This Saturday night during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, the Knicks won’t be taking part in the slam dunk or 3-point shooting contests, but they’ll still have a presence at the event, which is making a comeback after a decade.
The Shooting Stars challenge returns for the first time since 2015. The Knicks, featuring All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, will compete alongside team executive and former All-Star Allan Houston in one of four teams at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Introduced back in 2004, the Shooting Stars competition has three players from each team attempting shots of varying difficulty from several spots on the court.
The two best teams from the first round will move on to a championship face-off.
Each team consists of two current NBA players and a retired player, representing different basketball backgrounds, including All-Stars and family groups.
Interestingly, Houston was part of the All-New York team that won the event in 2012, alongside former Knicks guard Landry Fields and Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter.
Alongside Brunson, Towns, and Houston, Raptors player Scottie Barnes will team up with the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and Pistons legend Richard Hamilton.
Other teams include Team Cameron, featuring ex-Duke players like Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Conn Knuppel (Hornets), and Corey Maggette, as well as Team Harper, made up of Dylan Harper (Spurs), Ron Harper Jr. (Celtics), and their father, Ron Harper Sr.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s lineup also includes the annual Slam Dunk Contest, although Mac McClung, who has taken home the trophy for the past three years, won’t be competing this time.
This year’s participants for the dunk contest include Carter Bryant (Spurs), Jackson Hayes (Lakers), Keshad Johnson (Heat), and Jace Richardson (Magic).
Brunson’s had a go at the 3-point contest the last two years but didn’t make it past the first round. Notably, none of the All-Star starters are in this weekend’s eight-player field.
The eight will feature Devin Booker (Suns), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Knuppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Norman Powell (Heat), and Bobby Portis (Bucs).
Lillard, a two-time champion in 2023 and 2024, has yet to play for Portland this season following a torn Achilles tendon sustained in the playoffs last year against the Bucks. Last year’s trophy went to Tyler Herro of the Heat.
As for Sunday’s All-Star Game, it will showcase a new format, splitting players into three teams: two American teams and one “world” team.
Even though Towns was born in New Jersey, he’ll represent the world team since he plays for the Dominican Republic in international tournaments.
The Nets were set to be represented in Friday’s Rising Stars Tournament by rookie lottery pick Egor Demin, the first of five first-round picks for the team. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 10.8 points and 3.3 assists over 46 appearances for Brooklyn and was part of Team Vince, coached by former Nets star Vince Carter.
