The NBA announced today that Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will
participate in the 2019 Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 16 at
Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 17th Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge is part of State Farm(r) All-Star
Saturday Night, which also features the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest and AT&T Slam
Dunk. All-Star Saturday Night will air on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United
States at 7 p.m. CT. NBA All-Star 2019 will reach fans in more than 200
countries and territories in more than 40 languages on their televisions,
computers, mobile phones and tablets.
The eight-player field for the Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge also features Luka
Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, Nikola
Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jayson Tatum
of the Boston Celtics, Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic and Trae Young of the
Atlanta Hawks. Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets is unable to defend his
2018 title due to injury.
The Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge is a three-round, obstacle-course competition
that tests dribbling, passing, agility and three-point-shooting skills. The
event showcases a head-to-head, bracket-style tournament format. First-round
matchups will be determined at a later date.
Here is a closer look at the 2019 Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge participants:
* Mike Conley, Grizzlies: Conley (20.3 ppg, 6.3 apg) is averaging at least 20.0
points and 6.0 assists for the second time in the last three seasons. He is a
two-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award.
* De’Aaron Fox, Kings: One of the NBA’s fastest players, Fox is averaging 17.5
points and a team-high 7.2 assists (ninth in the NBA) – up from 11.6 points and
4.4 assists as a rookie last season. He has already made more three-pointers
this season (56) than he did in his entire first season (47).* Luka Doncic,
Mavericks: The Slovenian guard-forward (20.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.4 apg) has won all
three Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season. The
only rookie to reach Doncic’s current averages in points, rebounds and assists
for a full season is Oscar Robertson in 1960-61.
* Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: The 7-foot center from Serbia leads Denver with
averages of 20.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists (sixth in the NBA). He
ranks second in the NBA in triple-doubles with nine.
* Kyle Kuzma, Lakers: Kuzma (18.8 ppg) is the third-leading scorer among
second-year NBA players and paces the Lakers in three-pointers made with 91. He
was a 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.
* Jayson Tatum, Celtics: Tatum is Boston’s No. 2 scorer (16.1 ppg) and rebounder
(6.2 rpg). The 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection has shot 40.4 percent
from three-point range over two seasons.
* Nikola Vucevic, Magic: A first-time All-Star in his eighth season, Vucevic is
averaging career highs of 20.7 points, 12.0 rebounds (10th in the NBA) and 3.8
assists. The 7-foot Montenegrin center is shooting a career-high 37.8 percent
from three-point range.
* Trae Young, Hawks: The Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for
October/November and January leads all first-year NBA players in assists (7.4
apg) and ranks second in scoring (16.8 ppg). He is averaging 24.0 points and 8.5
assists in his last six games.
2019 Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge Rules
Two players compete simultaneously on identical courses and the fastest finisher
reaches the next round. In the first round, the eight players are paired to
participate in four head-to-head competitions. The four winners advance to the
second round, where two more head-to-head showdowns determine the two finalists.
Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.
Below is the roster for the 2019 Taco Bell(r) Skills Challenge and a list of
previous winners.
2019 TACO BELL (r) SKILLS CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS
Player
Team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Mike Conley
Memphis Grizzlies
G
6-1
175
Luka Doncic
Dallas Mavericks
G-F
6-7
218
De’Aaron Fox
Sacramento Kings
G
6-3
175
Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets
C
7-0
250
Kyle Kuzma
Los Angeles Lakers
F
6-9
220
Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics
F
6-8
208
Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic
C
7-0
260
Trae Young
Atlanta Hawks
G
6-2
180
TACO BELL (r) SKILLS CHALLENGE WINNERS
2003 – Jason Kidd, New Jersey
2004 – Baron Davis, New Orleans
2005 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2006 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2007 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2008 – Deron Williams, Utah
2009 – Derrick Rose, Chicago
2010 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2011 – Stephen Curry, Golden State
2012 – Tony Parker, San Antonio
2013 – Damian Lillard, Portland
2014 – Trey Burke, Utah and Damian Lillard, Portland
2015 – Patrick Beverley, Houston
2016 – Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota
2017 – Kristaps Porzingis, New York
2018 – Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn
NBA All-Star 2019 in Charlotte, N.C., will bring together the most talented and
passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.
The 68th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Spectrum
Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than
40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 17th consecutive year,
marking Turner Sports’ 34th year of NBA All-Star coverage. Spectrum Center will
also host MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 15 and State Farm All-Star
Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 16. The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented
by Ruffles and NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day will take place at Bojangles’
Coliseum.
Player: Mike Conley
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