Grading each event from the NBA’s 2020 All-Star weekend in Chicago

After a long All-Star weekend, we’ve officially hit the end of the NBA’s yearly festivities. But, how did this year’s All-Star weekend stack up?

The NBA All-Star weekend has officially come to a close. This weekend was more experimental and changed up most of the events. This was exactly what was needed for All-Star weekend, which has been brutally bashed for how boring it has recently been. A number of issues have lingered for the past few years, ranging from lackluster and boring All-Star games to uninspired and dull Dunk Contests. However this year, things took a turn for the better.

As a viewer and fan, this year’s All-Star weekend felt so much more entertaining compared to previous years, it didn’t necessarily feel like a chore to watch it. Though it had its controversies, the weekend was universally accepted as a success. The NBA made changes and actually took some risks for once, we weren’t given the same old nonsense. The product was finally rejuvenated and revitalized.

The motivation for all the changes mostly came from the sudden passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant back in January. The passing caused the change of the All-Star game to the new rules and caused some adjustments to the product. This weekend was for Kobe Bryant and the NBA did a fantastic job of commemorating and paying tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers’ legend

Now that this weekend is over, let’s take a look back on what we’ve just experienced. After finally receiving the new product that we all wanted, how did this weekend stack up? What did the NBA do to fix those annoying issues?

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Ruffles Celebrity Game

Before I get abused for talking about the Ruffles Celebrity Game, it’s still apart of the All-Star weekend, don’t fight me.

Coming into this year’s celebrity game, many fans had no knowledge of who half of the “celebrities” actually were. We were given a lineup full of B and C grade celebrities, as usual. Personally, I only knew half and the rest were completely unknown to me, yet there was still a level of excitement in me. If you rightfully didn’t tune in, the celebrity game lineup is below. Good luck trying to name a quarter of these guys:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1228408724395569152?s=20

It was actually interesting to see some former NBA studs in there like Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. We had some celebrities return, like last year’s MVP Famous Los and 2K’s Digital Marketing Director, Ronnie2K. Some nameable celebrities were in there like Common, Quavo, Hannibal Buress and Chance The Rapper, but overall this year’s lineup was quite average, to say the least. Although, we did get to see Stephen A. Smith coach, which is always going to hilarious.

How did it go?

The game, much like the lineup, was mostly average. It didn’t feel that refreshing to watch uncoordinated celebrities attempt to play a game of basketball, but there were some good moments. The change and implementation of new rules was a good decision, such as the minigames during the quarter break to determine a reward for one team. Those rewards were a fun inclusion to the match, especially the half-time minigame where both teams got to gain an NBA legend for their team, which ended up being Chicago Bulls’ legend, Horace Grant.

It was also quite enjoyable watching some of the celebrities and wondering “Who knew that they were actually decent at basketball?”, like Arne Duncan. Who would’ve thought the former Secretary of Education would be a great shooter? Watching Hannibal Buress and Spice Adams play super competitively, only to fail, was a funny and enjoyable sight.

At the end of the day, Team Wilbon ran away with the win, 62-47, crushing my dreams of seeing Stephen A. Smith become super cocky. Popular rapper Common edged out the competition to win the game’s MVP.

To conclude, this year’s celebrity game was mostly average, but it had some bright spots that kept me tuned in for the most part. We got to see the NBA embrace the Ruffles Celebrity Game’s persona, as a joking and a comedic affair that shouldn’t be intended as serious whatsoever. The new additions such as the mini-games were welcome and enjoyable to watch. Though the match had some moments were I snoozed off on my couch, it was an alright TV event to start our NBA All-Star Weekend off.

Grade: C+

Rising Stars Game

Up next on our All-Star weekend agenda, is the Rising Stars Game. This match saw Team USA vs Team World in a fun, highlight-filled event. This is when most NBA fans tune in, because the Celebrity Game is often boring, so it had to be a great match.

