ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us. Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will draft their teams just before tip-off in Salt Lake City on February 19.
Team Captains @KingJames and @Giannis_An34 will select from the Player Pool in the 2023 #NBAAllStar Draft presented by Jordan Brand.
It will air as a new, live pregame segment at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 pm ET from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. pic.twitter.com/fkl1kg3adQ
— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2023
Who Makes Up The All-Star Rosters?
The segment will air live as a new pregame segment at the NBA All-Star Game. Starters include stars such as Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, and Kevin Durant. Reserves include others such as Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, and more. The starters were announced on January 26, and the reserves were announced on February 2.
What They’re Playing For
Both teams will be playing for Utah based organizations. Team LeBron will be playing for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, an organization that aims to create one-on-one mentoring opportunities for youths. Team Giannis will be playing for Raise the Future, which aims to decrease the number of youths in foster care.
The All-Star Game and Practice will contribute a total of $750,000 to the two organizations. The winning team will earn an additional contribution for their organization.
The beneficiaries for the 2023 #NBAAllStar Game have been selected!#TeamLeBron will play for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah (@bbbsutah)#TeamGiannis will play for Raise the Future (@raisefuture)
In total, the game will raise more than $750,000 for the Utah community. pic.twitter.com/Qyay24YVnJ
— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2023
The Events
The weekend begins in Salt Lake City on Friday, February 17. The All-Star Celebrity Game and the Rising Stars Challenge will take place on February 17. All-Star Saturday will feature the skills challenge, the slam dunk contest, the 3-point contest, and the NBA HBCU Classic with Grambling State taking on Southern University. The All-Star Game is set for Sunday, February 19.
All-Star Format
This is the first year that the captains will draft their team just before tip-off. The game will once again feature a target-score, the leading teams score after three quarters plus 24. The fourth quarter will not use a game clock. The first team to reach or surpass the target score in the untimed quarter will be declared the winner.
This is the first year that Utah has hosted the All-Star Game since 1993. Team Giannis will be lead by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, while Team LeBron will be coach by Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. The NBA All-Star Game will take place at Vivint Arena on February 19.
