Category: Basketball

How Jaylen Brown fared for USA Stripes in new All-Star Game tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

While his teammates enjoyed some much-needed downtime, Jaylen Brown was a busy man at NBA All-Star Weekend.

The Boston Celtics star participated in his fifth career All-Star Game on Sunday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, getting the start for USA Stripes in the debut of the league’s new round-robin All-Star tournament format.

Here’s a quick explainer of the format, followed by Brown’s stats and highlights from the night:

NBA All-Star Game format

The league’s 22 active All-Stars were split into three teams: USA Stripes (featuring Brown and older veterans such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant), USA Stars (featuring younger players like Anthony Edwards and Cade Cunningham) and World (international players).

Each team played two 12-minute games against the other two squads, and the two teams with the best records — with point differential as the tiebreaker — faced each other in the championship.

USA Stars beat the World team in Game 1 on a Scottie Barnes buzzer-beater, then Brown’s USA Stripes squad faced USA Stars in Game 2.

Jaylen Brown’s Game 2 stats and highlights

• Stat line: 9:23 minutes, 11 points, 5-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3 rebounds, 1 block

Brown showed out in this one, scoring a team-high 11 of the Stripes’ 42 points and helping his team earn a 42-40 win over the Stars.

Brown thrived at all three levels: He threw down a pair of thunderous dunks, hit a 3-pointer over Chet Holmgren and cashed some difficult shots in the midrange to help power the Stripes’ offense.

Team Stripes trailed by one in the closing seconds, but De’Aaron Fox hit a 3-pointer as time expired to secure the victory.

Jaylen Brown’s Game 3 stats and highlights

• Stats: 7:57 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks

This was the Kawhi Leonard Game. Playing in his home arena, the Clippers star went absolutely nuclear with 31 of the Stripes’ 48 points as they earned a 48-45 victory over the World.

Brown didn’t contribute to the scoring but proved why he’s one of the best two-way players in the league with a steal and a pair of blocks, including a clutch swat on Jamal Murray in the final minute.

Jaylen Brown’s championship game stats and highlights

Stats: 12 minutes, 4 points, 2-10 FG, 0-7 3PT, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

The championship game was an All-American rematch between Stripes and Stars, and this time, the Stars got their revenge, jumping out to a 12-1 lead before cruising to a 47-21 victory.

Brown got his money’s worth by hoisting a team-high 10 shots but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts as he tried to get Stripes back in the game.

Anthony Edwards dropped eight points as part of a balanced attack for Stars and was named the All-Star Game MVP.

Jaylen Brown’s final stat line

Over three 12-minute “games,” Brown finished with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal. While he didn’t have the best shooting performance overall (7 for 22), his 11 points were key in helping Stripes reach the championship game.

The Celtics are off until Thursday, when they’ll take on old friends Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in Golden State against the Warriors (10 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston).

UConn is 24-2 this season, but Dan Hurley is sick of playing in a building that doesn't reflect that energy.

After a 79-75 win over Georgetown on Feb. 14, Hurley and Hoyas coach Ed Cooley were surprised by the lack of enthusiasm in Storrs.

"Very tough place to play. Honestly, I was surprised there was empty seats up in the section," Cooley told reporters after the game. "I mean, you've got a national championship team. This place should be sold out every day. That actually shocked me ... This place should've been bouncing off the wall on a Saturday night with a team that's out there like that. That's just what I saw."

When does March Madness start? Selection Sunday date, conference tournaments schedule

With the strong season UConn is having so far, Dan Hurley expects more out of the fans. pic.twitter.com/aG84CU9MKM

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 15, 2026

Hurley had no interest in disabusing Cooley of that notion. He also called out the UConn faithful for its showing on Valentine's Day in a lengthy response.

"I've kind of given up on [hyping up the crowd]," Hurley said when he was asked about Cooley's comments. "I've done that. I don't get the same response." He added UConn is the self-appointed "Basketball Capital of the World" and it doesn't reflect that.

After rattling off his impressive resume with UConn, Hurley mentioned a few places that do live up to their crowd billings. "The section behind our basket was empty," he said. "It should be a madhouse when we play here at the 'Basketball Capital of the World' for our games ... Xavier's a madhouse when we go there. Creighton is a madhouse. When we play St. John's now in the Big East road game, that's not Storrs South no more. That environment that we played in was a serious, serious nasty environment. Intense environment. We were at a major disadvantage in terms of the atmosphere. I could go to Kansas and some of these different places that we play."

