NBA All Star Weekend 2020: Official SR Previews, Predictions

How’s this for a Valentine’s Day and weekend gift?

Every year, millions upon millions gather around their television screens (or if you’re actually in the host city, witness the events live in person) and watch the star-studded action and pageantry of All-Star Weekend on practically every channel though of that regularly broadcasts NBA basketball during the season. This year, the annual festival that celebrates everything about this fantastic game takes place in the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois, simply known as the city that a certain “GOAT” by the name of Michael Jordan built and called home for nearly two decades.

This marks the consecutive year the NBA collectively decided to visit two Jordan-related stomping grounds, per All-Star weekend’s events taking place in the Queen City Charlotte, North Carolina, where Jordan owns the city’s franchise known as the Charlotte Hornets. This year, the United Center plays part in the tradition that’s captivated league supporters for nearly 7 decades, with this installment being the 69th All-Star game played in the NBA’s decorated history.

And from the celebrities trying their best to display basketball skills during the usual comedy fest that’s the Celebrity All-Star Game, the rookies and sophomores that electrify all fans across the league squaring off in the Rising Stars Challenge, the iconic showcase of the league’s most gifted athletes and scorers on All-Star Saturday Night, to Sunday’s game of tribute that just means a little more, due to the untimely passing of soon-to-be-first-ballot NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, we’ll have all the previews and predictions for every event, right here.

So let’s get into what should be the exciting conclusion of the season’s already epic first half.

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NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, 7:00 P.M. ET, ESPN

This is usually the Kickstarter to the weekend every season and it never finds a way to disappoint, one way or another. And every year, some of the world’s most influential artists, actors, sometimes politicians, and former NBA and WNBA athletes take to the court in a shortened, four-quarter battle to determine supremacy among the best hooping celebrities in pop culture. Tonight’s game in the Wintrust Arena, the stadium where the WNBA affiliate Chicago Sky play, 2019 Celebrity All-Star MVP and “famous” Instagram star Famous Los makes his return to the game where he gives just about everyone buckets.

Along with him on Team Michael Wilbon (both teams are coached by an ESPN personality, by the way as the Pardon the Interruption host is going against First Take Co-host and ESPN legend Stephen A. Smith) are other names like rapper and Team Captain Common, recording artist Jidenna, Jon Batiste from “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”, and Latin recording artist Bad Bunny. On Team Stephen A., 1/3 of the Migos group Quavo returns to the Celebrity game, along with Team Captain Chance the Rapper, 2k Sports Marketing director Ronnie 2k, Social Media comedian “Spice” Adams (the “Uh-Ha-Ha” guy), and Las Vegas Aces forward A’Ja Wilson.

2020 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles Prediction: Team Wilbon – 75, Team Stephen A. – 60

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NBA Rising Stars Challenge: 9 P.M. ET, TNT

Tipping off as soon as the Celebrity game is over, it’ll be time for the young, inquisitive and impressionable rookies and second-year players that have made a name for themselves in their short careers, and for the fourth time, it’ll be the case of American-born players going toe-to-toe with young players from around the world. This year’s Rising Stars Challenge is sure to pack a star-filled punch, as you’ll have an MVP candidate Luka Doncic, the darling of the Dallas Mavericks’ plan to win their second title in franchise history at some point, going against the guy who he was drafted a couple of picks earlier in the 2018 NBA Draft Trae Young.

And, for the first time since their days playing on the same AAU basketball teams in South Carolina, the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in June’s NBA Draft in Zion Williamson and Ja Morant team up to battle the likes of intercontinental figures like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last year’s MVP Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Zion’s old Duke teammate and best friend RJ Barrett.

The second event of the night is usually filled with deep threes, crazy lobs, fastbreak slams, and nasty crossovers, so get ready for this year’s edition of the clash of rookies and sophomores that is sure to be complete with some back and forth battles, nasty crossovers, deep threes, and high-flying dunks.

2020 NBA Rising Stars Challenge Presented By Mountain Dew Prediction: Team World – 170, Team USA – 167

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Taco Bell NBA Skills Challenge, Saturday, Feb. 15, 8 P.M. ET, TNT

Defending champion Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics will be joined by former champions Patrick Beverley of the LA Clippers and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets in displaying their vast array of talents in the 2020 Taco Bell Skills Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the United Center in Chicago. This year’s improved lineup includes five players out of the eight-player field that are All-Star selections, and Tatum, being one of the All-Stars, is joined by the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton, the Indiana Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis, and the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam.

Chicago native and former Bulls standout guard Derrick Rose was scheduled to compete in this event, but due to injury, he’ll be replaced by second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is making his second All-Star weekend appearance. The competition, which involves players shooting, dribbling, passing and (maybe) dunking in a fast-paced race to determine who is the most skilled player out of this lineup

2020 NBA Skills Challenge Presented By Taco Bell Prediction: Jayson Tatum repeats.

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NBA Three-Point Contest: Saturday, Feb. 15, 9 P.M. ET, TNT

This year’s TNT-hosted three-point shootout will feature the returning, defending champion, Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris as he looks to keep his belt against an even more stacked array of contenders as his opposition.

