Category: NBA All-Star blog

NBA All-Star blog

Bradley Beal named NBA All-Star Game starter for first time

The National Basketball Association announced tonight that Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta. Beal tallied 3,485,051 fan votes, the most among guards in the Eastern Conference, and finished first among guards in the media and player voting. He will be making his third career All-Star appearance and his first career start.

“It is truly an honor to be selected to start in the All-Star game for the first time in my career,” said Beal. “I want to thank the fans, media and players for selecting me to represent the Wizards organization during the All-Star festivities in Atlanta. I also want to thank my teammates, coaches, the entire organization, and our fans who are still supporting us through this unprecedented season.”

Beal currently leads the NBA in scoring with a career-high average of 32.8 points per game to go along with a career-high 5.2 rebounds per game. He is also averaging 4.7 assists per game while shooting .473 from the field. He tallied a career-high and franchise tying high of 60 points on January 6 at Philadelphia.

The nine-year pro has posted 16 games of 30+ points, which ranks second in the league, and is tied for the league lead with three games of 40+ points. Beal began the season with a 17-game streak of 25+ points, which surpassed Michael Jordan’s streak in 1988-89, and ranks as the fifth-longest in league history and the longest streak to start a season since the 1976 NBA-ABA merger. He has scored 786 points in the team’s first 24 games, which marks the most points scored through a player’s first 24 games in franchise history.

Beal joins the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving as Eastern Conference starters. Fans, players, and media determined the starters for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, with fans accounting for 50% of the vote while the players and media accounted for 25% each.

Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Kevin Durant who are the NBA All-Star Game starters who led their respective conferences in fan votes during NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T, will serve as team captains for the Team LeBron vs. Team Durant matchup and draft the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

And via the Washington Post:

Beal was named an all-star starter for the first time in his career Thursday, becoming the first Wizards player to earn a starting nod since John Wall in 2015. Beal will make his third career all-star appearance when the league holds the showcase in Atlanta on March 7 — he was named as a reserve in 2018 and 2019, one of seven players from each conference as voted by coaches, before being left out completely in 2020…

Beal’s continual growth in his ninth year in the league is part of what makes him such a fascination among fans and a headache among opposing coaches.

The guard’s scoring numbers have been on an upward trend for four straight seasons. Through 24 games this year, Beal is averaging a league-best 32.8 points — a career high — as well as 4.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

In his position as franchise cornerstone, he has made the extraordinary look routine. Beal had at least 25 points in each of his first 17 games this season, a stretch that eclipsed Michael Jordan’s record for the longest such streak to start a campaign since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976. In January, Beal dropped 60 points in Philadelphia to tie the Wizards’ single-game franchise scoring record Gilbert Arenas set in 2006.

Even though All-Star weekend will be condensed into one day I’m very glad it’s happening. And Beal probably is, too.

LeBron James criticizes 2021 NBA All-Star game plan

The NBA will probably be playing a 2021 NBA All-Star game. Lakers superstar LeBron James did not welcome the reported news. Via the LA Times:

On the same day teams learned of an expected agreement between the NBA and its players’ association to hold the 2021 NBA All-Star game in Atlanta on March 7, Lakers star LeBron James trashed the idea, calling it a “slap in the face.”

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this year,” James said. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game.”

If selected, he said, he’d reluctantly participate.

Considering all the travel players do over the course of the season, it doesn’t seem like a lot to fly to Atlanta for one quick extra game. But in the case of the Lakers and Heat, the two teams that played in the 2020 Finals, the offseason was a very short one, so perhaps stars on those teams could use some extra days off more than most of the league’s squads.

I hope an All-Star game does get played. Because the games are fun. It’s as simple as that. But I will understand if players who participated in the 2020 Conference Finals or league Finals might want to duck out of the action.

NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana rescheduled from 2021 to 2024

The NBA and the Indiana Pacers announced today that NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 12-14, 2021, will now be held Feb. 16-18, 2024. Public health conditions prevented the Pacers, the NBA All-Star Host Committee and the NBA from appropriately planning and executing fan-focused All-Star activities in Indianapolis that were envisioned for this February.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. Plans for a revised NBA All-Star 2021 will be announced at a later date.

“While we are disappointed that the NBA All-Star Game will not take place in Indianapolis in 2021, we are looking forward to the Pacers and the city hosting the game and surrounding events in 2024,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “I want to thank Herb Simon, Steve Simon, Rick Fuson and the entire Pacers organization as well as the NBA All-Star 2021 Host Committee and the community of Indianapolis for working with us to reschedule our All-Star activities.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring Indiana the very best All-Star experience in 2024,” said Pacers owner Herb Simon. “The efforts of so many Hoosiers to prepare for NBA All-Star 2021 put us ahead of the game for the hard work to come, and we are so grateful to the NBA for once again recognizing Indianapolis as a city that delivers world-class events.”

NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis will follow Cleveland in 2022 and Salt Lake City in 2023 as All-Star host. The 2024 game will mark the second NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, which hosted the midseason classic in 1985.

Paul Eboua reportedly entering the 2020 NBA draft

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on an international draft prospect who feels he’s ready to make the leap:

Cameroonian power forward Paul Eboua has submitted paperwork to the league office to make himself eligible for the 2020 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Saturday…

Eboua, the No. 53 prospect in the ESPN Top 100, had a productive season in the Italian first division with Pesaro, averaging 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22 minutes per game…

Standing 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Eboua has ideal physical tools for a power forward prospect.