Hurley signed off by saying he doesn't question his own standing.

"I got some [expletive] equity," he said. "I got two national championships here in the last three years. And we've given you the season that there's a lot of programs across the country that's fans wish they had going. So I'm not doing that anymore. I ask the players to try to do it. You don't come to watch the game, it's not a [expletive] social event ... It needs to be a madhouse."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Hurley, Ed Cooley question UConn fans after lack of students at game

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair scored 14 points each on their senior day and No. 11 Duke edged No. 21 North Carolina 72-68 on Sunday, the Blue Devils' 16th consecutive win.

After a back-and-forth first half that saw 16 lead changes, Duke led 41-33 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Blue Devils' lead was only 56-54 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter but the Tar Heels got no closer.

Delaney Thomas' layup made it a six-point game with 30 seconds remaining. Nyla Brooks hit a 3 for North Carolina with 15 seconds left, but Jackson added a free throw for the final margin.

Riley Nelson scored 13 points and Toby Fournier grabbed 12 rebounds for Duke (19-6, 14-0 ACC). Mair finished with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Ciera Toomey scored 14 points, Indya Nivar 12 and Brooks and Nyla Harris 10 each for North Carolina (21-6, 10-4). It was UNC's first loss this season when the Nyla's — Brooks and Harris — both scored in double figures.

There were 10 lead changes in the first quarter and Nelson's jumper in the final minute gave Duke a 19-18 lead at the end of the period.

A 7-0 run helped put North Carolina ahead 29-23 in the second quarter. Jordan Wood hit three second-quarter 3-pointers to help Duke take an eight-point lead at halftime.

Duke, which visits North Carolina on March 1 in a regular-season finale, leads the series 57-55.

Up next

North Carolina: at Virginia Tech on Thursday.

Duke: N.C. State visits on Tuesday. ___

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INGLEWOOD, CA — LeBron James, holding court before his record 22^ndNBA All-Star appearance, took some time to reflect on his future — but not too much.

At 41 years old, James remains an impact player and is reimagining what can be expected of a player his age. And though there has been plenty of speculation about James’ future beyond this season, he said he has not made up his mind on potential retirement.

“I want to live,” James told reporters Sunday, Feb. 15. “When I know, you guys will know. I have no idea. I just want to live, that’s all.”

James was speaking at a press conference at the Intuit Dome, hours before he plays for Team Stars in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will employ a USA vs. World format.

Winners, losers from U.S. vs. World 2026 NBA All-Star Game originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The first ever U.S. vs. World NBA All-Star Game is in the books.

Thought it wasn’t a standard 48-minute game between two teams, there were improved effort levels and a higher competition level than previous All-Star Games.

Four 12-minute games highlighted the event, as Team World lost their two appearances. Both the Stars and Stripes went 2-1 apiece, but the former won the game that mattered most.

The Stars easily cruised past the Stripes 47-21 in the championship game, with the latter team playing the final three games having possibly played a factor in their sudden inability to score. The Stars, who didn’t play in Game 3, looked the far more fresher of the two and used that to their advantage.

Let’s analyze the event in Los Angeles further with winners and losers:

WINNER: Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

Before the action started, Edwards said he wanted to prove those who believed Team World was better than the U.S. wrong. From the get-go, the Minnesota Timberwolves star came out with energy and hunger, rivaling that of San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.

Edwards eventually got the last laugh and won the All-Star Game MVP award for his performances, which included eight points, four rebounds and two assists in the championship game.

Spectators wanted to see more effort from stars. Edwards brought it.

LOSER: Team World’s record

A team featuring Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jamal Murray, among others, did not win a single game.

Of course, they only participated in two and both were close. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also missed out due to injuries.

But one could argue they should’ve at least done more given the quality across the board. Based on Wembanyama’s reactions, he won’t want that next season should the format return.

WINNER: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

The Stripes ultimately didn’t win, but LA Clippers star Leonard provided some of the best quality on the day.

In the 48-45 win over Team World, Leonard accounted for 31 of his team’s points on a red-hot 11 of 13 shooting from the field. The Stripes had trailed early and could’ve been in danger of getting eliminated, but the hometown man came to the rescue.

