INGLEWOOD, Calif. —It's All-Star Saturday night, which has become the most highly anticipated part of All-Star Weekend (as the All-Star Game itself has slid toward unwatchability — maybe USA vs World will change that). This year featured Damian Lillard winning the 3-Point Contest, the Knicks taking Shooting Stars, and a young Heat forward dancing his way to a Dunk Contest win.
Takeaways from All-Star Saturday Night — It’s Dame Time
Damian Lillard, a man who has not stepped on an NBA court all season but remains a fan favorite, won All-Star Saturday night.
Lillard won the 3-Point Contest, bringing smiles to everyone's faces.
The 3-Point Contest has become consistently the best part of All-Star Saturday night — it has the biggest names and it has the drama. It delivered on both of those things this year, with it coming down to Lillard — who is out for the season with a torn Achilles but recovered enough to participate in this event — and the Suns' Devin Booker. And it came down to the final shots.
After that high, the night lost a little momentum.
Team Knicks won the return of the Shooting Stars competition, giving them two trophies this season (they also won the NBA Cup), but not the one they are still aiming for. The keys to the win were twofold. First, they had the clutch Jalen Brunson shooting shots.
The other key, the Knicks "celebrity" passer was Rick Brunson, Jalen's father and a long-time NBA assistant coach, who knows how to throw a pass into a shooter's pocket. Other teams were not so lucky.
Inside the Intuit Dome, the energy was flat most of the night. The fans on the famed "Wall" — a group now called The Swell — tried, but even a nothing-but-the-hits, high-energy set from Ludacris could not get most of the fans to stand or make much noise. It was a passive crowd.
A good, but not great, Dunk Contest did not help that. Miami's Keshad Johnson was a deserving winner — he should have won it for the dancing alone.
Hopefully this year, with the USA vs. World format, will be the year that the actual All-Star Game is a better show than All-Star Saturday night. But if so, it's got some work to do.
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Lillard said entering 3-Point Contest started as joke
Entering the 3-point Contest on All-Star Saturday night was not on Damian Lillard's radar.
He was planning a vacation, and made a joke to his agent, and one thing led to another.
"It started off as kind of a joke. I was just like -- I was talking to (Michael) Levine about vacation and where I was going and stuff like that, and I was like, if y'all need somebody to shoot, I'm available to do it," Lillard said after his win. "We laughed about it, and he was like, it's full right now, but if something opens up I'll let you know. Something opened up, and he was like, you know, were you serious about that? And I was like, you know that I'm always serious. If there's a spot, sign me up. He was like, are you serious? I was like, yeah."
Lillard is out for the season after tearing his Achilles last playoffs, but he is at the point in his recovery that he is already shooting a lot of stand-still jumpers, just like the ones you take during the 3-point Contest.
"It didn't really take much," Lillard said of his prep. "I think I've done it enough times. I think this was my sixth time."
And he is now a three-time winner.
50! Best dunk of night was this from Carter Bryant
San Antonio's Carter Bryant had the best dunk of the night — it got 50s across the board from the judges.
Bryant just needed a good, last second-round dunk to win the contest, but he tried to go between the legs, off the backboard, and missed it a couple of times. By the time he threw down a simple reverse dunk just to get one up before the clock ran out, he had blown his chance to win it all.
Miami’s Keshad Johnson dances way to Dunk Contest title
Every time he threw it down, Miami's Keshad Johnson did a little dance to get the crowd hyped. It got him hyped and the young Heat player is your new Dunk Contest Champion.
This was the Oakland native's best dunk of the night, his first of the second round.
This is the dunk that finished it off for him.
Carter Bryant vs Keshad Johnson in Dunk Contest Finals
This is the dunk that got Johnson to the Dunk Contest Finals (a "safe" dunk after he missed a couple).
This dunk was impressive, not good enough for Hayes to advance
The Lakers' Jaxson Hayes did not advance to the final round, but this was still an impressive second dunk by the big man, tapping it to himself then going between the legs.
