T Jass from the top deck to tip off a celebration of basketball in the Bay…

Welcome to NBA All-Star 2025!

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Feb. 14, 2025

NBA All-Star 2025: One of the greatest weekends on the sports calendar in 2 minutes

Castrol Rising Stars: Tonight (9 ET, TNT), the stakes are higher than ever before

Ruffles Celebrity Game: Kai Cenat, Shaboozey, Druski & Noah Kahan headline a star-studded run (7 ET, ESPN)

Meet The Dunkers, Pt. 4: Mac McClung aims to make AT&T Slam Dunk history on Saturday

Thursday Highlights: Wolves top Thunder, Mavs & Dubs win and a pair of OT thrillers

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Thursday’s final scores before a star-studded weekend…

NBA All-Star 2025 tips off today, highlighted by the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (7 ET, ESPN) and the Castrol Rising Stars (9 ET, TNT). Check out the full All-Star Weekend schedule and all the latest All-Star buzz here.

Happy Valentine’s Day: Give your favorite fan the gift of streaming hoops with NBA League Pass – now 30% off through Feb. 16. Tap here to share the love.

Reads Of The Day: AP on the six All-Star rookies and where LeBron ranks in All-Star history … Billboard on the best music moments in NBA All-Star history … Andscape on Damian Lillard’s return to his Oakland roots

1. ALL-STAR WEEKEND IN THE BAY: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Basketball and the Bay Area don’t just share the same first two letters, they share two cities, embedded into each other’s identity — with the region’s deep hoops roots making for a special All-Star weekend.

What Should I Know? The weekend opens with a packed Friday, headlined by two main events: the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at Oakland Arena (7 ET, ESPN), followed by the Castrol Rising Stars at Chase Center (9 ET, TNT).

Tomorrow, one of the biggest nights in basketball gets underway with State Farm All-Star Saturday Night (8 ET, TNT), featuring three fan-favorite events.

• The Kia Skills Challenge starts things off with Team Warriors (Draymond Green & Moses Moody) hosting Team Cavs (Donovan Mitchell & Evan Mobley), Team Spurs (Chris Paul & Victor Wembanyama) and Team Rooks (Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr)
• The Starry 3-Point Contest will see two-time defending champ and Oakland native Damian Lillard look to make it three straight against Jalen Brunson (NYK), Cade Cunningham (DET), Darius Garland (CLE), Tyler Herro (MIA), Buddy Hield (GS), Cam Johnson (BKN) and Norman Powell (LAC)
• AT&T Slam Dunk closes the night with another potential three-peat as Mac McClung looks to make history against Matas Buzelis (CHI), Stephon Castle (SAS) and Andre Jackson Jr. (MIL)

All-Star 2025 culminates with the 74th All-Star Game on Sunday, featuring the event’s first 4-team, 3-game mini-tournament at Chase Center (8 ET, TNT).

• Semifinal 1: Kenny’s Young Stars vs. Chuck’s Global Stars
• Semifinal 2: Shaq’s OGs vs Candace’s Rising Stars
• Championship: Semi. 1 winner vs. Semi. 2 winner

But first, Thursday saw the Bay come alive with final All-Star prep, the arrival of the game’s biggest stars, the media circuit and everything in between — including Wemby’s first All-Star portraits.

• All-Star Alley: See Powell Street transform into an All-Star mecca
• All In The Details: Step behind the curtain as the Chase Center’s All-Star hardwood comes to life, piece by piece
• Dame Gives Back: Watch as Dame returns to his high school to surprise students with a life-changing scholarship announcement
• T Jass Does It Again: Through the legs 360 bucket from the top deck… how?!
• Oakland All-Star Flashback: Vince and Shaq 360s, Kidd to Kobe, AI to VC and more timeless moments from the 2000 All-Star Game in Oakland

2. CASTROL RISING STARS: STAKES LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Three teams are locked in for Sunday’s All-Star Game: Kenny’s Young Stars, Chuck’s Global Stars and Shaq’s OGs – each boasting eight of this year’s 24 NBA All-Stars.

But the fourth spot is still up for grabs.

