The NBA All-Star Game is an annual exhibition game where the top players from across the league, selected by fans and coaches, compete in a friendly but competitive matchup. It would typically feature two teams, the Eastern and Western Conferences. The event is part of the All-Star Weekend, which includes festivities such as the Dunk Contest, the 3-Point Contest, and the Skills Challenge. The All-Star Game is supposed to showcase the best talent in the league.
This year, however, the NBA has decided to change the entire format of the game. Instead of making two teams and having them play one 48-minute game, it consisted of three teams, plus Team C (the winners of Friday’s Rising Star Challenge) in a four-team mini-tournament. The three All-Star teams were drafted and coached by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith. These men are commentators on the TNT network as well as former NBA players, giving them good qualifications to coach a team.
| Chuck’s Global Stars* | Shaq’s OGs* | Kenny’s Young Stars* |
| Nikola Jokic | Lebron James (inj) | Anthony Edwards |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephen Curry | Jalen Brunson |
| Victor Wembanyama | Jayson Tatum | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
| Pascal Siakam | Kevin Durant | Jalen Williams |
| Alperen Sengun | Damian Lillard | Darius Garland |
| Karl Anthony-Towns | James Harden | Evan Mobley |
| Donovan Mitchell | Jaylen Brown | Cade Cunningham |
| Trae Young | Kyrie Irving | Tyler Herro |
| Giannis Antetokoumpo (inj) | Anthony Davis (inj) | Inj = Injured/ Will not play |
*Candace’s Rising Stars roster consisted of Stephon Castle, Ryan Dunn, Zach Edey, Keyonte George, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Dalton Knecht, and Jaylen Wells
The games were held on February 16, at the Chase Center in San Fransisco, California. The schedule of games was Kenny’s Young Stars vs. Chuck’s Global Stars (8:20 p.m. ET), Shaq’s OGs vs. Candace’s Rising Stars (9 p.m. ET), and Championship Game (9:45 p.m. ET). The first game resulted in a win from Chucks Global Stars, the next was a win from Shaqs OGs, and the championship game was won by Shaqs OGs, with Stephen Curry winning MVP.
My Opinions:
Truthfully, I am back and forth with how I feel about this All-Star weekend. I did enjoy seeing all the celebrities come out and support the NBA, as well as the upcoming stars of the league getting good publicity. But I have to admit, I wasn’t very happy to see them change so much. For as long as I can remember, the format has been two teams, East and West, and they would play only one game. Growing up I loved getting to see the best players from across the country come together and compete. But this year people get lazy. No one wants to play defense and they focus on commercials and advertising too much. A lot of players that deserved to be there didn’t get a chance, and some of the players that got voted were injured anyway. I just believe that the All-Star weekend isn’t what it used to be. I am disappointed in the way it went, and I fear that things will never be as fun and competitive as in previous years.