This dunk got Keshad Johnson first-round lead
After one round of dunks, it's the Heat's Keshad Johnson in the lead after this dunk.
The only thing holding back his score was that it was his second attempt (which is not an official penalty, but judges tend to penalize first dunk misses).
Windmill from Carter, reverse off the bounce from Richardson
The first two dunks of the All-Star Dunk Contest were scored almost the same by the judges — and both were impressive.
From Carter Bryant.
And from Jase Richardson.
Ludacris got everyone to stand up at Intuit Dome
Ludacris brought the energy — and it got Intuit Dome on its feet (as much as one can do with any LA crowd).
Dunk Contest participants, format
We will have a new Dunk Contest champion this year because three-time winner Mac McClung has hung up his dunking shoes (for now, at least).
Format: Same as it ever was. Each player gets two first-round dunks, and the two players with the highest combined score advance to a Finals round where they can do two more dunks.
The participants: Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers), Keshad Johnson (Heat), Jase Richardson (Magic)
It’s worth noting that Jase's father, Jason Richardson, won this event twice and is mentoring his son for the competition.
The judges for this year’s Dunk contest are: Dominique Wilkins, Brent Barry, Dwight Howard and Corey Maggette. Barry and Maggette are both former Clippers.
Team Knicks takes home Shooting Stars title
After watching Team Cameron put up 38 points, Team Knicks scored 47 to win the second event of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston handled the shooting, while current Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson handled the passing.
Team Knicks, Team Cameron advance to Shooting Stars final
It's New York vs. Duke alums in the finals of the Shooting Stars.
With Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson firing pinpoint passes to his son Jalen Brunson, plus Karl-Anthony Towns and Allen Houston, Team Knicks had the best first-round score in Shooting Stars with 27. They advance to the Finals, going against Team Cameron (as in Cameron Indoor Stadium) made up of Duke Alums.
Team Cameron starts hot in Shooting Stars
Duke guys can shoot. Team Cameron started out hot with Kon Knuppel, Jalen Johnson and the old head Corey Maggette
knocking down shots and putting up 24 in the first round of the Shooting Stars. Those Blue Devils will advance to the final round.
Team All-Star stumbled to 16 points in the first round. Team Harper did better with 18.
Shooting Stars returns to All-Star Saturday
After an 11-year absence, the Shooting Stars competition is back on All-Star Saturday night (replacing the Skills Competition, which is on hiatus).
Format: It’s pretty straightforward, four three-man teams shoot jump shots worth a designated amount of points from different spots around the court, with each team getting 70 seconds to score as many points as they can. The top two finishers then compete in a final round.
The four teams are:
Team All-Star: Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Richard Hamilton
Team Cameron: Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets) and Corey Maggette
Team Harper: Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Ron Harper Jr. (Boston Celtics) and Ron Harper Sr.
Team Knicks: Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks) and Allan Houston
Who won Shooting Stars the last time it happened back in 2015? Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and WNBA legend Swin Cash.
It’s always Dame Time: Lillard wins State Farm 3-Point Contest
Despite not playing in a game this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard reminded the masses what they've been missing. After scoring 27 points in the first round, he put up 29 in the final round, outlasting Phoenix's Devin Booker.
Booker went into his money rack with a chance to win the title but missed his final three attempts to finish on 27. Lillard is now a three-time champion of the event, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.
Damian Lillard advances with 27, hot Devin Booker takes lead
Damian Lillard still knows how to shoot.
He hasn't set foot on an NBA court this season due to a torn Achilles, but he walked out on the Intuit Dome court, got hot at the end and finished with 27 points, enough to advance to the Finals.
Devin Booker looked composed as he just drained shot after shot to get to 30 points.
Jaylen Brown wants to add 1-on-1 to All-Star Weekend
The Unrivaled 1-on-1 competition this week has been compelling, prompting more people to float the idea of adding it to the NBA All-Star Weekend.
Boston's Jaylen Brown is in.