And for the first time, that spot will be awarded to the winner of tonight’s Castrol Rising Stars (9 ET, TNT).

• How It Works: Like the All-Star Game, Rising Stars features four teams in a single-elimination semifinal, followed by a winner-take-all championship
• 3 NBA Squads: Three teams are composed of NBA rookies and sophomores, as drafted by honorary head coaches Tim Hardaway Sr. (Team T), Mitch Richmond (Team M) and Chris Mullin (Team C)
• 1 G League Mix: The fourth team is made up of players who’ve suited up in the G League this season (Team G League), with Jeremy Lin as honorary coach
• First To 40: In each semifinal, the first team to reach 40 points wins. The championship will be decided by a target score of 25 points
• See You Sunday: The champion will represent ‘Candace’s Rising Stars’ in Sunday’s ASG, with WNBA legend Candace Parker serving as honorary GM

Dubbed “Run TMC” during their two seasons together as a high-scoring trio with Golden State (1989-91), Hardaway Sr., Richmond and Mullin selected their seven-man squads among the pool of 21 NBA Rising Stars, chosen by NBA assistant coaches.

• Double Trouble: With the first pick, Richmond selected the Rockets’ Amen Thompson before adding his twin brother, Ausar Thompson (DET), making them the first siblings to play on the same team in Rising Stars history
• Familiar Faces: Richmond also grabbed two sets of teammates in Scoot Henderson & Toumani Camara (POR) and Bilal Coulibaly & Bub Carrington (WAS)
• TMC Chemistry: Drafting NBA teammates was a common theme as Mullin landed a pair of Grizzlies (Jaylen Wells & Zach Edey) while Hardaway doubled up on Magic (Anthony Black & Tristan da Silva)
• French Connection: Hardaway’s squad also features the No. 1 and 2 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft in fellow Frenchmen Zaccharie Risacher (ATL) and Alex Sarr (WAS), who will team up in Saturday’s Kia Skills Challenge as Team Rooks

Tonight on TNT, the four squads will take the floor in hopes of rising to this weekend’s ultimate stage – the 74th All-Star Game.

• Semifinal 1 (9:15 ET): Team C vs. Team T
• Semifinal 2 (9:55 ET): Team G League vs. Team M
• Championship (10:35 ET): Semi. 1 winner vs. Semi. 2 winner

3. LET THE FUN BEGIN: RUFFLES ALL-STAR CELEBRITY GAME TONIGHT

The world’s best hoopers aren’t the only stars looking to shine on the hardwood this weekend, as the always-entertaining Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game tips off tonight from Oakland Arena (7 ET, ESPN).

From Warrior legends to Grammy-nominated artists, this year’s showdown features celebrities from all walks of entertainment and sports, all looking to prove they’ve got game.

• Actors: Rome Flynn, Danny Ramirez, Oliver Stark, Pablo Schreiber, Dylan Wang
• Artists: Noah Kahan, Shaboozey, Mickey Guyton, AP Dhillon, Tucker Halpern, Walker Hayes
• Athletes: Baron Davis and Matt Barnes (Former Warriors), Allisha Gray and Kayla Thornton (WNBA standouts), Terrell Owens (NFL HoF), Masai Russell and Shelby McEwen (Olympians), Bayley (WWE superstar), Chris Brickley (hoops trainer)
• Creators: Druski, Kai Cenat

The Coaches? Legends only, as the MLB’s home run king, Barry Bonds, will team up with rapper 2 Chainz as they look to outscheme 3-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice and comedian Khaby Lame.

The stars are aligned, let the fun begin.

Want a peek inside practice? See Druski show off his range, and get more on @NBA.

4. MEET THE DUNKERS, PT. 4: MAC McCLUNG

There’s never been a three-peat champ in the AT&T Slam Dunk competition.

But on Saturday (8 ET, TNT), Mac McClung aims to change that.

25 years ago in Oakland, Vince Carter delivered one of the most iconic performances in Slam Dunk history, punctuated by his famous “It’s Over” celebration.

23 years later, McClung followed suit in his Slam Dunk debut, sealing his first title with a reverse 540 in the Championship Round for a perfect 50 — and the VC sign-off.

