nba all-star weekend
A weekend of spectacle, showcasing the league's brightest stars, jaw-dropping highlights, and moments that will be talked about for years to come. This is the 2025 All Star Game Weekend!
As far as events go, this was a pretty run of the mill weekend for the NBA. There were moments (cue to Kai & Druski), but the majority of events felt like a placeholder until the actual All Star Game(s).
Growing up, I had the pleasure of watching the greatest celebrity basketball player of all time. A four time MVP. A player whose status exceeds his height: Kevin Hart. Nowadays, we get to experience entertainers like Druski and Kai Cenat “compete”..
Not a jab on either of them at all. Still, It’s just not the same. This game DIDN’T feel like I was watching the All-Star Celebrity Game. This felt like the All-Star Streamer/Entertainer game.
As we start to dive into these events more and more, you begin to realize; hardly anything’s up to the same standard us older than the age of 21 are used to. There’s a certain energy that was upheld throughout these weekends that just feels gone.
Another event, another placeholder. 3 point contests have been very streaky, particularly over the past few years. No need to go into much detail here. It was a very rough beginning for all of the shooters, however it was Tyler Herro with 24 points who would narrowly win against Buddy Hield to win the competition.
Here’s something you may never see again in your lifetime. A 3-peat dunk contest winner who’s not even in the league. Crazy, right? The competition brought serious heat, with Stephon Castle nearly snatching the trophy. Nevertheless, I don’t think it was an unfair win for Mac McClung at all. You have to have some serious guts to pull off the dunks he did. Props to the greatest dunk contest champion of all time. We hope to see some more game time from him in the near future.
Sigh
Guys, I’m just going to say it. This might offend a lot of people...
The skills challenge should be replaced with a 1v1 tournament. No one in their right mind is going “I just love watching the skills challenge every year!” “This is my favorite part of the weekend!” NO! If anything, this skills challenge is the most obvious placeholder. It serves no purpose for the fans, the workers who set up the tournament, and especially the players. Even Victor Wembenyama and Chris Paul played it like a joke. I could go on and on about how bad this portion of the weekend is, but you get my point. Moving on..
deep breath!
Let’s play ball.
These recent draft classes have been filled with plenty of talent, which leads me to one of the most underrated parts of the weekend: the NBA Rising Star game. It’s a guarantee that some of these guys are going to grow into All-stars within the next few years, I just think it’s really interesting seeing how raw their game is right now! In between the explosive Thompson twins and the lights out shooting of Gradey Dick and Dalton Knecht, these guys came out to prove something.
I noticed a lot of fans complaining about the energy levels during this weekend. I saw energy in this game. I saw guys who were willing to push the pace and show out for the crowd. I am impressed. It still wasn't full game speed, but there was motion. I didn’t feel like I was watching a shootaround, unlike the next event I’m about to mention.
All weekend, we were waiting for this moment. This is how the All star game tournament went down.
We missed a few guys, Lebron in particular didn’t even end up suiting up. It was a tournament format with four different teams. Kenny’s Young Stars, Chuck’s Global Stars, Shaq’s OGs, and Candace’s Rising Stars all competed in this tournament. As always, this point in the weekend is the most exciting. Plenty of amazing highlight plays (Stephen Curry, you absolute animal), funny moments, and good vibes were shared in these games. Still, this just doesn’t feel right.
This game’s sense of competition, even with a tournament style, feels gone. Maybe it’s me reminiscing over the Kobe era. It felt like this game used to mean something to the players. Not everyday you get to wake up and BE an all star. The drive to actually win this game, to even compete in this game, was gone.
Wemby had that drive and it was apparent. The way he defended, fought for everything, even when no one else would. He brought a glimpse of competitiveness. If only I could say the same for the rest of the players.
Now, the energy’s gone. Whether it’s a tournament, or a set target score, will we ever find a way to bring the energy back? I mean, it’s so difficult to inspire players who’s only break throughout the entire season is spent entertaining the masses once again.
Nathan Guynn Jr.
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Writer