The momentum didn’t carry over to the final, but the memories did.

LOSER: Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic

Most of Team World’s downfalls came down to the lack of two quality players not playing. Denver Nuggets star Jokic and Los Angeles Lakers star Doncic only played five minutes each in the first game, then never touched the floor again.

They both have recently returned from injuries, but this would’ve been a chance to get some reps and minutes under their belt for the regular-season games that lie ahead. It was the opposite of the effort Wembanyama and Edwards displayed.

WINNER: Youth movement

Analysis of the three All-Star teams, especially the two U.S. ones, made something stand out. The Stripes were more veteran based with long-term stars, while the Stars featured a mix of present and rising stars.

It’s ultimately a pretty good look for the league that the young “Stars” won it all, with Edwards, Tyrese Maxey, Chet Holmgren, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and more doing their parts.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Leonard and Co. won’t be around for many more years before they hang up the sneakers. It’s imperative to build on the young guys while the faces are still here to make the transition easier. The NBA will hope for a positive step forward in that regard.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Tariq Francis scored 21 points, Harun Zrno added 13, and Rutgers defeated Maryland 68-57 on Sunday, lifting the Scarlet Knights out of the Big Ten cellar.

Zrno hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 of Rutgers' first 15 second-half points as the Scarlet Knights built a 42-34 lead through the first seven minutes after halftime. The lead reached 13 points with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

Maryland cut the deficit to five points a couple of times and the Terrapins were still within 60-54 with two minutes left. Rutgers (10-15, 3-11 Big Ten) then closed it out at the free-throw line with Francis making 6 of 6 and Jamichael Davis going 2 for 2.

For the game, Francis made 12 of 13 free throws and the Scarlet Knights were 19 of 24.

Solomon Washington had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Maryland (10-15, 3-11), which had won two in a row. Darius Adams scored 13 points and David Coit had 12.

Rutgers led 18-13 with seven minutes remaining in the first half before Washington had a layup and a dunk in an 8-2 run that put Maryland on top 21-20 with four minutes left. Rutgers quickly went back ahead and held the lead until Washington's free throw in the final second made it 27-all going into halftime.

All three of Rutgers' conference wins have come at Jersey Mike's Arena, the previous two in overtime against Northwestern and Oregon.

Rutgers and Maryland are one win clear of last place in the conference, ahead of Oregon, Northwestern and Penn State which all have two wins.

Up next

Maryland: at Northwestern on Wednesday.

Rutgers: at Penn State on Wednesday. ___

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Moustapha Thiam had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, Day Day Thomas scored 16 points, and Cincinnati beat Utah 69-65 on Sunday to extend the Utes skid to seven consecutive games.

Thiam, a 7-foot-2 sophomore, had his fifth career double-double and his third this season.

Baba Miller had 13 points and eight rebounds for Cincinnati (14-12, 6-7 Big 12) and Keyshuan Tillery scored 10 points. The Bearcats have won three straight for the first time since they started the season 4-0.

Keanu Dawes made a spinning fadeaway in the lane that gave the Utes a five-point lead with 1:56 to play. Thomas answered with a jumper before Miller hit two free throws and then threw down a two-hand dunk that gave Cincinnati a 66-65 lead with 40 seconds left.

Don McHenry led Utah (9-17, 1-11) with 18 points and Dawes had 16 points and 14 rebounds, his eighth double-double this season. Terrence Brown added 11 points and Seydou Traore 10. Dawes, a 6-9 junior, is averaging 15.8 points and 10.2 rebounds over the last six games.

The Utes have lost 12 of their last 13 overall and 15 straight on the road — tied with Binghamton and Gardner-Webb for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.

Cincinnati leads the series with the Utes 5-2, 4-0 at home.

Up next

Utah: Plays Wednesday at West Virginia.

Cincinnati: Visits No. 9 Kansas on Saturday.

___

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Michael Porter is relaxing this weekend somewhere in the tropics. One might think that he’s toning down the anxiety from all those trade reports concerning him at the deadline…

Probably not. It become quite obvious during the weeks leading up to the trade deadline that Michael Porter Jr. was not going anywhere, indeed not available. Brian Windhorst said it. Michael Scotto said it. Shams Charania said it and Jake Fischer said it, all one way or another. While some fans wanted the Nets to trade MPJ for more draft assets — Brooklyn already has 13 firsts and 20 seconds — and/or to deepen the tank.

