Tatum Dominates For Team Giannis
The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend concluded with the 72nd annual All-Star Game featuring Team LeBron and Team Giannis in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Team Captains led the NBA in All-Star votes and earned the rights to draft their co-stars right before the game pickup style. After the Team Captains selected their teams, they faced off in a free flowing and fast paced scoring fest with Team Giannis taking the win by a score of 184-175, the 3rd highest scoring All-Star Game in NBA History. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics led the game with 55 points for Team Giannis, the most points ever to be scored in an All-Star Game and won the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP.
Showing Respect to Kobe Bryant and His Family
This year’s All-Star Game featured different rules from a regular season game, as each team competed to win each of the first three quarters, all of which will start with the score of 0-0. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game clock was turned off and a Final Target Score of 182 was set.
The Final Target Score was determined by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points – the 24 representing Kobe Bryant’s jersey number for the final 10 seasons of his NBA career. The teams played an untimed fourth quarter and the first team to reach the Final Target Score won the NBA All-Star Game.
Dame Time Strikes Again
Dame Time came in clutch to end the game, as Damian Lillard hit the game winning 3 pointer to seal the win for Team Giannis.
Earlier in the game, Dame hit an incredible half-court 3 pointer, showcasing why is one of the best shooters of all-time, just like he did on Saturday during his winning performance in the NBA 3-Point Contest.
Where’s the Defense?
The All-Star Game featured a bunch of 3 pointers, alley oops, and flashy passes, making it a fun but light-hearted game with little-to-no defense played until the last few minutes of the game. Check out the best plays from the All-Star game below!
Giving Back to the Community
Every quarter of the NBA All-Star Game counted toward supporting two community-based organizations in Utah.
Team LeBron played for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, which creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
Team Giannis played for Raise the Future, which aims to decrease the number of youth in foster care and increase the chances of lifelong connection by providing trauma-healing services to young people and families.
A total of $750,000 was be contributed to the two organizations through the NBA All-Star Game, with the winner of each quarter donating $100,000 to their team charity, and a total of $450,000 awarded to the winning team.
Team Giannis Finally an All-Star Champion
Prior to this all-star game, Giannis had never won as a Team Captain. This year, he finally drafted a winning team and was happy to accept the All-Star Game Trophy from commissioner Adam Silver.
The All-Stars will now have some time to rest up before rejoining their teams for their final play playoff push as the regular season resumes on Thursday, Feb. 23rd. Make sure to check the 365 Scores app to stay up to date with the latest news around the NBA!
