After a whirlwind 48 hours of NBA All-Star weekend within the Bay Space, we’ve got arrived on the primary occasion: Sunday’s All-Star Sport event.
The league, after a number of tweaks to the sport’s format lately, has landed on a brand new setup. 4 groups of eight gamers every will compete Sunday evening for the All-Star crown.
Charles Barkley’s “Global Stars” will face Kenny Smith’s “Young Stars” within the evening’s first sport, set to tip at 5:20 p.m. Then Shaquille O’Neal’s “OGs” will play Candace Parker’s “Rising Stars” — the profitable workforce from Friday’s Rising Stars sport.
The winners of these two semifinal video games will compete within the title sport. All video games will likely be performed to 40 factors, protecting issues transferring and avoiding the 200-point scorelines we’ve got seen in latest All-Star Video games.
Stephen Curry is on O’Neal’s workforce alongside former Warriors teammate Kevin Durant (now with the Suns), longtime postseason foe LeBron James (Lakers) and Cal product Jaylen Brown (Celtics). James introduced Sunday in a pregame press convention that the would miss the occasion with ankle and foot discomfort.
Barkley’s international workforce options reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), 2025 MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and sophomore sensation Victor Wembanyama (Spurs). Smith’s roster contains former Santa Clara star Jalen Williams (Thunder), all-world athlete Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) and offensive dynamo Jalen Brunson (Knicks).
GIANNIS BACKS FORMAT TWISTS
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably not critical about making a return to the NBA’s dunk contest a yr after his one and solely look, however he’s positively in favor of a one-on-one competitors, in addition to a sport pitting all-stars from america towards worldwide colleagues.
“If I had the chance to play one one-on-one with anybody, I’d do it,” Antetokounmpo mentioned two hours earlier than Sunday’s tipoff. “Anything to make the weekend more exciting.”
Properly, virtually something. Amid Saturday evening’s Dunk Contest, Antetokounmpo volunteered to hitch Ja Morant in subsequent yr’s occasion, however a day later, Antetokounmpo claimed his social-media account was “hacked” by his youngsters whereas he slept; his oldest son is 5.
Antetokounmpo mentioned he’d be up for a one-on-one competitors “if healthy,” and praised that format’s potential to pit really good gamers who can play each offense and protection. As for a U.S.-vs.-The World format, “I’d love that. It would be the most interesting and entertaining format. It would give me extra juice.”
Initially Revealed: February 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM PST