That was not the way ownership and management looked at the 27-year-old who may not have made the All-Star Game tonight but is having all-Star caliber season: averaging 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while providing leadership to a young team. He has even become a fan favorite after some weird podcast performances last summer. Virtually all his numbers are at career highs. Despite the rumors, it has become more than apparent that while the Nets aren’t going to build around him, they want him around for the good times.

This week, Porter himself in a conversation with Tommy Alter and Cam Johnson of Old Man and the Three, indicated in the strongest terms yet that he wants the same thing and despite enduring something he’s been unfamiliar with — losing — he’s ready for the challenge, happy in Brooklyn:

“I think that we are on the right path to being a good team,” Porter said in one of the lesser quoted lines in the hour-long back-and-fourth. “We’re the youngest team in the league. They got a lot of money over there to spend, and they got the most picks. We’re looking at a high draft pick this next season. So I understand the vision of the organization.”

Porter also told the podcast how he wants to see things through to what he calls “a really dope thing” in Brooklyn.

“Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, because I’ve just won a lot of basketball games, and it can be tough because I wanna play winning basketball and compete. If I’m putting my body through all this recovery, all this work, I wanna see the W at the end of the day. But we are building something, and we’re developing really good young players. It’s not far off from being a really dope thing in Brooklyn.”

It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. He and Jordi Fernandez have re-bonded after spending five years together in Denver, just before the Nuggets won it all. Fernandez made it clear from the moment the Nets got him — and an unprotected first rounder in 2032 — that he was going to be a big piece going forward for his team.

Now, of course, the Nets are approaching some big decisions. The pundits listed above also shared the belief that Sean Marks & co. plan on making big moves this summer, without details other than MPJ is likely part of them. The first component of those plans has been taking shape since last June’s historic, five first round picks. The trade deadline brought minor adjustments, but with the Draft Lottery on May 10 and the Draft itself six weeks beyond that, things will likely go into high gear including a decision on MPJ’s contract extension.

Porter makes $38.3 million this year. The Nets are also on the hook for $40.8 million next season. But on July 6, the mutual love affair will face a milestone. How much will Joe Tsai be willing to spend to extend MPJ beyond 2026-27. The Nets do have time to decide: through June 30, 2027.

Yossi Gozlan, the free lance capologist who runs capsheets.com and the “Third Apron” podcast, recently laid out the extent of the extension to NetsDaily: four years and max salary projected at four years, $234 million, beginning in 2027-28 when he’ll still be only 29 years old.

“In reality I think he’s looking at something in the 20-25% of the salary cap range.” Gozlan told ND, citing the lack of competition. “As great as he’s been, he’s not going to replicate this production elsewhere since any good team that acquires him probably makes him their second or third option. I could see him getting something closer to four years, $160 million, but it’s way too early to project his next contract.“

For the record, the projected salary cap for 2027-28, is $174.3 million, meaning a starting salary around $44 million.

This is also where the Nets strategy of rebuilding from within comes into play. Next season, the Nets will likely have seven players on rookie deals: Noah Clowney who’ll be on the last year of his rookie deal (and also eligible for an extension starting in 2026-27), the Flatbush Five of Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf in their second or four years, plus whoever they take in the Draft in June. Depending on how high they draft, the total for the seven players, roughly half the team, will be around $40 million, a quarter of the salary cap.

So they’ll have an ability to sign or trade for players AND keep their payroll within reason. (And yes, a lot depends on those seven players, perhaps none more so than the draft pick.)

MPJ of course alluded to that when talking with Alter and Johnson, saying, “we’re developing really good young players.” As for what would make things “really dope in Brooklyn” that no doubt will have to be a superstar who will either develop from all those draft picks or have to be convinced Brooklyn will have enough good players to produce the W’s needed to lure him.

The Nets have kept Porter out of the line-up in recent days, but in discussing his injury, they expressed no real concern about his health which is a long-term issue. He’s been troubled by tendinitis in the same right knee in which he suffered an MCL sprain earlier this season.

