The 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us. For the first time in NBA history, the All-Star weekend will take place outside of the United States in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The first NBA game was played in Toronto and the league will come full circle as the mid-season celebration of the best basketball talent in the world all go north of the border. The 65th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, culminating a big weekend for the NBA but the star-studded events start on Friday night.
The staff for NBA on Def Pen will pick the winners for the big weekend.
2016 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Game
Friday at 10 PM eastern time on TNT, the Rising Stars Game tips off. Nerlens Noel and Nikola Mirotic both suffered injuries and they won’t be competing in the event but the two big men have been replaced by Trey Lyles and Devin Booker respectively. Last years MVP Andrew Wiggins will be back to defend his award but the field is stacked with some big names.
Honi – Team USA, D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Charlie – Team USA, Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz
Rob – Team World, Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
David – Team World, Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Max – Team USA, Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
2016 Taco Bell Skills Challenge
On Saturday night, starts at about 7PM eastern time, the real festivities begin. For the first time ever, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge will have a competition with big men and smaller guards going head-to-head in a tournament style setup. Defending champion Patrick Beverley will not be participating this year due to injury and the rookie Emmanuel Mudiay will be replacing him.
Honi – Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Charlie – Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Rob – Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
David – Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Max – Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers
2016 Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout
Stephen Curry returns to defend his three-point shootout title once again against a tough field which includes his splash brother, Klay Thompson. Los Angeles Clippers veteran J.J. Redick is back and he vows to put up a better effort than he did last season. Phoenix Suns rookie sharpshooter Devin Booker will be the youngest player to compete in the three-point shootout and Kyle Lowry will be there to defend his homecourt in Toronto.
Honi – Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Charlie – Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Rob – Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
David – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Max – J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers
2016 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest
Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine. He’s the talk of the town for the 2016 NBA All-Star Saturday Night events and he’s the odds-on favorite to win the competition for the second year in a row. He is going up against some stiff competition in Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic, Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons and Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets. While all guys have put down some nasty slams this season, this is Zach’s event to lose.
Honi – Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
Charlie – Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
Rob – Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
David – Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
Max – Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
2016 NBA All-Star Game
The 65th annual NBA All-Star Game is going to have a some Toronto flavor in it as the dynamic Raptors backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will take the court in ‘the six’ for their hometown fans. Kobe Bryant takes the All-Star court for the final time in his career as he continues his farewell tour and there’s a duo coming out of Oklahoma City in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook looking to remind everyone that they are still two of the top five players in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors are heavily represented with three players in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green competing in the contest and The San Antonio Spurs will also have a their own quiet but effective duo in Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge representing them.
Honi – Western Conference All-Stars, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Charlie – Eastern Conference All-Stars, Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Rob – Western Conference All-Stars, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
David – Western Conference All-Stars, Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Max – Western Conference All-Stars, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Cameron – Western Conference All-Star, Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
