All-Star weekend arrives in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (AP): WELCOME BACK, LeBron James. Welcome for the first time, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey.
All-Star weekend in Indianapolis is here, with some familiar names, some new faces, a nod to nostalgia, and a bit of unwinding for everyone before the stretch run of the season. Most of the 54 players who will be part of the weekend’s on-court festivities – and quite a few more are coming as well – began arriving yesterday.
For James, it’s his 21st All-Star weekend in his 21 NBA seasons. He didn’t make the All-Star Game as a rookie; he made the weekend as part of the rookie game. He’s made every All-Star Game since, now the first player to be picked for the showcase in 20 different seasons. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time selection.
“I’m humbled and very blessed, obviously,” James said. “I don’t take it for granted, being an All-Star. The fact that I still get to represent this franchise, one, my family – which is most important, my family name on the back of the jersey, that’s very important to me when it comes to acknowledgement and accolades and things of that nature – and also the fans, who’ve been down with me for the last two decades-plus.”
There is something for everyone. There are all the traditional NBA on-court events – the Rising Stars and celebrity games on Friday; the dunk contest, 3-point shootout and skills competition on Saturday; then the All-Star Game itself on Sunday. Added to the slate for Saturday: a 3-point contest between NBA shooting king Stephen Curry and WNBA 3-point contest record-holder Sabrina Ionescu.
There’s a game between a pair of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), as the NBA continues to give HBCU institutions part of the All-Star spotlight. This year, the game is Virginia Union against Winston-Salem State on Saturday afternoon. This weekend, a glass LED court is set to be part of the show today and tomorrow.
“Honestly, it’s just amazing to be an All-Star,” Banchero said. The Orlando forward was at AllStar weekend last year for rookie and skills events – this year, he’s got events today, tomorrow and Sunday, having made the big game for the first time.
Banchero is one of four firsttime All-Stars, joining New York’s Brunson, Philadelphia’s Maxey and Toronto’s Barnes. Plenty of other players are part of the weekend for the first time; that’s what events like the Rising Stars games are about, to give the league’s top promising players a chance to get a feel for the big stage.
“I’m excited to get there, excited to let it all sink in,” said San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft who has the Rising Stars games and the skills competition on his on-court calendar this weekend.