Category: NBA All-Star blog

NBA All-Star blog

Phoenix will host 2027 NBA All-Star weekend

The NBA recently (on March 7) announced that Phoenix has been selected to host 2027 NBA All-Star weekend.

The 76th NBA All-Star Game will take place at Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns, on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2027. NBA All-Star 2027 will mark the city’s fourth NBA All-Star, having hosted the event in 1975, 1995 and 2009.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement earlier in March during a press conference at Footprint Center, where he was joined by Suns Chairman Mat Ishbia and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, with a recorded message from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

“Our NBA All-Star festivities in 2027 will showcase Phoenix’s love of everything basketball,” said Silver. “And we couldn’t be more excited to work with Mat Ishbia and the entire Suns organization for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of our sport.”

“Phoenix is the ultimate basketball destination and we are excited for fans from around the world to experience our amazing city,” said Ishbia. “We will provide an NBA All-Star Weekend unlike any other, showcasing the passion of our fans, our city, and everything that we’re building here. Thank you to the NBA and the entire Phoenix community for rallying together to bring this marquee event to Phoenix and show the world what we are all about.”

“We are excited to welcome the NBA and basketball fans to the great state of Arizona for NBA All-Star 2027. Arizona is a premier destination for sports and entertainment, and we look forward to showing fans everything that our state has to offer,” said Governor Hobbs. “Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns have elevated Phoenix as one of the greatest basketball cities in the world and we are so proud to host this iconic event together.”

“The City of Phoenix is thrilled to host NBA All-Star 2027. Our city is no stranger to hosting major sports and entertainment events and this is another opportunity to put Phoenix on the global stage,” said Mayor Gallego. “NBA All-Star will bring excitement and energy to the city along with significant economic impact. Thank you to the NBA and the Phoenix Suns for the opportunity to welcome fans from around the world to our incredible city for what will be a memorable All-Star weekend.”

Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates added to 2024 Rising Stars competition

Cleveland Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates will replace injured NBA G League Ignite forward Ron Holland on Team Detlef in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars. The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States.

Bates, a 6-8 rookie, will play in Panini Rising Stars for the first time. He has appeared in 10 games with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bates is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes in 10 games with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA G League affiliate. During NBA All-Star 2024, Bates will also compete in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Holland will not participate in Panini Rising Stars or the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T because of a right thumb injury. In Rising Stars, the 6-8 Holland was to play for the team with three-time NBA All-Star and Indiana Pacers legend Detlef Schrempf as its honorary head coach. For the NBA G League Up Next Game, Holland will be replaced by Chicago Bulls Two-Way forward Adama Sanogo.

Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox and Pascal Siakam added to 2023 NBA All-Star Game as injury replacements

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam have been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as injury replacements for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. MT at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City (TNT/ESPN Radio).

The three players will replace Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (left superior tib/fib sprain), Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (right knee MCL sprain) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (strained right hamstring).

In addition, Curry, Durant and Williamson will be replaced as starters in the NBA All-Star Game by three players who were previously selected as All-Star reserves: Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.

This is the first NBA All-Star selection for both Edwards and Fox and the second for Siakam.

Edwards, the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is posting career highs in points (24.7 ppg), rebounds (6.0 rpg), assists (4.6 apg), steals (1.66 spg), field goal percentage (46.4%) and three-point field goal percentage (36.7%) in his third NBA season. He leads the NBA in total steals (96) and minutes (2,099).

Fox is averaging 24.2 points, 6.3 assists and a career-high 4.3 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.4% from the field in his sixth NBA season. He leads the NBA with 128 points in clutch situations, which occur when the scoring margin of a game is within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Siakam is an NBA All-Star for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when he became the first NBA G League alum to start an NBA All-Star Game. A seven-year NBA veteran from Cameroon, he is averaging a career-high 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists in an NBA-high 37.5 minutes this season.

