By David Brandt
(AP) – All-Star weekend is back in California for the second straight year, this time moving to Inglewood for the NBA’s annual midseason showcase.
Among the on-court events are the celebrity game and Rising Stars competition on Friday night, 3-point, Shooting Stars and slam-dunk contests on Saturday and a new All-Star game format on Sunday that features the USA vs. the World.
The U.S. vs. the World concept was talked about for years before finally becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan earlier this season, after trying yet again to figure out the latest way to spark renewed interest in the game.
Here’s some of what to know about All-Star weekend:
Where to watch this weekend’s events?
Here’s the rundown (all times Eastern):
Friday — All-Star celebrity game, 7 p.m. (ESPN); Rising Stars competition, 9 p.m. (Peacock), NBA HBCU Classic, 11 p.m. (Peacock)
Saturday — NBA All-Star media day, 1:30 p.m. (NBA TV); Commissioner Adam Silver press conference, 4 p.m. (NBA TV); 3-point contest, Shooting Stars and slam-dunk contests, starting at 5 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Sunday — NBA All-Star Game, 5 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Who are the All-Stars?
The All-Stars are split among three teams, which were selected by NBA.
USA Stripes: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Los Angels Lakers’ LeBron James, Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Miami’s Norman Powell.
Coach: San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson
USA Stars: Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey.
Coach: Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff.
World: Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Portland’s Deni Avdija, Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Houston’s Alperen Sengun. (Sengun is the injury replacement for Gilgeous-Alexander)
Coach: Toronto’s Darko Rajakovic.
What’s the All-Star Game format?
The two U.S. teams both have eight players while the World team has nine players. Games will be one standard NBA quarter, or 12 minutes long.
The USA Stars will play the World in Game 1. The winner of that game will play the USA Stripes in Game 2. The loser of Game 1 will play the USA Stripes in Game 3.
The teams with the best two records will play in the championship game. If all three teams are 1-1, point differential would be the tiebreaker.
Who are the betting favorites?
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Team USA Stripes is the favorite to win the All-Star tournament at +160, followed by the World (+170) and the USA Stars (+200).
The favorites for All-Star MVP are Wembanyama (+700), Doncic (+1000) and Cunningham (+1100).
Who are the 3-point and slam dunk participants?
The eight 3-point contest competitors are Booker, Murray, Maxey, Powell, Mitchell, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis, Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel and Portland’s Damian Lillard.
The four slam dunk competitors are San Antonio’s Carter Bryant, Miami’s Keshad Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes and Orlando’s Jase Richardson.
What’s the recent All-Star news?
NBA says Sengun will be the injury replacement for Gilgeous-Alexander at the All-Star Game
Dame Time: Lillard, who hasn’t played this season, will be in 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday
Shooting Stars returning to NBA’s All-Star Saturday Night lineup
Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant to team up at All-Star Game. Kawhi Leonard added to roster
LeBron’s All-Star streak at 22 years. Duren, Powell, Johnson, Murray, Holmgren, Avdija 1st-timers
Who is performing at All-Star weekend?
Several artists will be performing at the NBA Crossover event, starting with CORTIS, a five-member K-Pop group on Thursday night. Ludacris will perform on Friday night while Shaboozey will be on Saturday. All performances are at the L.A. Convention Center.
CORTIS will also perform at halftime during Friday’s celebrity game.
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AP Pro Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.
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