The curtain rises for the NBA’s ‘Feast of the Stars’.
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be안전놀이터 held at Vivint Arena in Utah, USA on the 20th (Korean time). This event will start with ‘Rising Stars’ on the 18th, where you can meet the performance of young guns, and go on to the ‘3-point shot and dunk contest’ on the 19th, followed by the ‘Team Giannis vs. Team LeBron’ draft and All-Star game on the 20th. .
In particular, this All-Star Game is attracting interest from basketball fans as it is a new method of drafting right before the game and entering the game immediately. In the Western Conference, ‘King’ LeBron James (LA Lakers) and in the Eastern Conference, ‘Greek Monster’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) received the most votes and was selected as the team leader for both teams’ All-Star Game.
Including James and Antetokounmpo, Nicola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving (both Dallas Mavericks), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Ten players, including Durant (Phoenix Suns) and Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), were selected as starters for the All-Star Game.
In particular, if James, who is about to play his 19th All-Star Game in his career, digests this game, he will surpass ‘Legend’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s All-Star Game record (18) and rise to the top spot alone. In addition, if he becomes the All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP) this time, he will be able to tie the record with Kobe Bryant and Bob Pettit’s 4 times, the most ever.
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), and Lauri Makanen (Utah Jazz) filled the voids of Curry, Durant, and Williamson, who were selected as starters but were absent due to injuries. Although not selected as a starter, the 14-member reserve list also boasts splendor.
This NBA All-Star Game is expected to be full of tension from the player draft as the team is completed just before the game. In particular, with Antetokounmpo, whom James called first for the past two years, has become the opposing captain, attention is focusing on which player to take first this time. On the other hand, Antetokounmpo, who became captain three years after 2020, called Embiid as a top priority at the time.
However, the injury issue that occurred ahead of the All-Star Game emerged as a variable. Antetokounmpo was injured during a match against the Chicago Bulls on the 17th.
During the second quarter, Antetokounmpo fell and hit his right wrist on the post support while trying to block a shot by Chicago’s Kobe White. Adetokounmpo, who grabbed his wrist and complained of pain, was eventually replaced and was no longer able to play.
As a result of the initial examination after the game, it came out that it was not a major injury, but it is not a safe step. “We’ll see how he’s doing over the next few days, including tomorrow,” Milwaukee manager Mike Budenholzer said. Regarding whether he would participate in the All-Star Game, he said, “I don’t know.”
Antetokounmpo is scheduled to participate in the ‘Skills Challenge’, where he teams up with his brothers to face other teams prior to the All-Star Game, so if the All-Star event is cancelled, fans will be more disappointed.
Meanwhile, in the ‘3-point shot contest’, which determines the best 3-point shot, Buddy Hield (Indiana Pacers), who made the most 3-point shots this season, Damian Lillard (Portland Treble Blazers), who ranked 6th in 3-point shots in NBA history, and Tyrese Halliburton ( Indiana), Makkanen, Tatum, Kevin Herder (Sacramento Kings), Tyler Hiro (Miami Heat), and Julius Randle (New York Knicks).
As Heald and seven other players who won the championship in 2020 did not hold the title, attention is focused on whether a new three-point shot king will be born. In the slam dunk contest, young players such as Canyon Martin Jr. (Houston Rockets), Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans), and Jericho Simms (New York) show off their skills.