Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks joins his brothers once again as an All-Star. The Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard is taking a third shot at the 3-point title, the Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield will try to win it again and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Mac McClung may now be an NBA dunk champion.
The NBA has released the full list of entrants for Saturday’s All-Star events in Salt Lake City: The skills contest, the 3-point contest and the dunk contest. It’s going to be a particularly busy weekend for 11 players who will now be at multiple events throughout the three days of action in Utah.
3 POINTS CONTEST
Hield, the 2020 winner, returns to try to become the eighth player with multiple triple crowns. He will face Indiana teammate Tyrese Haliburton, the duo of Portland’s Lillard and Anfernee Simons, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Sacramento’s Kevin Huerter, Utah’s Lauri Markkanen and Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
Huerter is one of four Kings chosen to be a part of the weekend.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this and help represent the Kings on All-Star weekend,” Huerter said. “We’re off to a great start, we can’t wait to see what this weekend is all about and then we can’t wait to get back to work.”
Herro said he’s looking forward to getting to Salt Lake City.
“I’m excited. I’m going to try to win it,” the Heat guard said. “I’m just going to be myself and be good.”
SKILLS CHALLENGE
Antetokounmpo is an All-Star captain and will pick a team to oppose the team that will be picked Sunday night by the other captain, LeBron James.
But first, he’ll join his brothers, Thanasis and Alex, in the skills challenge, just as he did at last year’s event in Cleveland. They will face two other teams, one from the host Utah Jazz and the other made up of three top picks from last year’s draft.
The Jazz will be represented by Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton. And Team Rooks is comprised of No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero from Orlando, No. 3 pick Jabari Smith Jr. from Houston and No. 5 pick Jaden Ivey from Detroit.
It is a four round competition, the first three involving shooting, passing and a relay. The top two teams after those events will shoot half court shots to decide a winner.
DUNKING CONTEST
McClung won a high school All-American dunk contest in 2018 and will be joined in the NBA dunk contest by Houston’s Kenyon Martin Jr., New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III and New York’s Jericho Sims.
BUSY WEEKEND
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in two events at All-Star weekend, with the skills event followed by the All-Star Game itself the following night.
Also participating in both All-Star Saturday and the All-Star Game: Tatum, Haliburton, Lillard and Markkanen.
It will be a doubleheader weekend for six other players scheduled to participate in both Friday’s Rising Stars games and Saturday’s All-Star events: Ivey, Smith, Murphy, McClung, Banchero and Kessler.
REFEREES
John Goble, Mark Lindsay and Michael Smith were announced Tuesday as referees for Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Brandon Adair, Ashley Moyer-Gleich and CJ Washington will officiate the Rising Stars games and All-Star Saturday events.
CHALLENGE
Brooklyn, Charlotte and Washington do not have representatives heading into All-Star weekend. For the Nets, it’s a technicality; Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were selected as All-Stars this season while playing for the Nets, and both were subsequently traded.
