All-Star weekend arrives, a 21st-time event for LeBron
INDIANAPOLIS — 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 on Thursday.
The rundown of events, and there are dozens, officially opened Thursday night with a tip-off party. Indiana All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton showed up in the ultimate Hoosier State style, in an IndyCar — the state may be hoops-crazy, but auto racing is pretty big here as well — driven by Indiana native Conor Daly, a two-time top10 finisher at the Indianapolis 500.
Haliburton shared the stage with another legend of basketball in Indiana — Larry Bird, who handed Haliburton a ceremonial golden basketball.
“The fans are excited. I’m excited,” Haliburton said. “It’s a chance to showcase our city.”
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, 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 on Friday and Saturday. There’s even a fan event called NBA Crossover, set up in a 350,000-square-foot space where ticketholders can try virtual reality headsets, test out the latest offerings from Jordan Brand, play with an airless basketball, even get a haircut while playing video games. And there’s a brunch honoring icons of the game on Sunday, an event that’s almost as tough a ticket to get as the game itself.
“Honestly, it’s just amazing to be an All-Star,” Banchero said. The Orlando forward was at All-Star weekend last year for rookie and skills events — this year, he’s got events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, having made the big game for the first time.
Banchero is one of four first-time 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.