The NBA’s annual assemblage of athletic ability and celebrity, also known as All-Star Weekend, has arrived, and this year’s festivities in the San Francisco Bay Area will feature players looking to make history as well as a new-look All-Star Game.
The weekend kicked off on Friday night with the celebrity game featuring Kai Cenat, Shaboozey, Druski and Noah Kahan, among others. That was followed by the rising stars competition, which featured twins Amen Thompson of the Rockets and Ausar Thompson of the Pistons, No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Hawks and second year playmaker Keyonte George of the Jazz, among others.
Saturday night’s schedule is particularly loaded. The evening begins with the skills challenge featuring Risacher and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr facing duos from the Cavaliers (Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley), Spurs (Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama) and hometown Warriors (Draymond Green and Moses Moody). Then two-time defending 3-point contest champion Damian Lillard of the Bucks will look to join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the contest. The night concludes with Mac McClung also looking to join an elite club. He can become just the second player to win the slam dunk contest three times, joining Nate Robinson.
The weekend culminates on Sunday with the 74th All-Star Game and the event’s first four-team, three-game mini-tournament. In the first game, Team Kenny Smith will face Team Charles Barkley. And in the second Team Shaquille O’Neal will square off against Team Candace Parker’s rising stars. The winners of the first two games will meet in the championship game.
Team Shaq is a +135 favorite to win the mini-tournament, followed by Team Chuck (+190), Team Kenny (+340) and Team Candace (+850).
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2025 NBA All-Star Game
- Tip-off time 8:20 p.m. ET
- Money line Team Shaq +135, Team Chuck +190, Team Kenny +340, Team Candace +850
Picks and more to know
This year’s All-Star competition features a format unlike any previous one. The pool of 24 All-Stars were drafted onto three eight-player teams by honorary team “general managers” Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The fourth team will be the rising stars team that wins the championship game of the rising stars event on Friday.
There are no quarters or game clock. A game will end, and a team will win, when a team reaches or surpasses 40 points.
Team Chuck’s roster covers the globe, with players from eight different countries. They include first-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama and the leading candidates for the NBA MVP award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Team Kenny’s roster is loaded with young stars and boasts an average age of 24 years, 295 days. This would make the team the second-youngest in the NBA, older than only the Jazz. Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Tyler Herro and Jalen Williams will all be making their All-Star debuts, and 28-year-old Jalen Brunson is the only player on the team older than 25.
Team Shaq’s roster is the most decorated, with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum, among others. The players have a combined total of eight Finals MVPs, eight Kia MVPs, nine All-Star MVPs, 13 total NBA championships and 87 All-Star selections. Six of the top 10 active leading scorers, including Durant, are on Team Shaq.
Mike Barner and Matt Severance have shared their expert picks for every 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend event, including the 3-point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest Saturday as well as the All-Star Game tournament on Sunday at SportsLine.
Responsible gambling
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