The roster for both Team USA and Team World was expected, although the decision to not include New Orleans Pelicans’ big man, Jaxson Hayes, caused a stir of controversy from both the fans and Hayes himself, who criticized the decision not to include him. But it was a stacked lineup for both teams, who were looking to give the fans a good time:

Unfortunately, Tyler Herro and Deandre Ayton could not play due to injury. Tyler Herro was replaced by Cleveland Cavaliers point guard, Collin Sexton, while Ayton was replaced by Pelicans power forward, Nicolo Melli. Welcome inclusions for sure, although I would’ve loved to see Terence Davis replace Herro, but Sexton was fine. Prior to the match, the odds were in Team USA’s favor, but Luka Doncic is a walking bucket so it was a close affair to decide.

How did it go?

This year’s Rising Stars Game was fun to watch, even if it went down-hill during the fourth. Watching the league’s young stars, show off and putting some highlights in my Twitter feed, was a great sight. But there were some outlying issues that bugged fans a bit.

There weren’t any adjustments or changes to the match at all, no rule change or implementation, nothing. Unlike its big brother, the All-Star game, which made an abundance of rule changes. This meant that 100 percent of the game had no defense whatsoever, agonizing fans who just want some change. This match felt a bit uninspired, even though we were given some cool highlights.

Speaking of which, the highlights were marvelous. The main selling point of the match, Zion Williamson, gave fans some awesome moments and rim-shaking dunks. Brandon Clarke was also fun to watch, showing off his athleticism with ease.

In the end, Team USA beat Team World, 151-131. RJ Barrett‘s 27 points and five assists weren’t enough to give Team World the win. The MVP of the whole event was Miles Bridges, who gave us the tweet of the year at half-time:

Bridges finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and chipped in three steals on the defensive end.

To conclude, the Rising Stars game did a good job of impressing the fans, even though it had its ups and downs. It was entertaining, but not to the point where fans were totally drawn in. The overall inconsistency was a letdown, but those entertaining moments kept the fans begging for more. The issue with the game was that it is need of a makeover, throw in some new rules or adjustments, make fans want to watch the full game, rather than just the highlights on YouTube.

Overall, the match was a good way to cap off an eventful All-Star Friday night.

Grade: B

Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Our first event for the All-Star Saturday night was the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. After its inclusion in 2003, the Skills Challenge is an eight-player tournament that pits the players in an obstacle course, involving dribbling, passing and scoring. Usually, the Skills Challenge is forgettable because of the next two events and the focus tends to be more on them than the Skills Challenge. It’s not that it’s bad, in fact it’s quite good, but it usually doesn’t have any jaw-dropping moments, unless you count Jayson Tatum’s miracle shot last year.

This year’s lineup was solid, boasting a broad range of some of the leagues brightest stars. There usually isn’t any complaints about any snubs, because it’s the Skills Challenge, I doubt there will be a huge outrage because someone didn’t make it. Anyways, here’s who participated in the 2020 Taco Bell Skills Challenge:

Originally, Chicago’s favorite son, Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose, was scheduled to take part in the Skills Challenge, but dropped out due to injury. The NBA still stuck with the four guards, four forwards/centers strategy again, not sure why, but it works so no complaints here. Two former Skills Challenge champions also took part, Jayson Tatum and Spencer Dinwiddie, who were both looking to repeat history.

How did it go?

Overall, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge was an entertaining event that gave some great quality action. The results surprised a lot of fans too, who were expecting the guards to dominate, yet the final four were above the height of 6’7″. Nothing was changed but it still worked, it proved that the Taco Bell Skills Challenge is truly a fun event to watch. However next year, the NBA should take some advice to improve and modify the event.

As much as it’s enjoyable to watch, the Skills Challenge course is in need of an upgrade or make-over of sorts. Even if it’s something as small as moving around some obstacles, change would be a welcomed adjustment to the competition. Another issue is that the players need something to motivate them other than gaining a trophy for their cabinet, let them play for a charity of their choice, just for a bit of fun.

In the end, Bam Adebayo took home the Taco Bell Skills Challenge championship, upsetting the whole field of the roster. A lot of fans predicted Jayson Tatum to repeat, so seeing an upset was great.

