The NBA is hosting its annual All-Star weekend in the Bay Area including places like the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Oakland Arena this weekend.
The yearly event is three days long lasting from Friday to Sunday with competitions that showcase the skills of NBA players, who are usually voted in by fans and ultimately leads up to the NBA All-Star Game.
While the game is known for its East versus West matchups, the NBA is doing a new format this year.
According to a webpage from the NBA, the all-star game will have a mini-tournament with four teams and three separate games.
There will be two separate semifinal matchups and a final game between the winners of each matchup. The first team to get to 40 or more points will win the final matchup, according to the same source.
Even though the matchup isn’t East versus West this year, the teams are a mix of 12 Eastern Conference players and 12 Western Conference players who were voted from a pool consisting of 50% fans, 25% current NBA players and 25% from a media panel according to an NBA webpage.
The 12 players were divided into five starters and seven reserves, in a Jan. 25 NBA news release webpage, the NBA.
The starters for the Eastern Conference include New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Because Antetokounmpo is injured with a left calf strain, the NBA announced on Monday saying that Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young will be his replacement, according to the league webpage.
For the Western Conference, the voters decided on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
In a Feb. 4 article, the NBA released the reserves for each conference with a few of the players selected being first-time all-stars.
The first-time all-stars for the Eastern Conference include Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro and Cavs forward Evan Mobley.
The remaining reserves for the East are Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, Cavs point guard Darius Garland, Bucks point guard Damian Lillard and Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam.
In the Western Conference, the first-time all-stars are Houston Rockets big man Alperen Şengün, OKC forward Jalen Williams, and San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Other reserves that were voted in for the West are Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Los Angeles Clippers combo guard James Harden, Memphis Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr., and the recently traded Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis.
Last Thursday, the players were drafted by former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith each will be a manager of an all-star team, according to an NBA article.
The fourth team in the all-star game, which will be managed by former WNBA player Candace Parker, will be the winner of the Castrol Rising Stars game which is a game played by NBA rookies and sophomores, according to the same source.
The players drafted by O’Neal are James, Durant, Curry, Davis, Tatum, Lillard, Harden, and Brown.
Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving will replace his teammate Davis due to an adductor injury he suffered on Saturday’s game against the Rockets, according to an ESPN article.
Barkley drafted Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, Siakam, Şengün, Towns, Mitchell, and Young.
While Smith drafted Edwards, Brunson, Jackson, Williams, Garland, Mobley, Cunningham, and Herro.
Some other events that will be featured throughout the weekend include the KIA Skills Challenge, The Starry 3-Point Contest, and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
An NBA article released the teams for the KIA Skills Challenge which include Team Cavs with Mitchell and Mobley, Team Rooks with Hawks swingman Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr, Team Spurs with Wembanyama and point guard Chris Paul, and Team Warriors with forward Draymond Green and swingman Moses Moody.
The league also announced the participants in the 3-Point Contest in another article. Most of the participants are also playing in the All-Star Game including Brunson, Cunningham, Lillard, Garland, and Herro.
The rest of the contestants are Warriors shooting guard Buddy Hield, Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson, and Clippers swingman Norman Powell.
Players that are competing in the Dunk Contest were also announced in an article from the NBA. The players listed are Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. and the defending champ from the Osceola Magic, which is the Orlando Magic G-League affiliate, point guard Mac McClung.
According to an article from the NBA, the weekend will kickoff with the Celebrity All-Star Game this Friday followed by the Castrol Rising Stars challenge on the same night.
