Din’ brings the noise in comp.
LOS ANGELES — It was a good day for Nets point guards past and present.
Hours after Jason Kidd was named a Hall of Fame finalist, unsung but rising point guard Spencer Dinwiddie captured the Skills Challenge to kick off All-Star Saturday at Staples Center. The 6-foot-6 Dinwiddie, who was the Pistons’ second-rounder in 2014, outdid 7-foot Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen in the finals that pit the big man against the guard.
In the morning, the loquacious Dinwiddie said, “I didn’t come here to lose.’’ And he backed up his claim, keeping the crown in New York after Kristaps Porzingis won it last year.
“It’s big for me to even be at All-Star weekend considering the road that’s been in my career, very up and down,’’ said Dinwiddie, a Los Angeles native. “Obviously being in the G-League both on assignment and as a G-League player. Thanks to the Brooklyn Nets for giving me the opportunity. It all really feels and seems full circle because I got to come home and do it in front of my family.’’
With the new Hall of Fame waiting period reduced from five to three years, Kidd got the nod. With his brilliant playmaking, Kidd, who played his final season with the Knicks, led the Nets to two NBA Finals when they played in New Jersey. He’s considered near the top of the list of best point guards of all time — a lock to be enshrined when the announcement comes March 31. Along with Kidd, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and longtime 76er and one-time Knick Maurice Cheeks were on the finalist list.
Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the “shut up and dribble’’ controversy. He said it was “incredibly unfair’’ LeBron James not going to college was held against him in criticism he shouldn’t talk politics.
“They have enormous opportunity in the way Bill Gates and Mark Zuck
erberg to create enormous wealth for them and their family,’’ Silver said. “It frustrates me. It doesn’t mean they don’t care about education.’’
Silver also said he was pleased the Players Association met with the referees association to discuss escalating hostility.
“I was pleased to see they focused on themes of respect and empathy,” he said. ... Phoenix’s Devin Booker won the Three-Point Contest.
There was a 50 percent chance the Slam Dunk Contest winner was going to be a point guard the Knicks passed in the draft. In continuing his Rookie of the Year bid, Donovan Mitchell of Westchester won the event, edging Larry Nance Jr. in the final round. Mitchell’s ode to Vince Carter, strapping on a purple throwback Raptors jersey for a 360 spin windmill slam was the highlight. Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t make it out of the first round, but some felt he threw down the most ferocious dunk of the night.