The NBA’s All-Star Weekend was one like we have never seen before. A shortened season at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many changes to the weekend’s format. For starters, every activity would be held on the same day, opposed to being split between Saturday and Sunday. With coverage starting at 5 p.m. EST, the League fit the Skills Challenge, three-Point Contest, Dunk Contest, and All-Star Game all into one evening of elite hoops entertainment.
League’s best showcase their talents
Things got underway Sunday with the 19th Taco Bell® Skills Challenge. This competition consisted of only guards and forwards until the insertion of big men in 2016. Since then, bigs have won the last 4 out of 6 competitions, with the latest coming this year. Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers performed flawlessly in the first two rounds, eliminating Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks. Nikola Vucevic came close to matching Sabonis’s perfect efforts in the first two rounds. He made light work of the Blazers’ Robert Covington in the first round. Then, he eliminated Chris Paul of the Suns in route to the final round. In a battle of big men, Sabonis defeated Vucevic in the final round to take home the hardware.
Next came the MTN DEW® three-Point Contest, in which 3-point snipers around the League look to make their case for best shooter – at least for one night. With a shortened structure plus a new shot worth 3 points, things got interesting. The Celtics’ Jalen Brown, Bulls’ Zach Lavine, and Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell were all eliminated in the first round. Brown’s teammate, Jason Tatum, gave himself little chance at valor with 17 points in the final round. Mitchell’s teammate, Mike Conley – in his first three-point contest – put up 27 points in the finals after scoring 28 in the previous round.
This was much needed to give Golden State’s Stephen Curry a run for his money. Curry, widely known as the greatest shooter to ever live, missed his first 4 shots to start the final round. To no surprise, he found his stroke and made every important bucket to stay afloat, including both “Dew Zone” shots. Down 1 on the final shot – a money ball worth 2 points – Curry confidently knocked down the shot to claim his second three-Point Contest crown in 7 tries.
The AT&T Slam Dunk is typically the most anticipated event of All-Star Saturday. However, the event did not draw as much excitement in 2021 as in years prior. Held at halftime of the All-Star game, this year’s competition only consisted of 3 participants – 2 of them rookies. Cassius Stanley of the Pacers put forth a good effort in the first round but would be eliminated. This left the Knicks’ Obi Toppin and Blazers’ Anfernee Simons competing in the finals. Toppin put the ball between his legs while leaping from just inside the free-throw line for his final dunk. Simons answered by jumping so high he could nearly kiss the rim before throwing it down. A close judges’ decision resulted in Simons as the winner.
Three-point contest spill over to All-Star game
After the three-Point Contest, the stars laced up for the annual game of the League’s best. Amidst the pandemic, many players were not excited to have to participate in the event this year. However, the game commenced, and they managed to make good out of their efforts. The 2021 All-Star Game was produced with the agreement that the NBA and NBPA will commit more than $2.5 million in funds and resources toward HBCUs and support and awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 resources.
Taking on the same format as the 2020 All-Star Game, this year’s contest was a little more one-sided. Lebron James received the most votes in the Western Conference for the 3rd consecutive year for another Team Captain selection. Kevin Durant became captain for the first time but did not play due to injury. James played more of the General Manager role, only playing 13 minutes – all of which came in the first half. His team won every quarter and went on a 21-2 run in the second to really set them apart.
Early jitters got the best of both teams; first-time all-star Zion Williamson of the Pelicans missed his first 3 dunk attempts, and James even got hung on a reverse slam of his own. While the dunks started going down after shaking off the rust, this all-star game became more of a three-point display. Damian Lillard of the Blazers and Curry joined forces on Team Lebron to shoot the lights out against Team Durant. The two sharpshooters competed for distance, casually pulling up from beyond half-court. Curry dropped 28 points for the game, while Lillard scored 32 points, including a game-winner from half-court. Both shot 8 for 16 from downtown.
Fresh faces in high places
This year’s all-star game also included many first-time all-stars. Team Durant hosted the majority, suiting up Julius Randle of the Knicks, Williamson, Lavine, and Conley. The only first-timer playing for Team Lebron was Jaylen Brown. Williamson was the only one of the five to start the game. However, Brown put in the most work, dropping 22 points for his team off the bench.
Effortless MVP
Reigning back-to-back league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks led all scorers with 35 points in what seemed like the easiest display of all-star dominance in recent history. Perhaps the most impressive thing to note of this performance was his flawless shooting effort. Giannis shot a perfect 16 of 16 from the field, with all baskets excluding 3 three-pointers scored around the rim. He looked to be well aware of his potential feat, as he would glide down the floor in jovial fashion with each bucket scored on his way to the perfect shooting night. Needless to say, Giannis took home the Kobe Bryant MVP Award.
In their victory, Team Lebron won $300,000 for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
