Mac McClung open to returning for dunk contest with Ja Morant
Mac McClung would consider going for 4-peat at the dunk contest if Ja Morant enters
SAN FRANCISCO — LeBron James is out.
James, who was slated to play in a record 21st All-Star Game, will sit out with continued ankle and foot soreness.
His record for consecutive starts ends at 20 as he will miss an All-Star Game for the first time when he has been chosen to play. He was not tapped in his rookie year.
Once again introducing a new format into the NBA All-Star Game, the league is depending on players to deliver a competitive event that satisfies commissioner Adam Silver, fans and the league’s partners.
Will those stakeholders find satisfaction in the four-team mini-tournament Sunday that features three eight-player teams comprised of 12 All-Stars from the Eastern Conference and 12 All-Stars from the Western Conference and a fourth team made up from the Rising Stars event?
The winner of the semifinals (Kenny’s Young Stars vs. Chuck’s Global Stars and Shaq’s OGs vs. Candace’s Rising Stars) and final will be the first team to reach 40 points.
Each player on the championship-winning team will receive $125,000, each player on the second-place team will receive $50,000 and each player on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.
Follow all of Sunday night’s action from the NBA All-Star Game:
How to watch the 2025 NBA All-Star Game
- Location: Chase Center (San Francisco)
- Date: Sunday
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT
NBA All-Star Game: How to stream basketball event
NBA All-Star weekend welcomes a few events tipping off across networks that include ESPN and TNT, which you can stream on Sling.
Watch NBA All-Star weekend events with Sling
- Shaq’s OGs: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Jaylen Brown and Anthony Davis.
- Chuck’s Global Stars: Donovon Mitchell, Nikola Jokic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun and Karl-Anthony Towns.
- Kenny’s Young Stars: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Evan Mobley and Jalen Williams.
- Candace’s Rising Stars: Stephon Castle, Ryan Dunn, Zach Edey, Keyonte George, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Dalton Knecht, Amen Thompson, Jaylen Wells
LeBron James will compete in his 21st NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. He made his first All-Star appearance in 2005 and has shared the court with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett, among others.
He played in 13 games as a representative for the Eastern Conference. He spent five seasons representing the West. He also spent two seasons as the team captain for Team LeBron James and earned victories over Team Stephen Curry in 2018 and 2019.
The All-Star Game changed to a draft format during those two years and was not specifically tied to the East vs. West team name moniker, according to information on StatMuse. ‒ James Williams
LeBron James is averaging 21.7 points (434 total), 5.7 rebounds (114 total) and 5.7 assists (113 total) through his first 20 All-Star Game appearances. James is the all-time leader in several All-Star Game statistical categories including minutes (536), field goals made (182), field goals attempted (355) and 3-pointers attempted (138), according to Fox Sports. James is currently third in assists with 113, behind Chris Paul (128) and Magic Johnson (127). James’ 114 rebounds is sixth all-time, behind Wilt Chamberlain (197), Bob Pettit (178), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (149), Bill Russell (139) and Tim Duncan (136). ‒ James Williams
The Dallas Mavericks have suspended an employee as assistant coach Darrell Armstrong was reportedly arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Armstrong was arrested around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday, according to a report from Dallas station WFAA. The Dallas Police Department said it responded to a home and the 56-year-old Armstrong and a woman were in an argument when he hit the woman with a gun and threatened to shoot her.
Armstrong was booked into jail before 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was set at $35,000, which he has since posted. USA TODAY Sports had reached out to Dallas police for more information. Read full story here. ‒ Jordan Mendoza
NBA All-Star 2026 location
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Los Angeles at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome. The 2027 NBA All-Star Game is headed to the desert in Phoenix at the Suns’ Footprint Center. The location of the 2028 NBA All-Star Game has not been announced yet.
TNT’s Ernie Johnson expresses gratitude
In what is TNT’s last All-Star Weekend telecast for at least the next 11 seasons, longtime TNT sports host Ernie Johnson delivered a thoughtful and grateful message at the annual NBA Legends Brunch.
Johnson relied on one of his trademark rhyming poems to express himself.
In front of some of the greatest players to play in the NBA, including Oscar Robertson, Johnson said:
“Pointing fingers or placing blame, they have no place in this rhyme.
“Bitterness or ill-will, c’mon, don’t waste my time.
“Instead consider gratitude. We’re thankful, and we’re blessed.
“Our TNT production crew, our backbone, just the best.
“So for all my colleagues, every teammate in our ranks:
We offer you a simple yet sincere and heartfelt thanks.”
TNT is not part of the NBA’s new 11-year, $76 billion TV deal to televise and stream games starting in 2025-26. However, TNT’s popular and entertaining “Inside the NBA” featuring Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith has been licensed to Disney so that show will continue on ESPN and ABC.
What’s the future of ‘Inside the NBA’? Details still need to be worked out
SAN FRANCISCO – The idea of not working NBA All-Star Weekend didn’t register with TNT’s Kenny Smith until a friend asked him a question this week.
“My friend asked, ‘Are you going to come to All-Star Weekend next year?’ Smith told USA TODAY Sports from the green room at Pier 48, down the street from Golden State’s Chase Center. He was preparing to appear with TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” crew for a show before the Minnesota-Oklahoma City game.
“I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He says, ‘Well, NBC does it after this season.’ When my friend asked me that question, I had never thought about it.” Read the full story here.
Opinion: NBA’s winning social media strategy comes at expense of All-Star Game
Despite the NBA’s best efforts over the last decade to juice up its All-Star Game to a vague level of competitiveness and credibility, it’s hard to see the league’s newest gimmick generating significantly different results this weekend than the Elam Ending or having LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo drafting the teams.
If that’s the case, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will likely see it as a failure. He has made it clear he wants the All-Star Game to be something other than a glorified pickup run, and the league hopes that this year’s format — dividing players into four teams and having a first-to-40 tournament — will be more satisfying for fans in the arena and more attractive for those watching on television.
But the real problem with the All-Star Game is not something the NBA can fix with a new format, or even shoveling money into the bank accounts of the players.
The problem is us. Or, to be more precise, the way our collective consumption of the NBA has evolved. Read Dan Wolken’s column here.
Opinion: NBA All-Star Game on life support? Format change may save it
NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants a more competitive All-Star Game. His broadcast partners domestically and globally want a more competitive game. Fans – and their seething, disgusted, and worse, apathetic emails dropped into my inbox – want the same. I, too, prefer a more competitive All-Star Game.
Yet, I am skeptical that there is a long-term solution to making it a better product for the league, its partners and fans. Read Jeff Zillgitt’s column here.
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