By: Gavin Reynolds 

     NBA All-Star Weekend is back, with events like the dunk contest, all-star game, and more. Fans from all over the world tune into All-Star Weekend. All-Star Weekend is a weekend where all the players get to have fun, and the fans get to watch all their favorite players in a friendly competition.       

     For the past couple of years, Adam Silver has changed the formatting for the All-Star game. This year, it was a mini tournament with four teams competing in a total of three games. Two teams faced off in one semifinal, while the other two teams competed in the other semifinal. The objective was to be the first to reach 40 points. According to USA Today, the tournament was set up so that winners of these semifinal matchups advanced to the championship game, promising a thrilling event. All the teams this year were stacked with talent. Each game was close, but only one team came out on top. Shaq’s Ogs won it all in the finals beating Chuck’s Global Stars, 41-25.  

     The Squire asked Eisenhower basketball enthusiast, Liam Hanson a couple of questions about All-Star Weekend. Hanson shared that he believed that Chuck’s Global Stars would win because of the star power between Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The All-Star games were a big win this year, for both fans and NBA players. 

     There were so many fun events to watch, including the KIA Skills Challenge, the Starry Three Point Contest, and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. The KIA Skills Challenge is where 4 teams, Team Cavs, Team Rooks, Team Spurs, and Team Warriors face off in several basketball challenges including an obstacle course. Hanson predicted The Cavs would win because they have the best record in the NBA currently. The Cavs did end up winning the challenge, with a time of one minute in the final round to beat the Warriors. The Starry Three Point Contest is a contest between eight players: Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Buddy Hield, Cameron Johnson, Damian Lillard, and Norman Powell. The players go across the perimeter of the three-point line shooting five shots at each of the five positions, with the first four shots being worth one point and the last shot at each spot worth two. The player with the most points after their shots wins. Hanson predicted Jalen Brunson would come out on top because of his ability to score and his great shooting form from the three. Tyler Herro ended up coming out on top, winning in the final round with a score of 24, beating Darius Garland and Buddy Hield. Finally, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest took place with players Mac McClung, Andre Jackson Jr., Matas Buzelis, and Stephon Castle. In this contest, each player goes up and attempts the best dunks they can do while the four judges rate each dunk out of 50 points. Hanson believed Mac McClung would come out on top because he has won two years in a row and is one of the best dunkers we will ever see. Hanson was right, as McClung ended up winning the dunk contest, making him the winner for three years in a row. 

     NBA All-Star Weekend has an extraordinary history, dating all the way back to 1951. It has been a massively successful event for the NBA. Hanson explained that there have been so many great years of All-Star Weekend, but his favorite year was 2016 because of the amazing dunk contest between Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon. All-Star Weekend has been super popular across the world for years and is likely to remain so for more to come. 

     The Squire hopes you enjoyed this years NBA All-Star Weekend and all it had to offer.