To conclude, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge was an enjoyable experience and fun event to start off All-Star Saturday night. Though some changes and adjustments could be made to spice up the event, it’s not compulsory. The Skills Challenge does a great job of giving us some intense moments that keep fans on the edge of their seat.

It’s more than likely that we’ll see this event next year, so why not make some changes to it? Freshen it up a little. Seeing an all-big final four was fun to watch. Overall, it was a fun experience to begin an eventful Saturday night.

Grade: A

MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

Next on the All-Star Saturday night agenda was the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest. This is typically a fun event to watch and has stayed in the All-Star weekend since 1986. The eight best shooters in the league gather together to shoot five shots from five parts of the 3-point arc, with the final shot equalling two points. This year, however, the MTN DEW Zone was added, a one-ball rack which is located six-feet behind the 3-point line. Each of the two pedestals equals three points when made.

This year’s lineup was expected, but fans knew it was going to be fun. There were no complaints in terms of the participants, there weren’t any huge snubs that made the rounds. Anyways, the lineup went like this:

As mentioned in the Tweet, Damian Lillard was originally apart of the lineup but removed himself due to an injury. Lillard was replaced by Suns shooting guard, Devin Booker. This lineup boasted two former winners, Joe Harris and Booker himself. Overall, an impressive lineup that put some of the best 3-point shooters in action.

How did it go?

The MTN DEW 3-Point Contest was one of the most fun events in years, hands down. Personally, it was an entertaining 3-Point Contest that had some of the best scores in a while. The all-new MTN DEW Zone was a perfect addition that complimented some of the long-range shooters, such as Trae Young. It was a good adjustment that switched up the contest a lot. The NBA also adjusted the time to shoot from sixty seconds to seventy seconds, meaning competitors weren’t running out of time constantly.

It was a successful attempt to bring in a more exciting experience for the fans and shooters alike. Unlike the Rising Stars Challenge, the 3-Point Contest doesn’t need to adjusted in a huge way, it works the way it is, it’s entertaining 100 percent of the time. In all honesty, this year’s 3-Point Contest was the most entertaining in a while, even if it didn’t boast any record-breaking scores.

In the end, Buddy Hield outlasted the rest of the competitors, winning on the final shot to score a total of 27 points out of a possible 40 points. The favorite of the contest, Trae Young, was unfortunately underwhelming, only scoring 15 points, finishing dead last.

To conclude, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest was a successful attempt to revive the event and boy was it fun to watch. There weren’t any issues with the whole contest, it was genuinely impressive to watch. There were some great moments, including Hield’s final shot to win the contest.

Overall, it was the most stable and enjoyable 3-Point Contest in a while and the addition of the MTN DEW Zone was perfect. It was one of the best 3-Point Contests in the past decade, even though it didn’t boast any super-impressive scores.

Grade: A+

AT&T Dunk Contest

Finally, the one event that every NBA fan looks forward to, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. Every year, all NBA fans have been looking for a dunk contest that can rival the infamous 2016 Dunk Contest. Four of the best high-flyers in the NBA take part in a contest that relies on their creativity to earn the respect and score from the judges. It’s always been the top-dog of All-Star events and has given relevancy to even the most unknown players such as last year’s winner, Hamidou Diallo.

The AT&T Dunk Contest is always the stuff of legend, it’s how players get their nicknames, it’s how players cement their legacies. I’m talking about Vince Carter, who had the greatest dunk contest performance of all-time back in 2000. I’m talking about Nate Robinson, the 5’9″ guard who has three slam-dunk contest titles under his belt.

This year’s lineup was quite enjoyable actually, although some fans were disappointed that young studs like Zion Williamson and Zach LaVine weren’t involved. Nonetheless, here’s the impressive lineup:

The inclusion of Dwight Howard is simply for nostalgia sake, who was trying to reminisce his 2009 Slam Dunk Contest, where he used the Superman gimmick. Pat Connaughton was a questionable entry but he’s known for record-shattering 44 inch vertical, so you know he was going to be airborne the whole time.

