The Knicks entered the Kia Shooting Stars Challenge on Saturday as the likely favorites, and, well, they delivered.
With Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston, and Rick Brunson—who’s not just an assistant coach but also Jalen’s dad—the team brought home the trophy after beating three other teams at the Intuit Dome during All-Star Weekend in Inglewood.
The competition kicked off with Team All-Star, featuring Raptors guard Scottie Barnes, Thunder center Chet Holmgren, Pistons legend Rip Hamilton, and the clever passer Druski.
Next, we had Team Cameron, which included Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Hornets guard Con Knuppel, former Clippers forward Corey Maggette, and the well-known passer Anthony Anderson.
Last but not least, Team Harper rounded things out. This team had Spurs guard Dylan Harper, Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr., and NBA great Ron Harper on board, with celebrity passer 2 Chainz helping out.
Before the action started, the Bransons took the mic, and Rick playfully ribbed his son, leading Jalen to quip that it “wasn’t fun.”
On his 48th birthday, Hamilton also shared a light-hearted moment, joking about attending the event without his signature mask.
Each team had 70 seconds to rack up points from seven designated spots around the basket and the three-point line. A successful shot could earn 2, 3, or 4 points.
Team All-Star kicked things off but only managed to gather 16 points, which was a letdown.
Then came Team Cameron, with Anderson making long passes that led to a solid score of 24 points, and they left the court to cheers from enthusiastic Clippers fans.
Team Harper followed but fell short with a total of 18 points thanks to some passes from 2 Chainz.
With a strong performance, Team Knicks finished the first round with 31 points.
Advancing to the finals were Team Knicks and Team Cameron, where the Knicks secured victory with a final score of 47-38, thanks to clutch shots from Jalen Brunson and Houston.
After the win, Jalen, still in a joking mood, remarked that it’s “never fun” around his dad. He cheekily added that Rick isn’t really a “celebrity” but acknowledged that he did his part.
Jalen expressed hope that this win might give the Knicks a boost for the remainder of the season.
During breaks in the contest, celebrities like Spike Lee and NSYNC’s Joey Fatone entertained the crowd, signing mini-basketballs for fans.
To cap things off, Ludacris surprised everyone with a post-event concert.