"I'm actually a big fan of the one-on-one..." Brown said. "I actually love watching it, because it reminds me of the purity of the game. Like, it's just mano y mano. You got people on the court talking trash. You've got to play two sides. You got to be an offensive and a defensive player. I think that will be great.
"And then you could do it like boxing, like you can call a guy out and challenge some people. There are some people I would love to challenge. Some people that are here this weekend I would love to challenge. All of them, Luka, Shai, Brunson, Donovan. I would challenge all them guys, one-on-one. We could donate to whatever charity. Let's set it up."
If the league could get the stars to sign up — unlike the Dunk Contest — this would be awesome.
Kon Knuppel starts 3-point contest out hot
Everyone's favorite sharp-shooting rookie showed why Hornets fans love him — Kon Knuppel put up an impressive score of 27 in his first-round outing. Damn.
Donovan Mitchell was good with 24 points, going 9-of-10 from the corners.
Adam Silver: Vote on expansion coming in 2026
Adam Silver was vague on details when it came to NBA Expansion, but he said that a decision will be made in the 2026 calendar year — just not in March when the Board of Governors (the owners) next meet. But at some point.
If (when?) the owners vote to expand, Silver said the next step is to go to the marketplace to determine which cities and who might be interested in owning those teams in those cities. As if we don't already know that — it will be Seattle and Las Vegas. Ownership groups are quietly lined up in both cities. But the league continues to take the process slowly.
One thing is clear, Silver said, "Relocation of franchises is not on the table."
3-Point contest participants, format
It has become the signature event of NBA All-Star Saturday — it has the big names, it has the drama — and this year it's batting leadoff. Here's what you need to know about the 2026 NBA 3-Point Contest.
Participants: Devin Booker (Suns), Kon Knuppel (Hornets), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Bobby Portis (Bucks), Norman Powell (Heat).
Format: Nothing has changed here. There are five racks of five balls spaced around the 3-point arc, and one rack contains nothing but red, white and blue “money balls” that are worth two points (regular balls are worth one). There are two “from the logo” balls set up further back (on either side of the halfcourt logo) worth three points. There are two rounds, everyone shoots in the first round and the three highest scores advance to a championship round (scores are not cumulative).
Two-time 3-Point Contest winner Damian Lillard may be out for the season with a torn Achilles suffered in last season's playoffs, but he is well enough to take the court for this year's contest. He is a legit threat to take the whole thing.
Adam Silver, is tanking worse this year? “Yes”
The first question for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in his annual All-Star press conference was about tanking, and part of that question was whether tanking is worse this year:
"Yes, is my view," Silver said. " Which was what led to those fines [of Jazz and Pacers], and not just those fines but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice."
He later added, "It's so clear that the incentives are misaligned."
Later, in a question about parity, he said, "We need a new way of looking at things... we are looking at every possible answer."
That said, he admitted this season — with a particularly deep draft and what is projected to be a couple of soft drafts after it — has made things worse. He was vague when discussing what could be done about it, which is understandable because there is no simple, clean answer to solve this (or it would have already been done).
Antetokounmpo on calf: “I feel good. I feel 100%"
Giannis Antetokounmpo will not be playing in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday due to a calf injury, but he still spoke to the media on Saturday and said he felt fine.
"I feel good. I feel 100%, to be honest with you..." Antetokounmpo said. "When you come back from an injury and you go through the rehab, you gotta check the boxes, right? So I gotta do things. I feel like the break doesn’t help, because now I gotta get on the court, I gotta play some 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5 vs. 5. Players are on vacation right now, so it’s kinda hard for me to do that.
"So once I check all those boxes, I’m ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today."
Calf strains, like hamstring and groin strains, are tricky. Players feel fine, but the muscle isn't fully healed, and it's easy to not only re-injure it but also make things worse. The Bucks medical staff is protecting Antetokounmpo from himself. However, he is expected to return soon after the All-Star break, and with that, the Bucks could push up into the play-in tournament.
