effort].”
