NBA All Star Game: Review

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Writer: Alex Morgan

Over Valentine’s Day Weekend, my hometown, Chicago hosted the annual NBA All-Star Weekend at the United Center. The weekend brought on many standout moments, parties, and recognition. Jennifer Hudson’s outstanding tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and the seven others who passed in the plane crash back in January left not a dry eye in the audience, and Chaka Khan’s acapella performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner” was anything short of marvelous; from Common’s extraordinary commentary and introductions of the players and Chance the Rapper’s moving half-time performance, it made the NBA All-Star Game one of the most memorable of all time.

Among the biggest success of the All-Star Weekend was a celebrity visit from the former POTUS himself, Barack Obama. Another standout moment that occurred during the All-Star Game was the close and momentous finish of the two all-star teams that played in the game; in a close finish, Team Lebron beat Team Giannis in an outstanding two-point finish and both which lead to both teams accumulating 312 points as a collective. The plays led by player Giannis Antetokonumpo and two other team captains can only be described in one word: inconceivable! With the new game format, there was never a dull moment in the game. Anthony Davis’s free-throw convinced NBA fans that the All-Star Game was worth sticking around for.

The players also honored Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi by wearing the numbers 24 and 2 respectively. Other outstanding moments from the weekend include Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. dominating the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest and ultimately winning the title. Kawhi Leonard was another talk of the All-Star Game when his eight consecutive three-pointers won him the title of Kia All-Star Game MVP honors and continued Kobe Bryant’s legacy.

All in all, the tributes of legendary Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna to the outstanding results of this year’s game made it a memorable 2020 All-Star Weekend.