“It’s the same knee, but it’s unrelated. Tendonitis is something athletes deal with in different parts of the body,” said Fernández. “It’s good for him to take this game, see how he feels and get him back feeling great. That’s the most important thing. Nothing to be concerned about. A lot of guys deal with it, but it’s good that Mike can focus on his body right now.”

In the meantime, he’s taking time off with the family…

• Did Michael Porter Jr. Hint at Long-Term Future with Nets? – Sameer Kumar – Sports Illustrated

This year’s All-Star weekend main event, the All-Star Game, will take place on Sunday. The selected All-Stars will be divided into three teams: Team World, Team Stars and Team Stripes.

Start time and TV schedule

What: NBA All-Star Game

When: 2 p.m. PT, Feb. 15

Where: Intuit Dome

Watch: NBC, Peacock

This year’s All-Star Game will feature a format that many have been clamoring for over the years: a game between American and international superstars. It’s one way the league is attempting to revive the All-Star Game, which has frankly been a brutal watch over the last couple of years. Even Adam Silver admitted it.

So this year, the All-Star Game will see a three-team round-robin tournament. There will be four games, each 12 minutes long. Each team will play each other at least once and the top two that prevail will advance to the championship round. Note that Team World’s roster is stacked with international All-Stars while 16 American All-Stars are spread between Team Stripes and Team Stars.

The Lakers superstars, LeBron James (Team Stripes) and Luka Dončić (Team World), will be on different teams, so it’ll be fun to watch them go at it. It would also be nice to witness one of them bring home the All-Star Game MVP, which hasn’t been awarded to a Laker since Kobe Bryant won it back in 2011.

But more importantly, it would be ideal to see an entertaining All-Star Game, especially with this new format. This year’s All-Star weekend could use a little more excitement and frankly, it’s about time the main event becomes one that’s worth watching.

Notes and Updates:

• James — who didn’t address the media during player media availability on Saturday — will do so prior to tip-off on Sunday. Given how he’s approached the All-Star Game over the past few years, there could be a chance that he doesn’t suit up.
• Luka is expected to suit up, but only play for a short stint after missing the last four games for the Lakers.
• Here’s a preview of what each team’s jersey kits look like for the All-Star Game:

• In case you missed Jaxson Hayes in Saturday night’s Slam Dunk contest, you can read all about that here.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

When we look back on the Steph Curry era of the Golden State Warriors, the most prominent enemy of the team was clearly LeBron James. If the Warriors were the X-Men, James is Magneto, leading an ever-changing, ever-relocating Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But Chris Paul was more like the Doctor Octopus to Curry’s Spider-Man, a highly intelligent, stocky man doomed to continually fall short against his rival, undone by injuries, bad luck, the resourcefulness of his opponent and too much whining. Wait, that last one doesn’t really describe Doc Ock.

Paul ended his 21-season NBA career Friday after being waived by the Toronto Raptors. It really ended when his fairy tale return to the Los Angeles Clippers turned into one of those old, gruesome fairy tales, and Paul was sent home by the team for yelling at his teammates and coaches too much. In other words, acting too much like Chris Paul.

It’s the culmination of a career that saw Paul made 12 All-Star teams, win six steals titles, and lead the league in assists five times. He finishes with this second-most steals and assists in NBA history while playing for seven different teams, including a strange year with the Warriors in 2023-24. That was like the rare occasions when Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man teamed up, to shut down a nuclear reactor or save someone from being poisoned or dump Jordan Poole’s long-term contract while pretending they were going to trade Doctor Octopus for a veteran superhero.

But for the Warriors, he was absolutely a supervillain. Paul’s Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Warriors in the 2014 playoffs in a physical series that may have been responsible for Curry’s mid-career visit to the gun show. Paul and the Clippers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round, thanks to Paul trying to get a three-shot foul late in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over, and losing on the cusp of victory, a common theme for both supervillains and Chris Paul.

In 2015, the Warriors seemed on a collision course with the Lob City Clippers on the way to their first title, but the Clippers blew a 19-point lead late in a closeout game to the Houston Rockets and lost in the second round. Paul never made the conference finals with the Clippers.

Paul moved to the Houston Rockets, where he solidified a very good team alongside James Harden. The Rockets were about to go up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals against the Dubs when Paul tempted fate by doing Curry’s shimmy in his face.