When an All-Star starter is unable to participate in the NBA All-Star Game before the NBA All-Star Draft takes place, he is replaced in the starter pool for the Draft by the All-Star reserve from the same conference and of the same position group who had the highest weighted ranking in the voting for All-Star starters. The starter replacements are Embiid for Durant (who was in the Eastern Conference frontcourt group at the time of the voting), Markkanen for Williamson and Morant for Curry.

Embiid, Markkanen and Morant will be selected with the starters and Edwards, Fox and Siakam will be selected with the reserves in the NBA All-Star Draft, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. MT at Vivint Arena right before the NBA All-Star Game. TNT will air the NBA All-Star Draft live during its pregame show and then present the 72nd NBA All-Star Game, a matchup between Team LeBron and Team Giannis.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone will coach Team LeBron in 2023 NBA All-Star Game

Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone has been named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for games played in January.

Additionally, Malone and his coaching staff have secured the top seed in the Western Conference through games played on February 5th, earning them the right to coach Team LeBron in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

Coach Malone led the Nuggets to a 12-4 record (.750) in January, the best record in the entire NBA during that span. The Nuggets won a season-high nine straight games from Jan. 5 to Jan. 20 and they also won nine consecutive home games as part of their season-long 16 game streak during the month as well. Denver ranked 1st in the NBA in Net Rating (+8.0), 4th in offensive rating (119.4) and 4th in defensive rating (111.4) while maintaining the number one seed in the West. On the season the Nuggets currently sit at the top of the Western Conference with a record of 35-16 while ranking 1st in the NBA offensive rating (117.4), field goal percentage (.508) and three-point percentage (.397), 2nd in Assists (28.6) and 3rd in net rating (4.1).

Michael Malone earns this honor for the second time in his coaching career (April ’21) and is just the third Nuggets coach to win the award multiple times (George Karl, Doug Moe). Coach Malone is in his eighth season as Head Coach for the Nuggets, compiling 349 total regular season wins with Denver (third in franchise history) and 21 playoff wins (tied for second in franchise history). Since Malone took over prior to the 2015-16 season, the Nuggets have seen the postseason on three occasions including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2020, the first for the franchise since 2009. Denver has won four playoff series over the last four seasons, after winning a total of four in the previous 32 years.

Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla will coach Team Giannis in 2023 NBA All-Star Game

Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla and his staff will coach Team Giannis in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

The Celtics clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference on Jan. 30 with a 36-15 overall record and own the highest win percentage in the NBA (.706). Boston ranks third in the NBA in points per game (117.8) and owns the highest plus/minus of any team while holding opponents to an average 112.3 points per game.

Mazzulla becomes the eighth coach in Celtics history to be given the honor of coaching an NBA All-Star Game, joining: Brad Stevens (2017), Doc Rivers (2008, 2011), Chris Ford (1991), K.C. Jones (1984-1987), Bill Fitch (1982), Tom Heinsohn (1972-1974, 1976) and Red Auerbach (1957-1967).

This is only the third time in the last 24 seasons that an All-Star team will be guided by a first-year NBA head coach.

Bones Hyland selected as injury replacement for Davion Mitchell in 2022 NBA Rising Stars Game

Denver Nuggets rookie guard Bones Hyland will replace injured Sacramento Kings rookie guard Davion Mitchell in the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 18 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Hyland, 21, becomes the 15th Nuggets player in franchise history to represent Denver at the Rising Stars Challenge and is the second consecutive season that the Nuggets have had at least one player invited (Porter Jr. and Campazzo were both selected last season).

Bones has appeared in 46 games (three starts) for Denver this season, averaging 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.0 minutes per game. Over his last 17 games he is averaging 10.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting .402 from three-point range and .889 from the charity stripe. Among rookies he currently ranks first in free throw percentage (.881), tied for third in threes per game (1.7), third in total threes (79) and 13th in points per game (8.8).

The Wilmington, Delaware native has helped Denver to a 13-3 record in games when he scores in double-figures, including going 8-0 in games with 15+ points. He posted a career-high 27 points (6-10 3FG) to go with 10 rebounds and two assists on Jan. 15 vs. LA Lakers, becoming the only rookie this season with 27+ points, 10+ rebounds and 2+ assists in a game and just the third Nugget ever to post 27+ points and 6+ threes off the bench in a game (Will Barton and Wilson Chandler are others).

