The 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend is quickly approaching, and excitement is building up! Welcome to All-Star 101, your guide to all the cool events scheduled for the weekend. What’s in store for you!?
What is All-Star Weekend?
It is an annual event which showcases the best of what the NBA has to offer, packed with fun-to-watch basketball events and performances. The weekend culminates on Sunday with the action-packed All-Star Game, in which the top performers in the league are selected to play in.
When and where will it be held in 2018?
The 67th NBA All-Star Weekend takes place between 16th-18th February 2018 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. This is the 6th time the annual event will be taking place in Hollywood, and it’s always a glamorous affair.
What is in store for All-Star Friday?
Things will kick off with the All-Star Celebrity Game which takes place on Friday and features NBA legends, WNBA players, actors, musicians, athletes from different sports and other famous personalities. Always a fun start to the weekend, the game often has surprises that fans should be on the lookout for.
While the celebrity game gets things going, the Rising Stars Challenge, played between rookies (1st NBA season) and sophomores (2nd NBA season), is a glimpse at the NBA’s future. Divided into Team USA and Team World based on nationalities, it gives young guns like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Kyle Kuzma and the high-flying duo of Dennis Smith Jr. and Donovan Mitchell a chance to participate in the All-Star Weekend.
What’s all the buzz about All-Star Saturday?
It is perhaps the most exciting day of the weekend, since the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest are scheduled for Saturday. The three events have a rich history of marquee names participating, especially the three-point and dunk contests.
The Skills Challenge tests players’ passing, dribbling and shooting ability in a one-on-one knockout format. The final showdown features a guard pitted against a big. Surprisingly, the bigs have come out on top the last two times, with New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis competing as the defending champion.
The Three-Point contest is the best shooting exhibition on the planet, with eight of the very best shooters from the league vying for the title. Legends like Larry Bird, Peja Stojaković, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce have won the title, topping many other stars who also competed in the shoot-out. Witnessing Klay Thompson and Paul George drain three after three will surely leave you gasping in awe.
The Slam Dunk contest is the most anticipated event of Saturday, and rightfully so. Four of the league’s best dunkers are invited to showcase their high-flying ability. They can use props, other players, flashy entrances – the possibilities are endless. Expect to see gravity-defying dunks made more exciting with combinations like between the legs, 360s and windmills. It’s an exhibition of super-athletic ability and physical prowess guaranteed to blow your mind. The dunk contest has been won by legends like Julius Irving, Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan, with their dunks immortalized forever.
All-Star Saturday simply cannot be missed.
Why should you tune in on Sunday?
The marquee event of the weekend, the All-Star Game, takes place on Sunday. Fans tune in from around the world to see All-Stars in action against each other.
All-Star starters are selected via fan and player voting, and head coaches of all teams pick the reserves. It’s an offense-oriented game filled with highlight reel plays. Former players, Hall of Famers, celebrities and sports personalities all show up to watch. At the end of the game, one player is named the All-Star Game MVP. Kobe Bryant and Bob Pettit lead the pack with 4 All-Star MVPs each. Anthony Davis won MVP in 2017 after scoring an All-Star Game-record 44 points!
What’s new in 2018?
Teams will not be based on conferences this year, hence, there will be no East and West teams. Instead, the leading vote-getter from each conference is appointed captain, and he can choose from the pool of players available to form his team. The move is expected to give the All-Star Game a different edge and foster more competitive basketball. The captains for 2018 are LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Their team rosters are below.
Is there more to the weekend than just basketball?
All-Star is not just for basketball fans, it has something for everyone. It showcases lifestyle, fashion, music, performances; all of which revolve around basketball. In recent years, there have been half-time performances during the All-Star Game by Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West and Sting. That is a talented bunch! The evergreen Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D. will be performing at half-time in 2018.
All-Star player introductions are quite the spectacle. Shaquille O’Neal dancing with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 All-Star Game for his introduction was an instant classic. These are just tidbits of what you might see; the entertainment value of the weekend has no ceiling.
Now that we’ve got you informed, make sure to tune into the events for a thrilling weekend of high-flying dunks, deep threes and a whole lot of fun!
