Bridges leads U.S. in Rising Stars game
Miles Bridges got the All-Star weekend off to a high-flying start.
So did Zion Williamson — even when his dunk attempts didn’t go in.
Bridges scored 20 points and took MVP honors, Eric Paschall added 23 more and the U.S. beat the World 151-131 in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.
Cleveland’s Collin Sexton had 21 points, Atlanta All-Star Trae Young added 18 and Chicago product Kendrick Young of Miami chipped in with 16. Williamson scored 14 and had the baskets inside the United Center shaking whether he made or missed.
The No. 1 pick continued to dazzle after his highly anticipated debut for New Orleans got pushed back three months because of right knee surgery. Averaging 22.1 points in 10 games for the Pelicans, the prized rookie delighted the crowd with several thunderous dunks as well as two impressive misses in the closing minutes.
Williamson attempted a 360, only to have it go flying off the rim. Given a do-over as players on both teams stood and watched, he went between his legs and off the glass only to miss again.
RJ Barrett of New York led the World with 27 points, and Washington’s Brandon Clarke scored 22.
The annual showcase of the top rookies and second-year players helped kick off the first All-Star weekend in the Windy City since 1988, when Michael Jordan dazzled the home crowd at the old Chicago Stadium. Back then, His Airness edged Dominique Wilkins in a slam dunk contest that arguably remains the standard and scored 40 points to lead the East over the West in the game.
On Friday, Kobe Bryant’s presence loomed large.
Players wore patches featuring the numbers 2 and 24 surrounded by nine stars in honor of the Lakers great and his daughter, Gianna, who were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. Pau Gasol along with WNBA great Sue Bird addressed the crowd at midcourt as part of a pregame tribute to Gasol’s former teammate and late NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Bryant among 8 finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame.
The list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame is considerably shorter than usual.
The voters really didn’t need more this year.
Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett — 48 All-Star nods between them — headlined the class of eight finalists announced Friday by the Hall of Fame. Each will still need to collect 18 votes from a 24-person panel before officially becoming Hall of Famers, which is certainly no more than a formality at this point.
In recent years, finalist classes have been around 13 people. But the star power at the top forced the Hall to change its thinking this year, a decision that was made before Bryant died unexpectedly in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26.
“We did it because of the enormity, even before Kobe’s death, that we think Kobe and Duncan and Garnett bring to it,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We’ve never had a class that strong at the top. And then, of course, with Kobe’s death it added more focus.”
Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings are all first-time finalists. The other finalists have all been to this point previously: Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, five-time Division II women’s coach of the year Barbara Stevens of Bentley, and four-time national men’s college coach of the year Eddie Sutton.
This year’s enshrinement class will be announced on April 4 at college basketball’s Final Four in Atlanta. The induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts is Aug. 29.