NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis got underway on Friday night with the Celebrity Game and Rising Stars Challenge. In the opener, Team Shannon held off Team Stephen A. for a 100-91 victory. Later on, Team Jalen defeated Team Detlef in the championship of the Rising Stars Challenge to claim that title.
With the first of three exciting nights now in the books, here’s a look at some of the moments that defined All-Star Friday.
Parsons steals the show in the Celebrity Game
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons finished third in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting earlier this month, but on Friday night he made sure he got his hands on a trophy. The three-time Pro Bowler stole the show at the Celebrity Game and was named MVP.
Parsons was a two-sport star in high school, and once competed against Brooklyn Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV. On Friday, he showed that he still has some skills on the court, as he poured in 37 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Team Shannon to victory.
This is the second consecutive year that an active NFL player has taken MVP honors in the Celebrity Game, and the fourth time overall. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf earned the honors last year, while Hall of Famer Terrell Owens went back-to-back in the 2008 and 2009 events.
Mathurin has fascinating night that ends with MVP
Indiana Pacers swingman Bennedict Mathurin was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, giving the hometown fans something extra to cheer about. He earned the honor after a truly fascinating night filled with impressive highlights, embarrassing bloopers and a surprising amount of trash talk.
Here’s a quick rundown of Mathurin’s best and worst moments:
‘You can’t guard me’
In the middle of the first game between Team Jalen and Team Tamika, Mathurin suddenly got serious when he confronted Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey and told him, “Even in the Rising Stars game you can’t guard me.” Ivey asked him to repeat himself multiple times, which Mathurin did.
Mathurin (No. 6), it should be noted, was selected one spot behind Ivey (No. 5) in the 2022 NBA Draft.
A $25,000 bet
The Rising Stars games are still played with a target score, which for the opening round was set at 40. Late in the contest, Team Jalen was up 38-35 on Team Tamika when Mathurin stepped to the line with two free throws to potentially win the game. Ever confident, Mathurin offered Orlando Magic big man Paolo Banchero a $25,000 bet that he would make both free throws. He then promptly missed both.
Unfortunately for Banchero, he didn’t take Mathurin up on the offer, or he would have left Indianapolis with a nice bonus.
Still hit the game winner
While Mathurin failed in his first attempt to win Team Jalen’s opening game, he didn’t put his head down. Instead, he called for the ball again, drove baseline and hit a game-winning jumper over Scoot Henderson. Mathurin finished with 18 of his team’s 40 points in the win.
Multiple missed dunks
All-Star Weekend is all about putting on a show, and as you’ve already seen, Mathurin did his part. His night was certainly not perfect, however, as he missed multiple dunks along the way. While it’s one thing to misjudge a windmill, as he did in the championship game, his first miss was inexplicable.
After calling for an iso against Jalen Duren in the first game, Mathurin drove to the basket, elevated and then… airballed a dunk.
His Pacers teammates Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin couldn’t help but laugh on the sideline as they watched on.
Buzelis calls game
The rosters for the Rising Stars Challenge were split up into four teams coached by former NBA and WNBA players. While the NBA stars were selected in a draft by their respecitve coaches, Team Detlef, helmed by Detlef Schrempf, was made up entirely of G League players.
They were massive underdogs in the first round against Team Pau, which was led by San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. The G Leaguers took advantage of their moment on national TV, though, and pulled off the upset thanks to reigning Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung, and Matas Buzelis. The potential top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft hit the game-winner to send Team Detlef to the championship game.
Unfortunately, they were not able to pull off another shocker, as they lost to Team Jalen in the final game. Still, it was really neat for the G League players to have that kind of moment at All-Star Weekend.
With All-Star Friday wrapped up, the momentum will carry on into Saturday when the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, Dunk Contest and a special one-on-one matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu all take place. And, of course, the festivities will culminate on Sunday when the All-Star Game takes place. Our Sam Quinn has a betting guide for all the action.