But the two drawing points were Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Jones Jr. had been in the competition back in 2017, but is mostly known for his impressive in-game dunks. Gordon finally made his return to the dunk contest, after making a name for himself back in 2016 alongside Zach LaVine. Everyone knew that this dunk contest was going to be wild.

How did it go?

So if you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few days, you’d know that this dunk contest very controversial. You know it, I know it, Aaron Gordon was cheated out of a win.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, this year’s dunk contest was beyond amazing, in fact it has rivaled the past with its creativity. A lot of NBA fans are willing to put the Aaron Gordon controversy to admit that this Dunk Contest was so extravagant, extravagant enough to rival the 2016 Dunk Contest that I always reference.

It was so impressive and creative from the participants that almost every single dunk deserved a score of 50. Looking back at it, this dunk contest deserves every bit of love that it lacks and that one outlying issue of Aaron Gordon being cheated out of a win, doesn’t deserve to taint the enjoyability of this event.

We all know the results by now, Derrick Jones Jr. out dunked Aaron Gordon in a Dunk-Off. Jones Jr. deserved to win, but maybe not after some of the things Aaron Gordon achieved. The Dunk-Off was brilliant, both high-flyers put it all out and pulled all the stops to make sure they were seeing 50s all around. Whether it was under-the-legs or 360s, this contest pulled out everything. But the only issue was the result.

If you haven’t been aware by now, Aaron Gordon may have been cheated out of a win. The result alone frustrated and annoyed almost every single NBA fan under the sun. It blows my mind that Gordon scored a total of 497 out of 500 points overall in the contest, and still lost. His final dunk revolved around him leaping over a 7’5″ Tacko Fall, and although it wasn’t completely clean, he still dunked over the giant. That dunk earned him a mear 47 out of 50, earning three 9/10 scores by Dwyane Wade, Chadwick Boseman and Scottie Pippen. The whole wild ending, was a subject of fan theories, with people saying the contest was rigged in Derrick Jones Jr’s favor.

In the end, this year’s dunk contest was absolutely fantastic, no matter the score. Fans need to look past the result and think about the actual dunks that we were given. The pure athleticism that was shown made fans feel like they were little kids, fanboying over the impressive skills on the competitors.

We were given a whole bunch of dunks that are unforgettable, and will undoubtedly stay like that forever. Aaron Gordon and Derrick Jones Jr. have cemented their dunk-off into the history books, rivalling those of Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan, and Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon.

No matter the result, this was an event that actually worked and was truly impressive to watch. Although it had its faults, all NBA fans can still admit that this was a remarkable showing to end off the All-Star Saturday night was a massive bang.

Grade: A+

All-Star Game

Ladies and gentlemen, the main attraction of the weekend, the widely-tuned-in event of the season, the All-Star game. This is where some of the best in the league, prove their mettle in a game that has received some upgrades in the past few seasons. Originally, the teams were decided by each player’s respective conference, Eastern and Western. However, that system changed back in 2018, with an updated drafting system.

Every year usually plays out the same, the two teams play a high-scoring game, where players show no effort or defense whatsoever, slowly becoming disliked over the past few years. This year, was 10x more different, a change and repair of the issues that truly was well needed.

This year’s lineup was good, but widely criticized for the notable snubs, including Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine to name a few, but you can’t have them all. Here are the teams that were drafted prior to the match.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1229140894311276544

A roster change was made in the form of Damian Lillard being replaced by Devin Booker after an injury left him out. Obviously, Team LeBron has the talent edge over Team Giannis, which makes you think, what was Giannis Antetokounmpo thinking? We have no clue. Team LeBron was to be coached by Lakers’ coach: Frank Vogel, while Team Giannis was to be coached by Bucks’ coach: Mike Budenholzer.

There was a huge change to the All-Star game that completely changed the game’s rules. I’m not going to explain it because well: it’s still confusing, so here’s the NBA explaining it:

So we were coming into this game, not knowing what was going on, good start. Still, it was a change to the slowly dissolving formula that clearly wasn’t working. Fans want change, and they got it. Let’s see how it went.

How did it go?

