It’s the beginning of a new year and we are inching towards the fun filled All-star weekend which will be on 16th – 18th February. The players with the most number of votes from each conference will battle each other while the slam dunk contest and 3-point contest will be the marquee events.

Since December 25th, NBA fandom, players and media have been voting to select the All-star players for the 67th All-star game which be played at Staples center on February 18th.

Evolving into a better format from the traditional matchup between Eastern and Western conferences, this year the rosters will be chosen by two captains selected from the players in both conferences.

Elimination of the talent difference will surely be achieved as many of the last year’s Eastern Conference All-stars got traded to Western conference teams during the off season.

Duration to vote ended on 15th January and the All-star game starters including the two captains, which will be decided according to the votes (50% fans, 25% each for media and players) will be announced on the 18th while the league’s head coaches will select the reserves and announce the results on 23rd.

On 5th January All-star voting 1st return were released and Giannis Antetokounmpo the “Greek freak”,

led the league with 863,416.

As Giannis was on a fast track to become a captain, he was asked who he would select for his team if the moment comes. His answer wasn’t surprising but his reasoning was.

Giannis; the face of Milwaukee Bucks will reach free agency next year allowing him to move to any franchise that his heart desires and his comments on LeBron are eye-opening. It’ll be a nightmare for the rest of the league if James and Giannis pair up!

Per the 2nd return of the All-star voting released last Thursday, Kyrie Irving leads the guards in the East with 1,370,643 votes while LeBron James leads the league with 1,622,838 votes and is well ahead of Giannis. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are leading the Western conference voting under guards and front court categories respectively with a comfortable margin over the rest and there’s a high probability for Curry and LeBron to emerge as the two captains.

Curry will undoubtedly choose Kevin Durant as he said but it will be a pleasant surprise to see who James picks. Even Westbrook running a pick and roll with James is possible. I guess we will have to wait and see!

Apart from the All-star matchup, many other intriguing contests are spread throughout the All-star weekend – rising stars game, All-star celebrity game, skills challenge, slam dunk contest and 3 point contest are more than enough to make the world feel the bliss of hooping.

The Slam dunk contest is one of the major attractions of the All-star weekend as each and every contestant tries to outplay the others in order to get the maximum scores from the judges and be crowned as the dunking champion of the year. Legends starting from Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have held the title and it’s nothing but an honor to be included in the same list.

Here’s a mixtape of ultimate slam dunk contest highlights.

Apart from high flying men crushing the ring, sharp shooters dazzle the fans with shooting displays. 3 point contest has always been an intense competition where the best sharp shooters of league try to score the most in one minute from the 3 point territory.

Shooters with no boundaries such as Larry Bird, Ray Allen and Stephen Curry grace the list while it was Eric Gordon who took the trophy home last year. Klay Thompson who holds the joint record of most points in the contest along with Stephen Curry is expected to make another appearance this year and it’s guaranteed to be thrilling as it always has been.

Take a look at Stephen Curry going berserk at the 3 point contest to get yourself pumped up for the All-star weekend.

Rookies and sophomores of the league battle for the rising stars championship in two teams named “USA” and “World” to showcase their talents and it provides a platform for the young blood to build their own reputation.

Here’s a clip of the best action from the rising stars challenge last year.

The All-star celebrity game provides laughter and fun for the whole basketball fandom worldwide. Actors, actresses, singers, former NBA players battling at the All-star weekend lightens your mood and might keep you at the chuckle hut for some time.

While it’s all fun most of the time at the celebrity matchup, sometimes it leaves the fans awestruck with their eyes wide open. Ever seen Usain Bolt dunk? Check the video below.

That’s a wrap of the catchup for the All-star weekend with the MVP acceptance speech made by Kevin Hart who is surprisingly a 4 time MVP!

Keep balling!

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