NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND TIPS OFF TONIGHT

The full list of participants for the upcoming NBA All-Star weekend was announced on Jan. 31, and the stage is set for Charlotte, North Carolina.

This is the second year that the league will have the new All-Star Game format where two team captains coming from each of the Western and Eastern conferences will have a chance to build their own roster from 20 players, all chosen by the fans and NBA coaches.

These captains are the two players who received the most All-Star fan votes in each conference, in this case Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Both captains drafted 11 players, from either conference, to complete their roster. LeBron’s roster runs small, while Antetokounmpo’s roster is filled with size. With the news of New Orleans star Anthony Davis wanting to be traded, LeBron took advantage and drafted the big man to play next to him on Sunday, alongside Kevin Durant of Golden State. Preview of a new Big Three in the future? Maybe. Giannis went with the Warriors’ point guard, Steph Curry, and the big man, Joel Embiid of Philadelphia.

This match-up will take place Sunday night, after a two-night buildup.

All-Star weekend actually begins at 4 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, broadcast on the TNT network from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The evening begins with the All-Star Celebrity Game. The home team will feature names like Jay Williams, an ESPN college basketball analyst, and WNBA Rookie of the Year A’ja Wilson, representing the Carolina area, who will face reigning Celebrity Game MVP and rapper Quavo and his teammates.

Next will come the Rising Stars game, an event where 20 first- and second-year NBA players are selected by NBA assistant coaches.

Activity renews the next day, with All-Star Saturday Night, which consists of exhibitions where several players are competing with each other to earn titles, a night many NBA fans enjoy watching. It begins with the Skills Challenge. Some players that fans are eager to see in this event include Luka Doncic of Dallas, Trae Young of Atlanta, and Nikola Jokic of Denver.

Following is the Three-Point Challenge that will consist of 10 players this year. They will show off their range by shooting balls from the five ball racks set up around the 3-point line, each player given one minute to make as many shots as they can. Defending champion Devin Booker will be participating, while Steph Curry and his younger brother, Seth, playing for Portland this year, will compete (along with Seth’s Trail Blazer teammate, Damian Lillard.

Saturday night ends with the Slam Dunk contest. Four players will try to impress five judges, scoring on a 6-10 scale per attempt, showing off their athleticism and their high hopes. Only one of the four is back for second straight year; Dennis Smith Jr.  of the Knicks, will face three first-time participants.

Finally on Sunday we get to the main event, the 68th NBA All-Star Game.

With the NBA trade deadline passing (on Feb. 7) and Anthony Davis still with the New Orleans Pelicans, for now, we can still see a preview of what both All Star players – LeBron and the Brow – can do in the court together playing in the same team. Both players will most likely play together most of the start of the game, but expect LeBron to be playing alongside his former Miami teammate, Dwyane Wade, at the end. After Wade announced this season that he will be retiring this year, it will probably be the last time we’ll see the dynamic duo playing together.

Television coverage will begin at 4 p.m. Pacific Time Sunday, on TNT.