Eboua’s stats are pretty modest for a player looking to enter the NBA. But stats never tell the whole story, and that’s especially true of overseas prospects.

The 2020 draft is scheduled for June 25, but due to the global coronavirus pandemic, any and all scheduled dates for just about anything, in and out of sports, are subject to change.

Heat center Bam Adebayo centerstage this season

The most high-profile member of this season’s Heat is Jimmy Butler, but do-it-all forward/center Bam Adebayo, who enjoyed this past weekend playing in the All-Star game Sunday and winning the Skills Challenge competition Friday, is on the national stage this season. Both he and the Heat are doing bigger things than expected. They’re a serious contender in the East.

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

It’s not as if Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo lacked confidence before All-Star Weekend after having a stellar first half of the season.

He’s averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists — statistical benchmarks only three other players in the league have achieved this season.

The 22-year-old big man has received praise from legends and other top players for his impact on the Heat’s strong play before the All-Star break, with the team’s 35-19 record only four wins away from last year’s win total.

But being on center stage against the NBA’s best players has pushed Adebayo’s belief in himself to greater heights.

“My confidence is definitely through the roof right now,” Adebayo said after making his first All-Star appearance on Sunday.

The Bucks have been the East’s best squad this season, but the Heat are a serious contender in the conference, and they should only be better for the remainder of the season after bulking up their bench shortly before the trade deadline.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert did big things in the All-Star game

Defensive-minded Jazz center Rudy Gobert did big things in a very offensive-minded event, the All-Star game. He was fantastic on both ends of the floor, though. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

If ever there was a doubt that Rudy Gobert belonged on an NBA All-Star team, that doubt was dashed away and forgotten on Sunday night.

Amid the big names and plethora of talent jammed onto the All-Star team rosters, the Utah Jazz center shined like a diamond in the rough in his All-Star debut, scoring 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, two assists and a block as a reserve for Team Giannis.
“He hears all the negative and all that stuff and he enjoys and embraces it and wears it like a cape,” his fellow Jazz and Team Giannis teammate Donovan Mitchell said. “He just goes out there and hoops. He didn’t get too much out of his comfort zone. He just went out there and did what he does and I really respect that about him.”

The Jazz are currently 8th in the league in both offense and defense, and at 36-18 they’re 4th in the West.

Dame D.O.L.L.A. still expected to perform at 2020 NBA All-Star

Damian Lillard won’t be playing in the 2020 NBA All-Star game or firing threes in the three-point contest, due to injury. Suns guard Devin Booker has replaced him in both events.

But his alter ego, Dame D.O.L.L.A., is still likely snatching the mic and spitting lyrics. Here’s NBC Sports Northwest reporting:

For the past three summers, Dame D.O.L.L.A. has released an album each offseason: The Letter O, Confirmed, and BIG D.O.L.L.A. He has also released three singles: “Bigger than Us,” “Run It Up” feat. Lil Wayne and “Shot Clock.”

It won’t be his first time performing live since Dame D.O.L.L.A. put on a concert in 2016 for Rip City.   

It’ll be fun to see what Dame can do live on a big stage with a mic instead of a basketball.

TNT to Air 2020 NBA All-Star Game’s Untimed 4th Quarter Commercial-Free

For the first time, TNT’s exclusive presentation of the 69th edition of the NBA All-Star Game 2020 presented by Kia will include commercial-free coverage coinciding with the NBA’s newly formatted, untimed fourth quarter on Sunday, Feb. 16.

The NBA announced a number of changes to this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which airs live at 8 p.m. ET, including a new fourth quarter format that will honor the late Kobe Bryant, who earned 18 NBA All-Star selections and a record-tying four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards.

Additional special elements during TNT’s NBA All-Star Game presentation will include a Los Angeles Lakers-themed tribute to Bryant within the virtual shot clock – displaying a combination of gold and purple accents at 24 seconds and eight seconds remaining on the clock during the fourth quarter, representing Bryant’s jersey numbers.

“Presenting the fourth quarter completely free of any commercial breaks creates a unique opportunity to showcase the new All-Star Game format, provide the best fan experience, and align with the league’s overarching plans to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant this weekend,” said Craig Barry, EVP and Chief Content Officer, Turner Sports.

On Sunday, Team Giannis and Team LeBron will compete to win each of the first three quarters, all of which will start with the score of 0-0 and will be 12 minutes long. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off and a Final Target Score will be set.

There are 19 international players participating in NBA All-Star 2020

A record 19 international players from 15 countries will participate in NBA All-Star 2020, which will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets. This includes NBA Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET, All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET, the 69th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET, as well as behind-the-scenes coverage and interviews throughout the week.

Among the record eight international NBA All-Stars, a record four international players were voted NBA All-Star Game starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011) and Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012). Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz; France), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers; Lithuania) and Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia) round out the record eight international NBA All-Stars.

Will Zach LaVine make the 2020 All-Star team?

Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on scoring guard Zach LaVine, who this season is averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Bulls (12-19):

In his last 15 games, LaVine is averaging 27.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists and is shooting 45.4 percent from three-point range. That stretch includes a career-high 49-point game in which he went 13-for-17 from behind the arc.

‘‘His last 13 or 14 games, he’s played All-Star basketball,’’ [Chicago Bulls head coach Jim] Boylen said before the game against the Pistons. ‘‘I don’t think anybody can fight that. And before that, he was playing very good basketball, so he’s taking it to another level.’’

The East guard spot is a crowded field this year in regard to All-Star candidates. A number of players have an excellent case to claim one of a very limited number of spots.