With an average of 14 players per squad multiplied by 30 teams, that’s roughly 420 total players today. Out of that number, a select few — the ‘Navy Seals of the NBA’ — make it to the All-Star game. Only 24 players, or six percent of 420, play in either the West or the East All-Stars teams. This Sunday, the day after Valentine’s, is the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game.
The East, who won last year 163-155, will be led this weekend by Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver (who replaces the injured Dwayne Wade). Their head coach is from the Atlanta Hawks, Mike Budenholzer.
The West, who trail the all-time win-loss record with 26 wins versus 37 losses, are manned by Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Stephen Curry, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard (who replaces Blake Griffin), and DeMarcus Cousins (who replaced Kobe Bryant). The Warriors’ Steve Kerr will be head coach.
The All-Star game is not the only attraction this weekend. It’s the culminating activity but there are plenty of festivities.
New York City is hosting the Feb. 13 to 15 spectacle. The two NBA teams — New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets — will be spitting the venues.
Last Dec. 16, I had the chance to be inside the Madison Square Garden, the venue of the All-Star Game this Sunday. MSG is one of the world’s most iconic of coliseums, hosting concerts (John Lennon’s final appearance was there) and the hockey team, the New York Rangers. It also hosts, sad to say, the NBA’s worst-performing team: the Knicks, who carry a 10-42 win-loss record.
Tomorrow (Friday), the weekend kicks off at the MSG with the Celebrity Game, featuring movie stars and celebrities. Over at the Barclays Center (home of the Nets), it’s the Rising Stars Challenge. According to NBA.com, “The league’s annual showcase of premier young talent will debut a format that pits 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world.”
On Saturday, all in Barclays Center, there’s plenty. The Shooting Stars. The Skills Challenge. The Three-Point Contest with Curry, Thompson, Harden, Irving, Korver, Marco Belinelli, Wesley Matthews and J.J. Redick competing. Finally, the Slam Dunk contest featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Mason Plumlee and Zach LaVine.
On Sunday, there’s the D-League All Star Game at the Barclays Center and, to cap the action, MSG’s hosting of the All-Star Game (for us, it’s scheduled at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 16).
Plus, there’s something new: the first-ever All-Star Fashion Show. No kidding. Just because we see these men all-sweaty and wearing knee-high socks, baggy shorts and high-cut Nikes, it doesn’t mean to say they don’t dress well off-court.
Produced by LeBron James himself (under his Springhill Production Co.), the “NBA All-Star All-Style” will not be purely a simple “paso-paso” (walk) like those leggy models. True to their competitive spirit, it will be a fashion competition.
Klay Thompson, James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins are expected to join others in this contest that will have an actual winner. Said the AP report: “It will have three rounds: dressing for the boardroom, a night out and attire worn to the game. The competition will start with eight players, with four advancing to the second round and the top two competing in the finals.”
Why this new concept? “NBA athletes are legitimate fashion icons, with various stars (e.g. Russell Westbrook) and notable players (e.g. Nick Young) becoming notable not just for their play on the court but their sartorial impact,” wrote Eric Freeman for Yahoo! Sports. “Some players will show up on basketball blogs just as often as they appear in the pages of GQ. Personal style is part of their public image and brand.”
On-court and on the ramp, it will be fun watching the stars.
