NBA All-Star weekend is here and Saturday night is an extremely anticipated night among NBA players and fans. The All-Star game is great but Saturday night is truly a spectacle as you get to see incredible athletes do things the average fan could only dream of doing. The three big events are the skills challenge, the three-point shootout and of course the slam dunk contest.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge:
The contestants in the skills challenge this year are Emmanuel Mudiay, DeMarcus Cousins, Draymond Green, Jordan Clarkson, Anthony Davis, C.J. McCollum, Karl-Anthony Towns and Isaiah Thomas.
Of note in this competition is the fact that defending champion Patrick Beverley was supposed to defend his title but he had to pull out due to an injury. Mudiay was named the replacement for Beverley.
Also of note in this event is the fact that there are multiple big men competing. There has never been multiple non-guards compete in this event and this year there happen to be four of them.
Foot Locker Three-Point Contest:
The field for this years three-point contest is loaded and it consists of Stephen Curry, James Harden, Klay Thompson, C.J. McCollum, Khris Middleton, Kyle Lowry, J.J. Redick and Devin Booker.
Of note in the three-point contest is the fact that Chris Bosh was initially supposed to compete but he pulled out of the competition and the All-Star game with an injury. McCollum was named the replacement for Bosh in this contest.
Curry is the defending champion in this event but he faces a stacked field this year to try and retain that title.
Verizon Slam Dunk Contest:
The field for the dunk contest this year consists of Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon, Will Barton and Andre Drummond.
Recently the Slam Dunk contest had lost some of its luster but LaVine was able to put the event back on the map with his masterful performance last year. LaVine was just 19 years old when he won the contest last season and will look to defend the title this year.
Barton, Drummond and Gordon are all first time competitors in the dunk contest but they are all freak athletes and will give LaVine a run for his money. A lot of people have pointed out Gordon as a guy that will give LaVine the biggest challenge.
The dunk contest is the headliner on Saturday night but all of these events feature stacked fields and should bring a ton of excitement. The festivities begin at 8 P.M. Eastern time on TNT and to watch the live broadcast go here.
