The All-Star Weekend in the NBA is imminent and promises to be a spectacle again this year. Some of the most attractive events will take place the day before the actual game: The Dark Contest, the Triple Contest and the Skills Challenge will take place on All-Star Saturday.
Just like the All-Star Game, the events will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. First the Skills Challenge will start at 2am German time, followed by the three-way contest and last but not least the Dunk Contest. All three events will be shown live with the League Pass and on DAZN.
The participants for all events are also fixed. Here you will find all information about the All-Star Saturday contests.
As every year, there is probably no other event on the All-Star Weekend that is as eagerly awaited as the Dunk Contest. Although the NBA fans will not see the absolute superstars like LeBron James or Russell Westbrook dark this year, some very ambitious players will be competing.
In the Dunk Contest, four participants compete in two rounds. After the first round, two participants will be eliminated by the dark judges, the remaining two will then compete against each other again in a final round in pairs. The better Dunker is then again determined by the Dunk judges.
Last year Glenn Robinson III won the final against Derrick Jones Jr. in the duel between two rather unknown players. Nevertheless, the duel had some very spectacular dunks to offer.
The three-way contest may not get as much attention as the Dunk Contest, but this contest also offers its own dramaturgy. In the Shootout, eight players compete against each other, each throwing five sets of balls from different positions on the three-line basket in limited time. Each set also contains a so-called “Moneyball”, which is worth an extra point. Players can also place an entire set of “Moneyballs” at a certain position on the three-line.
The contest was won in 2017 by Eric Gordon, who won the contest against Thompson, Lowry and Kyrie Irving in the final.
The first event on Saturday is the Skills Challenge, where eight players – divided into big men and guards – compete in two separate brackets. Participants must complete an obstacle course as quickly as possible. The winner of each bracket will then compete in the final between Big Men and Guards to choose the Skills Challenge Champion of the Year.
Surprisingly, the Big Men have so far performed better in this competition. In the last two years Karl-Anthony Towns (2016) and Kristaps Porzingis (2017) have won the Skills Challenge.