This season gave us arguably the greatest All-Star Weekend in NBA history. The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game kicked off the festivities Friday. ESPN commentators Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon coached the two sides, but the game's biggest names were on the court. Common, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and even Guy Fieri produced the most star-studded game of the season that didn't feature active NBA players. All eyes turned towards the real players afterward, though, as the game's best rookies and sophomores took the floor for an exciting Rising Stars Game led by Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and Luka Doncic.
Saturday was thrilling even by typical All-Star standards. The big men dominated the Skills Challenge with Bam Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis going down to the wire. Buddy Hield and Devin Booker duked it out in a classic 3-Point Contest. The night finally closed with a thrilling Slam Dunk Contest in which Aaron Gordon scored 297 out of a possible 300 and still managed to lose.
The weekend hit a crescendo on Sunday, when the All-Star Game gave us the NBA's first-ever Elam Ending. It did not disappoint, as Team LeBron fought back from a nine-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to give us easily the most exciting All-Star Game in NBA history.
No shortage of events at All-Star Weekend means no shortage of winners and you can keep up with all the winners from the weekend's various events right here.
All-Star Game: Team LeBron 157, Team Giannis 155
Sunday gave us perhaps the greatest All-Star Game ever played. Team LeBron stormed out of the gate to take a double-digit lead, but Team Giannis controlled most of the next two quarters from there. They led by nine points entering the untimed fourth quarter, but Team LeBron fought back. With the score at 156-155, both teams were a single shot away from winning the game, but ultimately, it was Team LeBron that came out on top thanks to an Anthony Davis free throw.
All-Star Game MVP: Kawhi Leonard
There were a number of candidates for All-Star MVP, but Kawhi Leonard stood out with his incredible shooting performance. He hit eight 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 30 points. He also led the way with eight votes for MVP of the game, while LeBron James came in second with three. Chris Paul, who led the game with a plus-13 plus-minus, and Anthony Davis, who hit the game-winning free throw, each received a single vote.
Slam Dunk Contest: Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat
You may never see a more exciting dunk contest than this one. Dwight Howard and Pat Connaughton each had their moments early on, but the night belonged to Gordon and Derrick Jones Jr. The two were tied at the end of the finals and forced into a tiebreaker round, which also ended in a tie. Finally, the two went at it for one last dunk each, in which Gordon jumped over 7-5 Tacko Fall but still scored only a 47. That was enough to boost Jones to the victory in an all-timer.
3-Point Contest: Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings
The 3-Point Contest gave us our most exciting finish yet. Devin Booker, Davis Bertans and Buddy Hield reached the finals, and after Bertans' underwhelming round, Booker and Hield were left to duke it out for the crown. Booker posted a very strong score of 26, seemingly winning him the contest, but Hield didn't back down. After a slow start of his own, he got hot at the end of his round, making four of his five money rack shots to push his own score to 27, winning him the contest.
Skill Challenge: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
As always, the bracket for the Skills Challenge pits guards against big men. Surprisingly, though, the big men won all four first-round battles. Bam Adebayo faced off against Domantas Sabonis in the finals, and when the dust cleared, the rising Miami Heat star took home the trophy. That makes three of the past five winners big men, as Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis have also come out on top in the contest in previous years.
Rising Stars Game: Team USA 151, Team World 131
For the sixth time, the NBA formatted the Rising Stars Game as the United States against the rest of the World. Team USA pulled off the victory in this one, tying the series up 3-3. R.J. Barrett led all scorers with 27 in the loss, but the star of the show was undoubtedly his college teammate, Zion Williamson. The No. 1 overall pick dunked so ferociously that he managed te bend the basket out of place. It needed to be fixed at halftime. His chemistry with former AAU teammate Ja Morant produced several gorgeous alley-oops in a game defined by dunks. In the end, Miles Bridges came away with MVP honors after 20 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: Team Wilbon 62, Team Smith 47
Stephen A. Smith may have made Celebrity Game history by earning its first-ever technical foul, but it was Team Wilbon that came out on top. Common, a Chicago native, took home MVP honors with 10 points and five rebounds. Team Wilbon led from the start, and the game was never particularly close, but Smith's antics and the mini-games that took place between quarters made it an entertaining few hours of basketball.