Jase Richardson found Dunk Contest coach — his father, who won it twice
Jase Richardson may play in the NBA, but he is like every other 20-year-old in America in one crucial way: His eyes roll back into his head whenever his father is giving him advice.
It doesn't matter that Jase's dad is Jason Richardson, 13-year NBA veteran.
Except, it's a little different this week because Jase is participating in the AT&T Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night — an event his father won. Twice.
"He's listening to me. It's like the first time in 20 years he's actually listening to what I had to say when it comes to basketball," Jason told NBC Sports with a laugh. "So it's actually pretty cool that he is asking me questions, coming up with a game plan."
Check out the full story here.
How to Watch All-Star Saturday Night
When: Saturday, February 15
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Live Stream: NBC and Peacock
LeBron James not at All-Star media day. Again.
As has been the case for four years now, LeBron James is taking All-Star Saturday off. He will do a separate press conference on Sunday.
The media's reaction is largely a shrug. It was expected.
As a reminder, LeBron holds the record for All-Star selections (22), All-Star starts (20), and points in the All-Star Game (434).
Cade Cunningham gives Isaiah Stewart his flowers
Cade Cunningham is back for his second All-Star Game, and teammate Jalen Duren is in Los Angeles for his first, a deserving representation for the No. 1 seed in the East. But who on that team is going unheralded?
"First name, Isaiah Stewart," Cunningham said. "He was the first one. He's the longest-tenured Piston so far right now. He's just been through the mud with the team. Never changed. Just continued to work. He's had so many different roles that he's had to play, but every year he just works his tail off and then he finds a way to contribute. Isaiah Stewart is by far the first name to come to mind."
Stewart is currently serving a seven-game suspension for coming off the bench into a fight with the Hornets. DeMarcus Cousins, sitting in the front row at Cunningham's press conference, asked him whether he would pick up some of those fines for Stewart (who will lose more than $700,000 in salary while out). Cunningham paused and smiled.
"No, I would, though. I would," Cunningham said, noting Stewart is doing just fine financially. "That's my brother, man. Like you said, he's just the ultimate competitor. He's somebody that's going to have your back like nobody else. I mean, it's costly. It's costly. But he's the man. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's the best teammate you could ask for."
Who is Tyrese Maxey’s All-Time Kentucky Starting 5
DeMarcus Cousins was sitting in the front row of Tyrese Maxey's press conference and asked the former Wildcat guard what his all-time Kentucky starting five would be.
"I'm just going to go Coach Cal era... I'm definitely going to go to a taller lineup. I'm going you [Cousins] at the five. I'm going AD [Anthony Davis] at the four, I want to go D-Book [Devin Booker] at the three. I'm not going to put myself in there [smiling]. I'm going to go Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] at my one, and then I want to say, I'm going to go Jamal [Murray] — I got John Wall too? I got to go John Wall.... I was John Wall when I was a kid.
"So John Wall, Shai, D-Book, you and AD. That's going to be my five."
NBA All-Star Saturday Night event schedule
State Farm 3-Point Contest - First Event - 5 p.m. ET
Damian Lillard appears on the court for the first time this season — he tore his Achilles during the playoffs last year and is out for the year, but is moving well enough and is back for this event. Lillard is a two-time winner but this is a stacked competition including Devin Booker (Suns), Kon Knuppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Bobby Portis (Bucks), Norman Powell (Heat).
Kia Shooting Stars - Second Event
An oldie and a goodie is back after an 11-year absence. For those that don't remember, current NBA players team up with legends of the past in three-man teams who shoot jump shots worth a designated amount of points from different spots around the court. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns highlight Team Knicks, with Alan Houston, for example. Dylan Harper and Scottie Barnes will also be out on the court.
AT&T Slam Dunk Contest - Third Event
We will have a new champion this year as three-time champion Mac McClung is taking the year off. This year's winners will come from Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jaxson Hayes (Lakers), Keshad Johnson (Heat). Jase Richardson (Magic, who is being coached by his father Jason Richardson, who won this event twice).
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