NBA All Star Game

At the beginning of the 2020-2021 NBA regular season, the league had told all the players that there would be no All Star game this season because of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the shortened rest that many players had from the shortened off season. However, as March was approaching, the league had decided that it would be the best to have the NBA All Star game for fans and to raise money for the league and for the HBCU charities that each team picked. Many players were not happy with the league’s decision because they believed that they would have the All Star Week Break to just rest from the regular season, but instead they were being told that they had to play in the game. The league did not just make this decision on its own as it met with the National Basketball Player’s Association, however players still weren’t too ecstatic.

The NBA had decided that the NBA All Star Game would take place in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Hawks. As usual, voting by the fans was conducted for weeks before the game in order to select the All Stars that would play in the game. The players with the most votes from the West and the East would be selected as All Star captains and would be able to choose their team. The coach for the West was Quin Snyder, as his Utah Jazz team was in the number one spot for the western conference, and the coach for the east was Doc Rivers, as his Philadelphia 76ers were the first seed in the eastern conference. The top 5 from the east and the west would be put into a pool to be selected by the captains as the team starters, and the rest of the 14 selected all stars would be in the reserve pool. With the most votes from the west, Lebron James from the Los Angeles Lakers would be captain for his fourth consecutive year. With the most votes in the east, Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets would be a first time captain.

As Lebron James had the first pick, he selected Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Joining them would be Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić as the starters. Team LeBron’s reserves are Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, LA Clippers forward Paul George, Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

With KD’s first pick that was actually the second overall pick, he selected his Brooklyn Nets teammate, Kyrie Irving. Joining them would be 76ers center Joel Embiid, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum as starters. Kevin Durant had been ruled out of this game due to injury, and Jason Taytum was selected to replace him as a starter. The reserves drafted by Durant are Nets guard James Harden, Suns guard Devin Booker, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vučević and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.

Injury had played a factor in this All Star game as said previously before, KD would not be able to compete. However, Los Angeles Lakers player, Anthony Davis, would also be out and replaced by Phoenix Suns player, Devin Booker. Devin Booker was later ruled out as well because of injury. These players would not be able to play but would still be considered all stars for the 2020-2021 season. In the morning of the All Star Game, it was reported that the two Philadelphia 76ers All Stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, could not take part of the game because of Covid-19 Protocol.

The All Star Game would be played with a new format that was implemented last year. Each quarter would be played as its own 12 minute game and the team that wins the first 3 quarters would win 100,000, and the team that wins the fourth quarter would earn 350,000 either the Thurgood Marshall College Fund or the UNCF (United Negro College Fund), with both organizations providing scholarship funding to further the higher education of students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Team Lebron would play for Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Team KD would play for the UNCF. Team Lebron ended up winning all four quarters with a final score of 170-150 and raised $1.25 million for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund while the UNCF for team Durant raised half a million dollars.

The NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award was awarded to Giannis Antetokounmpo who had 35 points on 16/16 shooting with 3/3 3 pointers, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.