Charlotte, N.C. was the host of the NBA All Star festivities Feb. 15 – 17 and it did not disappoint basketball fans around the world. On Feb. 15, the Mountain Dew Ice Rising Stars game took place. The two teams facing off, Team USA and Team World, were composed of the best young players in the league representing their countries. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma propelled Team USA to a 161-144 victory. He took home the MVP honors with 35 points. Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons led the way for Team World with 28 points and six assists.
Three events took place Feb. 16. The Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. In the three-point contest there were seven head-to-head matchups that involved a dribbling course, half court pass through a circular cylinder and a three point shot to determine who advanced. The final round was the most exciting of them all as the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum banked in a running 3-pointer to defeat the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young. The Three-Point contest came down to the wire as Brooklyn Net Joe Harris faced off against Golden State Warriors sharp shooter Stephen Curry. In a surprising upset, Harris made every ball on his final rack to defeat the hometown native Curry. The final event of the night, the Slam Dunk Contest, could have been considered lackluster to some. There were a lot of missed dunk attempts and the eventual winner, Oklahoma City Thunder Hamidou Diallo, defeated Dennis Smith Jr. of the New York Knicks. Diallo’s dunk over NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal stole the show.
Feb. 17 featured the final experience of All-Star weekend, the 68th NBA All-Star Game. Team Lebron defeated Team Giannis 178-164 in an offensive showcase. All-Star MVP Kevin Durant led Team Lebron with 31 points and nine other members scored in double-figures. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks lead Team Giannis with 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. It was a back and forth game until the end of the fourth quarter when Durant exploded for 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting to close out the game.
With All-Star festivities now over, the second half of the NBA season will start up on Thursday, Feb. 21 with 12 teams in action.
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