Hyland was selected by Denver with the 26th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft after spending two seasons at Virginia Commonwealth University. In his final season he was named the 2020-21 A-10 Player of the Year, leading the conference in scoring (19.5 ppg) and three-pointers made per game (2.9), becoming the first sophomore in VCU history to make himself eligible for the NBA draft. Hyland set a freshman record at VCU with 63 made threes and was a 2019-20 A-10 All-Freshman team selection.

Under a new format, the Clorox Rising Stars will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. The playing rosters are composed of 12 NBA rookies, 12 NBA sophomores and four elite young players from NBA G League Ignite. The team rosters are available here. The game will be played on Friday, Feb. 18 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 9 p.m. ET.

Jonathan Kuminga selected as injury replacement for Chris Duarte in 2022 NBA Rising Stars Game

Golden State Warriors rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga will replace injured Indiana Pacers rookie guard Chris Duarte in the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 18 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 9 p.m. ET.

Kuminga is averaging 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.3 minutes in 46 games this season. He ranks third among NBA rookies in field goal percentage at 50.4 percent. In his last seven games, Kuminga is averaging 15.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.2 minutes while shooting 58.3 percent from the field. A 19-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuminga was selected by Golden State with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He played with NBA G League Ignite in the 2020-21 season.

Duarte will not play in the Clorox Rising Stars because of a left toe injury, which he sustained in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 13. The 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic is averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games this season. Duarte leads all NBA rookies in three-pointers made with 87.

Kuminga will replace Duarte on Team Payton, which is named for Gary Payton, one of four members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team serving as Rising Stars honorary coaches. The other honorary coaches are Rick Barry (Team Barry), Isiah Thomas (Team Isiah) and James Worthy (Team Worthy).

Under a new format, the Clorox Rising Stars will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. The playing rosters are composed of 12 NBA rookies, 12 NBA sophomores and four elite young players from NBA G League Ignite. The team rosters are available here.

In addition, Sacramento Kings rookie guard Davion Mitchell will replace Duarte in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, a team shooting competition that will take place between Game 2 and Game 3 of the Clorox Rising Stars. Mitchell will team up with Toronto Raptors rookie guard/forward Scottie Barnes. Both players will play for Team Payton in Rising Stars.

Jarrett Allen selected as injury replacement for James Harden in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden on Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

The matchup between Team LeBron and Team Durant in the 71st NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, airing live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.

Allen has earned his first NBA All-Star selection. He is averaging a career-high 16.2 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds and 1.35 blocked shots in 49 games this season. A five-year NBA veteran, Allen ranks ninth in the league in rebounds per game and 13th in blocks per game. He also ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage at a career-high 66.5 percent and tied for sixth in double-doubles with 30.

The 23-year-old Allen is the second Cleveland player to be named a first-time NBA All-Star this season, joining guard Darius Garland, who was drafted by Team Durant. Behind Allen and Garland, the Cavaliers (35-22) have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Harden will not play in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game because of a left hamstring injury. He was selected by NBA head coaches as a reserve.

Magic guard Cole Anthony has had Slam Dunk contest in mind for a long time

Magic guard Cole Anthony has been waiting for a particular opportunity for a very long time. Via the Orlando Sentinel:

Cole Anthony hasn’t forgotten his first dunk.

He was in the seventh grade — either 12 or 13 years old — when he threw down a left-handed slam for his first dunk. From there Anthony, who’s known to not lack confidence, proceeded to go for more challenging attempts.

“Immediately after that, I was trying to windmill,” he said. “From there, I was just trying to do more and more dunks.”

Anthony will have the opportunity to show off his dunking ambition and creativity in the NBA’s Dunk Contest on Feb. 19 in Cleveland as part of All-Star Weekend.

He described the opportunity as “a life-long dream of mine since before I could dunk.”