One word can truly describe this, Brilliance. This year’s All-Star Game was a tremendous step forward, proving to be successful in every category. Nothing actually was faulted here, this experiment worked. The rule changes proved to be the best decision possible for the NBA, who made the change after Kobe’s passing. This game was the polar opposite to its predecessors, showing actual effort and competitiveness, rather than a boring sight of no effort. Finally, this game had some defense.

The ultimate goal to win and support each team’s respective charity was a great choice to add on behalf of NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. This game was close and every single player was motivated to win and were serious to take home the win. We also saw a great balance of fun and enjoyability, with effort. There was a good balance between proper play and great highlights. Whatever they did, the NBA achieved its goal of success.

In the end, Team LeBron managed to best Team Giannis in a 157-155 nail biter. Team LeBron raised $400,000 for the Chicago Scholars, a kids charity that supports schooling in the area. Team LeBron was led by Kawhi Leonard, who chipped in 30 points, seven rebounds while shooting eight threes in twelve attempts. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a welcome sight, who scored 25 points and grabbed eleven rebounds. Leonard grabbed the game’s MVP award, which has been named the All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP award.

To conclude, this year’s All-Star game has clocked in as possible the greatest All-Star game in the weekend’s 69-year span. This game was something that surprised everyone, it truly signified that change does work when done properly. This game had a great atmosphere and it went down to the wire. Truly, everything was perfect about the game, even though it could have some tiny tweaks here and there, such as not ending on a free thro

The new format suits the All-Star Game and the NBA would be clueless to not continue it. Even if the rules may be confusing, it works out and we watched a game that was actually fun to watch, rather than being a chore.

Overall, a great job by the NBA, truly one of the greatest All-Star games in recent memory.

Grade: A+

Let’s wrap it up

This year’s All-Star weekend should go down in history as the most successful in league history. Truly, the positives outweigh the negatives in so many ways, everything about this weekend worked. This was a great ploy to bring in fans and the NBA deserves to be proud of this year’s All-Star weekend. Everything that needed to go right, went right.

There are some tiny issues that should be bought up, such as the Rising Stars game. It’s not that it was terrible, it was just inconsistent for most of the match, which should call for even the slightest of changes, such as duplicating what the All-Star game did. The Celebrity Game was also quite flawed, but it still had its great moments throughout. Unfortunately, it’s in need of a well-deserved makeover, it’s beginning to feel like a chore to watch the Celebrity Game.

However, as I said, the positives truly outweigh the negatives. The whole All-Star Saturday night was successful, it worked. The NBA made some great choices when choosing the talents that were taking part. It’s still crazy that every single ending of each event was wild and went down to the wire, making for a great rewatch.

Although there was some controversy regarding the ending of the Dunk Contest, it was super fun to watch, and it made me feel like a little kid again. I enjoyed watching it, each dunk was as special as the other. Regarding the ending, travesties happen here and there, and it was just unfortunate that it had to happen to Aaron Gordon of all people.

Finally, the All-Star game was the most enjoyable and entertaining game in a very long time, some would argue that it is the greatest All-Star game of all time, me included. The new rule changes made sense and improved the game to actually make it watchable. The NBA, and players alike, put tons of effort into the game. This was all warranted, NBA fans have been waiting for a change to happen, and finally, we got it.

The NBA would be clueless to change the whole format again, it worked this year, it should be bound to work for the years to come.

All-around, this All-Star Weekend was utterly amazing. Although there are some flaws that are stopping it from being perfect, it still deserves to be on top as the greatest All-Star Weekend in NBA history. Overall, there were tons of highlights that’ll be set in stone forever. The new changes felt genuine and the All-Star game format felt inspired and legitimate. Every event was fun and made sense for the All-Star festivities.

For next year, some advice: Make some changes with the Rising Stars game, please.

The NFL should take some advice on how to run an All-Star weekend. Well done NBA, you’ve drawn me in for next year. Hopefully, the fans can finally get that one-on-one tournament challenge, that has been popularly suggested.

Truly a great weekend that’ll forever be in the NBA history books. It was one for the fans.

Average Overall Grade: A-