The 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone, leaving many conversations to be had about this year’s event. Held in San Francisco by the Golden State Warriors, this year’s All-Star Weekend was highlighted by a Skills Challenge disqualification, a Dunk Contest three-peat, a fan winning a grand prize, a new 3-Point Competition winner, and a new format in an All-Star Game met with criticism.
Paul, Wembanyama Disqualified From Skills Challenge
One of the funnier moments of the All-Star weekend featured Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama trying to bend the rules during the Skills Challenge on Saturday night, and as a result, faced disqualification.
The Team Relay, the first stage of the Skills Challenge, features a portion in which participants are meant to hit some shots from various areas. The San Antonio Spurs teammates attempted to exploit a loophole by tossing the balls off the rack toward the baseline to get through the course as quickly as possible.
In the past, participants had to stay at each shooting spot until they made their shots, but this year, the rules were changed to allow three shots from each spot. Paul and Wembanyama tried using this to their advantage, but as the crowd booed their efforts, the pair was ultimately disqualified from the competition. When it was over, Cavs duo Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell walked away with the Skills Competition crown.
McClung Becomes First in History to Three-peat as Dunk Contest Champ
Mac McClung is perhaps known better for his success in the Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend than as an actual player in the NBA. Having played in just five NBA games in his three-year career thus far, McClung is a G League regular, but each year, he earns his place in the spotlight during All-Star Weekend.
On Saturday night, he became the first player to win the Dunk Contest three years in a row. With a series of impressive slams, McClung received a perfect score of 50 on each attempt. One dunk featured him jumping over a car in a tribute to Blake Griffin‘s feat in the 2011 Dunk Contest, and another saw him leap over the 6’11” Evan Mobley.
With his win, McClung’s career earnings from the Dunk Contest have nearly tripled the earnings made from his playing career, having earned $310K in Dunk Contest winnings and $132.1K as an NBA player. Despite his struggles to find consistent playing time in the NBA — having jumped around from the Bulls to the Lakers to the 76ers to now the Magic — Mac McClung has found his place in the league as a Dunk Contest dominator.
Fan Wins $100K in MrBeast Shooting Challenge vs. Damian Lillard
YouTube sensation Jimmy Donaldson, known by his channel name MrBeast, made an appearance at this year’s All-Star Weekend, hosting a shooting challenge for a grand prize of $100K. The challenge was for a fan to make one long-range three before Bucks star Damian Lillard could make three of them.
The chosen fan, 18-year-old college student Jaren Barajas, won the competition at the buzzer on his final attempt, securing the $100K prize and a moment he would never forget.
Tyler Herro Wins 3-Point Contest
Miami Heat star shooting guard Tyler Herro walked away as champion of the 3-Point Contest Saturday night, defeating Buddy Hield and Darius Garland in the final round.
Herro finished alongside Hield and Garland as the top three highest scorers in the first round, with Herro’s 19 points just trailing behind Garland’s 24 and Hield’s 31. Damian Lillard, champion of the two previous 3-Point contests, fell short in his bid for a three-peat in the first round with 18 points.
In the final round, Herro emerged victorious with 24 points, while Hield and Garland scored 23 and 19 respectively.
Team Shaq Wins All-Star Game, Curry Wins MVP in Debut of New Format Met with Criticism
This year, for the first time in history, a new format featuring a four-team mini-tournament and a first-to-40 basis was introduced for an All-Star game that received mixed reviews.
A basketball legend coached each of the four teams: Charles Barkley (Chuck’s Global Stars), Shaquille O’Neal (Shaq’s OGs), Kenny Smith (Kenny’s Young Stars), and Candace Parker (Candace’s Rising Stars).
In the semi-finals, Chuck’s Global Stars reached the 40-point threshold first against Kenny’s Young Stars, winning 41-32. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring with 12 points, two rebounds, and one assist, going a perfect 5/5 from the field and a perfect 2/2 from three. Shaq’s OGs won the other semi-final game by a score of 42-35 over Candace’s Rising Stars. Damian Lillard led Shaq’s OGs with nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Steph Curry had eight points and six rebounds, along with an assist and a steal.
When the competition was said and done, Shaq’s OGs came out on top, with All-Star Game MVP Stephen Curry scoring 12 points in the final, a 41-25 victory against Chuck’s Global Stars. Steph had 12 points, four rebounds, an assist, and two steals, but it was Jayson Tatum who led the scoring for Shaq’s OGs with 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Organizers designed the new format to bring a competitive edge back to the All-Star Game, but the game and its coverage this year seemed to be met with more pushback and criticism than ever before. Fans particularly disliked the unnecessarily lengthy airtime and commentary from comedian Kevin Hart, which distracted from the game.
The middle of a live game was oddly interrupted after a commercial break by Kevin Hart to honor the TNT crew and Inside the NBA hosts Ernie Johnson, Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny, even though it is known that the program will be moving to ESPN next year. Bizarre broadcast choices such as this, the weird new format, and the overall uncompetitive nature of the game led to harsh criticism and mixed reviews from fans.
