Giannis teams with bros for revamped skills event
The NBA announced the participants for the three events that will take place on Saturday of All-Star Weekend in Cleveland: the 3-point contest, the slam dunk contest and a revamped skills challenge that will feature three teams of three players.
The new skills challenge format will allow Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to team up with his brothers, Alex and Thanasis, to compete together in a four-round competition that tests shooting, passing and dribbling.
The Antetokounmpo brothers will be matched up against three players from the Cleveland Cavaliers — All-Star guard Darius Garland joined by big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley — and three rookies — Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons and Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA will crown a first-time winner in both the dunk and 3-point contests.
Orlando‘s Cole Anthony, Houston‘s Jalen Green and Golden State‘s Juan Toscano-Anderson will all take part in the dunk competition for the first time, while the New York Knicks‘ Obi Toppin returns after finishing as the runner-up last season.
Although this year’s 3-point contest champion will win the competition for the first time, a few players will come in with some experience.
Chicago‘s Zach LaVine will make his third consecutive bid to win the contest, aiming again to become the first player in NBA history to win both the 3-point contest and dunk contest in his career (LaVine won back-to-back slam dunk contests in 2015 and ’16). Atlanta‘s Trae Young will make his second career appearance.
The rest of the eight-person field will be participating for the first time, including CJ McCollum, who was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier Tuesday, Minnesota‘s Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto‘s Fred VanVleet, Memphis‘ Desmond Bane, the LA Clippers‘ Luke Kennard and Brooklyn‘s Patty Mills.
All-Star Weekend will take place Feb. 18-20.