Rudy Golbert broke down at not having been picked as a 2019 All-Star. Karl-Anthony Towns is said to have sat down on the floor in tears after being overwhelmed at his name being picked.
For the rest of the world, the All-Star weekend seems like an occasion for players to have fun and show off at an exhibition game. But for the players, the All-Star weekend is a big deal.
It's a weekend heavy with the euphoria of slow-motion dunks, blockbuster match-ups and stardust.
It's an occasion where the magic happens.
It's where Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, the current President for Basketball Operations for the LA Lakers, came out of retirement for just one game to blow away the East with a 25-point, nine-assist performance. It was an emotional moment for the fans, and the player himself, because Johnson had prematurely retired just before the season began after announcing that he had contracted HIV.
On this day in 1992, Magic Johnson returned. Iconic performance.
- Retired three months earlier (HIV)
- Voted into All-Star starting lineup
- Thought it'd be his last game ever
- Dropped 25 PTS and 9 AST
- Battled MJ and Isiah
- MVP pic.twitter.com/cc8pn5taK1— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2019
It's where Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal reconciled their seasons-long differences in 2009. The duo shared three NBA Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 as part of the LA Lakers, but they often feuded eventually leading to them falling out.
However, at the 2009 All-Star Game, Bryant and Shaq were both jointly declared as MVPs. Bryant graciously told Shaq to take the MVP trophy home for his son.
Former Laker teammates Kobe and Shaq re-united at the 2009 All-Star Game. They both left the game as Co-MVP's. pic.twitter.com/hNJkgr2fft
— NBAIndia (@NBAIndia) September 4, 2016
"You told me to take the trophy home," O'Neal tells Bryant in a video which aired before last year's All-Star game. "I took it home and gave it to my son Shareef. I realized then that I may have messed something up.
He continued: "I was an a*****e to this guy (Bryant), so I owe you an apology. I'm going to give you an apology... Thank you for that moment because Shareef loved that moment. He loves you for that and I love you for that moment."
For the fans, the All-Star weekend is an opportunity to watch players on the same team that will not be possible in real-life NBA.
There are also moments with the ability to go viral, like this dance-off between Shaq and LeBron James:
Who won this dance battle from #NBAAllStar 2007... LeBron, Dwight, or SHAQ?! pic.twitter.com/yaj41zbyZO
— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) February 9, 2019
Team LeBron vs Team Giannis
The centrepiece of the All-Star weekend is often the All-Star Game itself, which pits the talents of the best players in the league against each other.
Players who get to play in this game are selected on the basis of a combination of votes from fans (who could have voted through the NBA.com website, the NBA app, Google.com or Google Assistant), media and players themselves. While fans' votes were given 50 percent weightage for getting a player a starter role in an All-Star Game, players' and media's votes get 25 percent weightage each.
This year, by courtesy of having polled the most votes, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were elected as the team leaders.
The draft for the All-Star team — which was broadcast for the first time ever — was more entertaining than anyone could have imagined.
Eventually, here's who the two captains picked:
We’re ONE WEEK AWAY from the 2019 #NBAAllStar Game in Charlotte, North Carolina! pic.twitter.com/7LE98JRvYv
— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) February 11, 2019
And here's how the teams were picked:
Relive the first-ever #NBAAllStarDraft with #LeBronJames and #GiannisAntetokounmpo from Thursday! #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/LCJXPjuWqy
— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) February 8, 2019
Team LeBron
Team LeBron was the side that set tongues wagging because the Lakers superstar picked many stars who would be free agents in the upcoming free agency. Here's a look at what you can expect from the side:
The Best of #TeamLeBron This Season! #NBAAllStar 2019
8:00pm/et February 17th@NBAonTNT https://t.co/7n2bbOen3a— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) February 8, 2019
Team Giannis
Despite the presence of Steph Curry, Giannis' team seems to lack the same star power as that of Team LeBron. Giannis admitted that his emphasis was on picking players who are his friends. Here's what you can expect from Team Giannis:
The Best of #TeamGiannis This Season! #NBAAllStar 2019
8:00pm/et February 17th@NBAonTNT https://t.co/ArNxGHeXPI— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) February 8, 2019
There are other events on the weekend as well:
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
On Friday, the NBA universe will warm up to the All-Star weekend with the Celebrity Game, where some former players mix it up with celebrities from all walks of life. This year's game will see celebrities like Chris Daughtry, actor Mike Colter (of Luke Cage fame), and Hasan Minhaj take the court along with athletes like Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen, A'ja Wilson (2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year), and Stefanie Dolson (WNBA’s Chicago Sky center).
Rising Stars
Friday will also see a match-up of future NBA stars, divided into Team USA and Team World. Expect this to be a power-packed contest with the likes of Dallas Maverick rookie Luka Doncic, Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons and Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell taking the court. Here are the two teams:
Team USA: Jarrett Allen, Marvin Bagley III, Lonzo Ball (injured), John Collins, De'Aaron Fox, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kevin Knox, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum.
Team World: OG Anunoby, Deandre Ayton, Bogdan Bogdanović, Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rodions Kurucs, Lauri Markkanen, Josh Okogie, Cedi Osman, Ben Simmons
Skills Challenge
The Skills Challenge was first included in the All-Star weekend in 2003. This year, eight players ― both veterans and rookies ― will go head-to-head through an obstacle course for the title.
The players have to navigate an obstacle course which requires them to dribble, pass, and shooting. The course will test their agility.
This year's contestants are:
Luka Dončić - Dallas Mavericks
Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics
Kyle Kuzma - LA Lakers
De’Aaron Fox - Sacramento Kings
Nikola Jokić - Denver Nuggets
Nikola Vučević - Orlando Magic
Trae Young - Atlanta Hawks
Mike Conley - Memphis Grizzlies
Three-point contest
The three-point contest has been included in the NBA All-Star weekend since 1986. The legendary Boston Celtics player Larry Bird won the first three editions, while in recent years Steph Curry (2015), Klay Thompson (2016) and Kyrie Irving (2013) have won the event.
The objective is to shoot as many three-pointers as possible from the three-point line, moving between stations in the timespan of a minute.
Here's this year's 10-man field:
Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
Seth Curry - Portland Trail Blazers
Khris Middleton - Milwaukee Bucks
Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
Kemba Walker - Charlotte Hornets
Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns
Danny Green - Toronto Raptors
Joe Harris - Brooklyn Nets
Buddy Hield - Sacramento Kings
Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
Slam Dunk contest
This one's one of the showpiece events of the weekend. This is why:
Three years ago today, arguably the greatest dunk contest ever.
Thank you @Double0AG and @ZachLaVine https://t.co/DbCzyt2JTZ pic.twitter.com/WrAxIq30Pm
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) February 13, 2019
Each of the four competitors will get two dunks in the first round, scored from six to 10. The top two scorers then advance to the final..
This year, the Dunk Contest will be contested by:
Dennis Smith Jr - New York Knicks
Miles Bridges - Charlotte Hornets
Hamidou Diallo - Oklahoma City Thunder
John Collins - Atlanta Hawks
Updated Date: Feb 15, 2019 15:02:18 IST
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