The dunk ⬆️ The celly ⬇️

“I had so much adrenaline,” said McClung looking back on the dunk. “I just didn’t know what to do with my hands.”

But when it comes to high-flying moments, the 6-foot-2 springboard never flinches.

McClung, 26, has been rocking the rim – and the internet – since his high school days, bouncing out of small Virginia gyms and bursting onto the national stage with jaw-dropping jams.

After playing college ball at Georgetown and Texas Tech, McClung has split time between the NBA and G League, where he earned 2023-24 Kia G-League MVP honors and is currently averaging 24.5 ppg and 6.1 apg with the Osceola Magic.

At NBA All-Star 2024, he successfully defended his dunk crown – capped by a trophy-sealing slam over Shaq.

This Saturday, he’s back again to make history.

“I love the contest, man,” said McClung on AT&T Slam Dunk. “It’d be an action in fear not to do it again. So, I’ll do it — one last time.”

5. THURSDAY RECAP: STATEMENT WEST WINS & 2 DRAMATIC OT-DUBS

Ant and the Wolves are flying high into All-Star Weekend.

Wolves 116, Thunder 101: After back-to-back losses, Minnesota earned a signature win over the West-leading Thunder, holding them 17+ points below their season average (118.2), while Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid took over offensively. | Recap

• “A Serious Rack-Attack!”: Struggling to find his shot, Ant went to the cup, throwing down an emphatic 1st-quarter poster – for a 100.8 Dunk Score – on his way to 23 points, 7 boards, 7 dimes and 3 steals
• Hungry Pack: Reid also stuffed the stat sheet (27 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast) while Jaden McDaniels added 21 points and 5 assists
• Lockdown Late: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC (24 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast), but the Wolves held the Thunder to 14 points in the 4th quarter to seal the win
• Heavyweight Bout: Minnesota was one of only six teams to beat OKC 2+ times in the 2023-24 regular season. This season, the two sides are 1-1 against each other
• Even At The Top: With the loss, the Thunder enter the All-Star break tied with the Cavs for the best record in the NBA (44-10)

Warriors 105, Rockets 98: One night after stumbling in Dallas, the Warriors found their footing in Houston as Steph Curry (27 pts) and Jimmy Butler (19 pts, 8 reb) came through late to stave off the Rockets. Golden State is now 3-1 since acquiring Butler. | Recap

Mavericks 118, Heat 113: Tyler Herro dropped 40 points, but Dallas’ Dante Exum couldn’t miss as he turned in 27 on 11-of-13 shooting. With the help of six other Mavs scoring double-figures, Dallas’ secured its fourth win in five games, despite being without Kyrie Irving. | Recap

Pelicans 140, Kings 133 (OT): In a game featuring 15 ties and 22 lead changes, Zach LaVine (32 pts, 10 ast, 5 3s) and Domantas Sabonis (22 pts, 28 reb) notched monster double-doubles for Sacramento.

But CJ McCollum was unconscious, as the veteran splashed seven 3s to the tune of 43 points, including 11 in OT to lift the Pels over the Kings, snapping their 10-game skid. | Recap

• Closing Time: McCollum scored 37 points after halftime and single-handily outscored Sacramento in OT (11-6) to notch his third 40-piece since the New Year
• Kings Royalty: In his sixth game with Sacramento, LaVine joined De’Aaron Fox (2022) and Mitch Richmond (1997) as the only Kings to record 30+ pts, 10+ ast and 5+ 3s in a regular season outing

Clippers 120, Jazz 116 (OT): Trailing by as many as 20, Norman Powell (41 pts) and James Harden (32 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast) ignited a huge Clips rally, capped by a 22-13 4th quarter to force OT, where LA edged out Utah for its third straight win. | Recap

• Simmons’ LA Debut: Ben Simmons looked sharp in his first game with the Clips, recording 12 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals
• Rooks Lead Utah: Kyle Filipowski tallied a double-double (20 pts, 10 ast), while Isaiah Collier (16 pts, 8 ast, 4 stl) notched his seventh straight game with 8+ dimes