The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend occurred in Cleveland this past Friday through Sunday and was a great celebration of the league’s top talent and an important recognition of the NBA’s 75th anniversary. The main events included the Skills Competition, Three-Point Contest, Dunk Contest and the All-Star game. By all accounts, it proved to be a successful weekend for the fans, the players and the league.

The events that preceded the All-Star game were short, but generally entertaining games that highlighted NBA players who have specialized skills in various aspects of the game. The skills challenge, which was won by “Team Cleveland” consisting of Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, showcased players’ passing, dribbling and shooting abilities. They beat out “Team Rookies,” consisting of Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey, and “Team Antetokounmpo,”which included brothers Alex, Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

The second mini event was the Three-Point Contest. Players shot five balls from five different spots, competing in multiple rounds for the highest score. The contestants included Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Zach Lavine, CJ McCollum, Patty Mills, Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred Vanvleet and Trae Young. Among those eight, seven were guards and one was a center. However, in surprising fashion, the big man came out victorious. Towns, a center, won the contest with a score of 29 in the final round. This was quite a shock to most people and shows just how far the NBA has evolved into a shooting-centric league. Not only does every position have shooters nowadays, but some centers can do it just as well as guards, a thought that was unheard of just five years ago. Towns truly showed his skill among the best of the best and solidified himself as the top shooting center in the NBA.

The third event was the Dunk Contest. This competition could mostly be considered a disappointment, as Cole Anthony, Jalen Green and Juan Toscano-Anderson failed to show the audience and judges any new dunks. In addition, this event was plagued by a seemingly excessive number of missed attempts by each contestant. However, there was a bright spot as Knicks’ forward Obi Toppin shined with his signature flashy dunks, earning him the Dunk Contest crown. While definitely not the best dunk contest in recent memory, Toppin shined above the rest and proved he is among the most skilled dunkers in the game. 

After the smaller events, the 2022 NBA All-Star Game proceeded on Sunday night and truly lived up to expectations. Team Durant and Team LeBron battled in a four-quarter showdown which helped provide large donations to charities of each team captain’s choosing. Team LeBron ended up winning with a final score of 163-160. 

The rules of the All-Star game are unlike typical rules, as the score resets at the end of each quarter and teams play to a target score in the 4th quarter instead of having a time limit. This allows the game to be more competitive and cultivates a more entertaining game from start to finish. The 2022 Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP was awarded to Warriors point guard Steph Curry, who played impossibly well scoring 50 points on 16 made three-pointers. He made his shots in a multitude of ways, including some from nearly half-court, while turning around backward immediately after releasing the ball, already knowing it was going in. 

Besides Curry, the two other standout players were Team Durant’s Joel Embiid and Team LeBron’s very own LeBron James. Embiid had 36 points and 10 rebounds, while James had 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, including the game-winning fadeaway jumper to secure his 5-0 record as an All-Star game team captain.

The All-Star weekend proved to be an exciting event for all NBA fans and players alike and served as a nice break for the season before resuming league play, which will be nothing but full speed ahead for teams in their push to a playoff berth and success beyond.