San Francisco (AFP) – San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama promised plenty of intensity in his first NBA All-Star Game as the league hopes its new rapid-fire mini-tournament format can bring the excitement back to its mid-season showcase. “The goal is not to chill, for sure,” 21-year-old French sensation Wembanyama said Saturday as the league’s luminaries lined up for media day ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Game.
It will, in fact, be a series of three contests, all with the first team to 40 points winning, as the league tries to restore relevance after last year’s traditional East vs West game saw the Eastern Conference triumph 211-186, criticized for a lack of defensive effort and a dearth of drama. This year, the All-Stars from each conference have been drawn into three teams while a fourth team — led by Wembanyama’s rookie teammate Stephon Castle — advanced from Friday’s Rising Stars championship.
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The other teams doing battle at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center arena were selected by former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith from the All-Star starters and reserves. “It’s worth a try,” Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets’ three-time NBA Most Valuable Player who will team with Wembanyama on Barkley’s team of global stars, said of the new format. “We’ll see how the players react and how it’s going to be.”
Barkley’s roster took a hit when Milwaukee’s Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out by injury. But he’ll still have Oklahoma City’s Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam of Indiana, and Turkish center Alperen Sengun of Houston. They’ll open Sunday against Smith’s Young Stars, who include Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, and Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
The other semi-final is an intriguing match-up of the Rising Stars against the team of veteran superstars assembled by O’Neal that includes 21-time All-Star LeBron James, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant — who teamed for the first time as members of the USA’s gold medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics last year. The roster also features Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
They’ll be a formidable challenge for the team of first- and second-year talent led by Castle — the Rising Stars MVP — and second-year Utah guard Keyonte George. The team also features Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, Phoenix rookie Ryan Dunn, and Golden State second-year swingman Trayce Jackson-Davis, who will be going up against their illustrious teammates. “It’ll be a lot of fun to go out there and try to make a statement,” Knecht said.
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