The basketball gods responded by tearing Paul’s hamstring late in Game 5. The Rockets would lose with Paul on the sidelines and lose to the Warriors again with a healthy Paul in 2019. Then Paul became an NBA nomad, going from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Phoenix Suns, who lost the Finals in Paul’s only career trip in 2021.

It looked like the Warriors might have a fourth playoff battle with CP3 in 2022, but it was not to be. Leading the Dallas Mavericks 3-2, the Suns were outscored by 60 combined points in their Games 6 and 7 losses. New owner Mat Ishbia made trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in 2023, and Paul headed to Golden State for a very weird partnership.

Honestly, it’s kind of like when Doctor Octopus inhabited Spider-Man’s body for a while. Like Paul, Doc Ock’s body was wasting away from years of physical battles, wear and tear, and illegally grabbing people. Somehow he switched minds, inhabited Peter Parker’s body and fell in love with a little person named Anna Maria Marconi, which is a lot like Steve Kerr’s preferred guard-heavy lineups that season. Ultimately, Doctor Octopus lets his consciousness fade away from Spider-Man’s body, just like how the Warriors let Paul’s large contract expire instead of using it in trades.

It’s a common comic book trope: The villain joins up with the heroes and shows he’s not that bad, even though he moves on and proves, like Paul did with the Clippers this season, that ultimately the villain won’t change their evil annoying ways.

Paul had a great career and was one of the most impactful ultra-short players in NBA history, joining Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, Tim Hardaway, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, and Slater Martin. There’s no word yet whether his twin brother Cliff Paul will also be retiring from his job as an insurance agent, but Jake from State Farm is scheduled to make an announcement next week.

The world’s best basketball players are in the Los Angeles area this weekend for NBA All-Star weekend. It is first time the annual midseason festival is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the recently-opened home of the Clippers. Festivities started Friday and included the celebrity all-star game, during which one team of celebrities was coached by NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other was coached by actor Anthony Anderson. Team Giannis got the win 65-58, led by an MVP performance from “How to Get Away with Murder” star Rome Flynn. The dunk contest, three-point contest and skills challenge were showcased on Saturday. This year’s dunk contest participants included Carter Bryant of the Spurs, Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers, Keshad Johnson of the Heat and Jase Richardson of the Magic. The three-point contest featured eight players, including five All-Stars. The Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, who isn't playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, managed to win the three-point contest.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Are you not entertained?

The All Star Weekend is supposed to be one of the main showcases for the NBA product. The stars are on display, the game’s elite all come out, there are events all around the town, giving it a festival feel at times. So what’s the problem?

Well, the whole idea is to entertain and recently the general consensus is that it just isn’t very entertaining. The lead-up events are confusing and/or just odd. The dunk contest has jumped the shark (don’t give them any ideas, please). The 3 point contest still delivers but doesn’t always have the best shooters involved. And of course the All Star game itself has devolved into a half-speed pickup game (no matter how much the league has tried to guilt them into trying harder).

The league has tried a number of gimmicks to spice things up. New events, captain led drafts, the Elam Ending, and now the World vs. the US. None of it seems to have moved the needle much yet. So how would you change things to make it more interesting?

Incentives for winning the game? Monetary or team related? Format changes? Or just scrap some of the events? Maybe move it to the offseason after the Finals (like the NFL Pro Bowl)? Feel free to be creative!

What are your thoughts? You are the commissioner and you can call the shots. How are you changing things?

Jaylen Brown comes from a fighting background and after his basketball career is over, perhaps he’ll take his talents to the octagon.

The Boston Celtics star, who is getting set to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, discussed that idea when asked a question by a media member who claimed to have trained with his father in the boxing gym in the past during All-Star Media Day.

“To be honest, I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve talked to some people, maybe post part of my career, I would love to take part in something like UFC, or even boxing,” Brown told reporters. “I’ve talked to Dana White about some stuff, but we’ll see as things go on.”

Fighting and combat sports are generational in Brown’s family. The 29-year-old’s father was a WBU champion, while his grandfather Willie Brown was also a former boxer.

Of course, the five-time All-Star, two-time NBA Finals participant, and one-time world champion and Finals MVP, still has some work left to do on the hardwood. But with Celtics had coach Joe Mazulla also being a massive combat sports fan, Brown will get the chance to watch UFC fights quite often.