Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield had the Mamba Mentality on Saturday night, taking home the NBA three-point contest in a thrilling finish which saw him hit the final shot of the competition to beat the 2018 champ Devin Booker.
BUDDY HIELD WINS IT ON THE LAST SHOT! #MtnDew3pt
Hield scored 27 points in the final round to surpass Booker’s 26. Trailing 26-19 heading into the final rack, Hield connected on four of five money balls, worth two points each, including the final one just before the buzzer to win in dramatic fashion.
Buddy Hield takes home the #MtnDew3pt trophy! 🏆
Both Hield and Booker tallied 27 points in the first round, which qualified them for the final alongside the Washington Wizards’ Davis Bertans, who had 26 points in the opening round.
“I felt great,” said Hield. “Like I said earlier, as a shooter, this is on your bucket list. You have to come in, and you want to win a 3-point shootout. With a stacked field like that, it makes it even better.”
WOW Buddy Hield just came up CLUTCH to win the 3 point contest 🔥 @buddyhield
The sharp-shooting Hield is averaging 20.4 points per game which ranks him 27th in the league.
Chicago is hosting the All-Star Weekend for the first time since the iconic 1988 rendition that saw Larry Bird win his third consecutive three-point competition and Michael Jordan defeat Dominique Wilkins in one of the most memorable slam dunk contests of all-time.
Team LeBron Faces Team Giannis in 69th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday
For the second straight year, Team LeBron will take on Team Giannis in the NBA All-Star Game. The 69th edition of the contest will get underway at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday night from Chicago and can be seen on TNT.
Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 178-164 in the 2019 All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C. Kevin Durant led the way for Team LeBron with 31 points and was named the MVP for the second time in his career.
Since the NBA switched over to the new format for the All-Star game in which the leading vote-getters from each conference select their teammates from the pool of starters and reserves, LeBron James’ teams are 2-0. In the inaugural contest featuring the new format in 2018, Team LeBron beat Team Stephen 148-145 in Los Angeles, Calif.
James will take the court Sunday at the “House that Michael Jordan Built” with a supremely-talented cast of starting superstars including his Los Angeles Lakers teammate and the 2017 All-Star Game MVP Anthony Davis, two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, the 2018 NBA MVP James Harden and the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic.
The reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will look to snap James’ two-year win streak with a starting roster comprised of three-time All-Star Joel Embiid, four-time All-Star Kemba Walker and All-Star debutants Trae Young and Pascal Siakam.
Here’s a look at the full All-Star game roster for Team LeBron and Team Giannis.
TEAM LEBRON:
*LeBron James, Lakers
*Anthony Davis, Lakers
*James Harden, Rockets
*Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
*Luka Doncic, Mavericks
Devin Booker, Suns
Chris Paul, Thunder
Ben Simmons, 76ers
Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Russell Westbrook, Rockets
Damian Lillard, Blazers (Will not play, injured)
Coach: Frank Vogel, Lakers
TEAM GIANNIS:
*Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
*Joel Embiid, 76ers
*Pascal Siakam, Raptors
*Kemba Walker, Celtics
*Trae Young, Hawks
Bam Adebayo, Heat
Brandon Ingram, Pelicans
Donovan Mitchell, Jazz
Jimmy Butler, Heat
Rudy Gobert, Jazz
Kyle Lowry, Raptors
Khris Middleton, Bucks
COACH: Nick Nurse, Raptors
*Denotes Starters
NBA Renames All-Star Game MVP Trophy After 18-Time All-Star Kobe Bryant
The NBA renames the All-Star MVP trophy after Kobe Bryant 💜💛
The most valuable player of Sunday night’s All-Star Game will be bringing home a newly-minted trophy featuring a tribute to the fallen legend, Kobe Bryant.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Saturday at his All-Star Weekend news conference that the award will be renamed the Kobe Bryant MVP Award, in honor of the 18-time NBA All-Star who was killed in a with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others last month in a tragic helicopter crash.
In addition to the five NBA titles he led the Lakers to, Bryant was named the MVP of the All-Star Game four times during his illustrious career (2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011).
Bryant was named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
“I’ve never seen in my long life an athlete passing that had the impact that Kobe’s passing had on people, people on the street, people that didn’t even know him,” said Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.