Participants include:

• Davis Bertans, Washington
•  Devin Booker, Phoenix
• Devonte’ Graham, Charlotte
• Joe Harris, Brooklyn
• Buddy Hield, Sacramento
• Zach LaVine, Chicago
• Duncan Robinson, Miami
• Trae Young, Atlanta

Per NBA.com – “The 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest features a new look with the addition of two shots in the “MTN DEW Zone” – two locations positioned equidistant between the traditional racks at the top of the 3-point arc and the adjacent “wing” rack.  Each of the two ball pedestals in the MTN DEW Zone is located 6 feet behind the 3-point line and holds one special green ball, the “3-Ball.”  Shots made with the green ball are worth three points.”

So that’s interesting. Whoever has the hot hand, as the case for every year, will make the definitive say on who will walk away with that big gold ball trophy at the event’s end.

2020 MTN Dew Three-Point Contest Prediction: Devin Booker wins after replacing Damian Lillard.

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2020 AT&T NBA Slam Dunk Contest: 10 P.M. ET, TNT

Returning Slam Dunk Champion and rim-rocking legend Dwight Howard makes his highly-anticipated return to the Slam Dunk Contest and will look for his 2nd Slam title against a competitive and uber-athletic field composed of Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton, and returning dunker Aaron Gordon from Orlando. This is Howard’s first time since 2009 that he decided to participate in the high-flying affair, and speaking of returns, Aaron Gordon is hoping that a “third time’s the charm” stroke of luck is on his way in the third dunk contest of his career.

Also, Derrick Jones Jr. makes his second appearance in a dunk contest, as he was unsuccessful in prying away a slam dunk title from the hands of the equally impressive Donovan Mitchell who won in 2017. Jones Jr., who turns 23 on the same day as AT&T Slam Dunk,  is looking for retribution against a packed field. Pat Connaughton, the surprise selection of this year’s contest, is seeking to become the first-ever Milwaukee player to win Slam Dunk.

Another cool fact: AT&T Slam Dunk takes in place Chicago for the first time since 1988 when the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan beat the Atlanta Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins to win his second consecutive Slam Dunk title in what many believe to be the greatest slam dunk contest in NBA history.

2020 AT&T NBA Slam Dunk Competition Prediction: Aaron Gordon wins his first Slam Dunk title.

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69th NBA All-Star Game, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, 8 P.M. ET, TNT

It’s Team Giannis vs. Team LeBron in a star-studded battle to the finish, as both leading vote-getter in the West LeBron James leads a team against leading vote-getter in the East Giannis Antetokounmpo. Two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference – selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel were previously drafted by James and Antetokounmpo just two weeks ago to start in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, taking place in the United Center at 8 P.M. ET.

Along with James in the frontcourt, the Western Conference starting five features James teammate in Lakers’ Anthony Davis at Center, the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić at point guard, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden at the two-guard spot, and their current rival in LA Clippers’ forward Kawhi Leonard. For the Eastern selections, Antetokounmpo is joined in the frontcourt by Sixers big man Joel Embiid as well as the Toronto Raptors’ forward Pascal Siakam. For their guards, the East will roll out the Boston Celtics’ Kemba Walker and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young.

As for the Western reserves, Damian Lillard is replaced (due to a groin injury) by First-time All-Star Devin Booker. For the rest of the reserves,  Houston’s Russell Westbrook, Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, Utah’s Rudy Gobert, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, OKC’s Chris Paul and New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram receive the honors. In the East, Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Philly’s Ben Simmons, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, and Miami’s Bam Adebayo were picked to play in Sunday’s game.

The two teams are as follows:

Team LeBron Starters: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, James Harden

Reserves: Ben Simmons, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Domantas Sabonis, Devin Booker

Team Giannis Starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Kemba Walker, Trae Young

Reserves: Khris Middleton, Bam Adebayo, Rudy Gobert, Kyle Lowry, Brandon Ingram, Donovan Mitchell

Both teams will suit up to play for a selected charity of both James and Antetokounmpo’s choice. Team LeBron will play for a charity called Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit leadership development organization that “empowers academically ambitious students from under-resourced communities to complete college and become the next generation of leaders.”

For Team Giannis will play for After School Matters, a nonprofit organization that “provides life-changing after-school and summer program opportunities to nearly 19,000 Chicago teenagers each year.”

What’s interesting is that this year, each team will try to win each quarter as the leader in points after a quarter ends will earn money for their charity. This year’s game is going to offer some significance, as the weekend-long tribute to Kobe Bryant will play a big part in determining the outcome of the game. There will be an untimed fourth quarter that will be ended by one team reaching a target score of 24 (as a tribute to one of Bryant’s numbers that were retired in 2018).

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel will lead Team LeBron as he is the coach of the West’s best team, and Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will guide Team Giannis in the 69th edition of the NBA All-Star Game.

69th NBA All-Star Game Prediction: Team LeBron – 180, Team Giannis – 169