Tag: All-Star Game

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum hold steady in latest round of NBA voting

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum held steady in the second returns for 2020-21 NBA All-Star game voting.

Boston Celtics binary star wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum held steady in the latest returns of fan voting for 2020-21 NBA All-Star voting, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

For the returns for Eastern Conference Frontcourt voting, Tatum remained in fourth place with 1.6 million votes, well behind Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (3 million votes) and nearly three times the votes of Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler (662,691 votes). Brown remained in fourth place among Eastern Conference guard returns with just over a million votes, trailing James Harden by about 800,000 votes and just ahead of Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine with 936, 309 total votes.

It seems unlikely either will catch their respective frontrunners now with Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant having 4.2 million votes to lead frontcourt voting, and Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal leading backcourt voting with 2.5 million.

Both seem very likely to get the nod as reserves if their voters continue to support them — and their play continues to warrant it.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Lakers NBA All-Star history: Ranking the all-time Lakers with the most All-Star selections

Can you name every Lakers All-Star?

Fan voting for the upcoming 2021 NBA All-Star Game, tentatively planned for March, is well underway, and Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are locks to earn selections this season. James will be named to the All-Star team for the 17th time in his career this season, and the third time as a Laker – but which Lakers greats have the most All-Star selections?

A total of 32 Lakers players have been named All-Stars in franchise history, 22 players have multiple All-Star appearances as a Laker, and five Laker legends have 10 or more All-Star selections. In fact, the three most prolific All-Stars since the game was created have been Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more All-Star selections than any other player in league history with 19, Kobe Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, and James will soon make his 17th appearance.

Here’s a look back at every Lakers player to make an All-Star team:

LeBron, Giannis, Kawhi and other NBA stars speak out against 2021 All-Star Game

Many NBA stars aren’t on board with the league’s reported plan to stage an All-Star Game in March.

As the NBA began laying out the schedule for a 2020-21 season outside a bubble environment, the league initially announced that a typical All-Star Game weekend would not be taking place.

Those plans have since changed, and earlier this week USA TODAY Sports reported that the NBA and NBPA were close to agreeing to a one-night All-Star event that would take place in Atlanta on March 7th. The event could include a traditional East vs. West All-Star Game, along with the dunk contest and 3-point contest.

The NBA is facing one major problem, though: The league’s biggest stars seem to have no interest whatsoever in participating.

LeBron James is leading a chorus of superstars who have spoken out against the proposal, and former MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are standing behind James.

Here’s what NBA players are saying about a potential All-Star Game in 2021:

Everything the NBA’s All-Stars have said about having an All-Star game

Here’s everything the NBA’s All-Stars have said about the All-Star game. No one seems to want to play in this thing.

When the NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to start the season on December 22, they also agreed that there would be no All-Star game. Instead, there’d be a week of rest and recovery for the players between the first and second half of the schedule.

Now, that tune seems to be changing despite the NBA’s struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic so far.

The NBA is negotiating with the Players Association to have an All-Star game on March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The two sides are in the midst of agreeing to COVID-19 testing and safety protocols now but are expected to come to terms soon.

So it looks like the All-Star game will be happening after all. But, despite the Players Association being apart of this, the players don’t seem too thrilled about it. LeBron James said he had “zero interest” in the game after the Lakers game against the Nuggets.

He’s not the only one to speak up. Here’s what every All-Star has said about the game so far.

John Wall not a fan of 2021 All-Star Game but respects Chris Paul, Adam Silver

“We all understand that it’s a business, and what they’re doing it for and what they’re trying to get out of it,” Wall told reporters.

Earlier Thursday, news leaked of an apparent agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to hold a 2021 All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta.

Given factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the revised NBA calendar, it wasn’t a development that was universally praised around the league. Later that night, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James even went as far as to call it “a slap in the face” to players.

Rockets point guard John Wall, who has earned All-Star honors five times in his distinguished career, said after Houston’s Thursday win that he “doesn’t really agree” with the decision to hold the game. However, Wall respects NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA President Chris Paul and understands what led to the tough choice. His comments:

We all understand that it’s a business, and what they’re doing it for and what they’re trying to get out of it. I really don’t care for it. If I make the game, I’m happy. If I don’t, okay. My job is to try and lead this team, and try to get us in the playoffs. I think it’s going to be a little forced. To try and get there the day before, then play the next day and get out, that’s not really an All-Star Weekend. We’re used to have a whole weekend of having festivities, and having fans.

But I understand what the NBA is doing, and I respect everything that Chris Paul does as our president. Whatever decision he comes up with, and what Adam Silver does — because I feel like those two are great guys that are great leaders for our league. Getting us into the bubble last year, and conducting that the right way and letting us play. And then, also, giving us the opportunity to play this year. I don’t really agree with it, but I respect those two guys’ decision. I feel like whatever they come up with, they have the best interest at heart for the NBA, and also us, as the players.

Now 30 years old, Wall is averaging 18.2 points (38.2% on 3-pointers) and 5.9 assists in 29.8 minutes per game this season. He’s also helped turn the Rockets into an elite defensive team. But for the 6-foot-4 floor general, his case involves much more than statistics.

The Rockets are 9-4 when Wall plays this season, and 7-0 when he plays without James Harden. On the other hand, they are 2-6 when he sits out. Should that trend continue, the case for his value is clear.

But as he explained, Wall’s focus at this stage of his career appears to be solely on trying to get his Rockets (11-10) to the 2021 playoffs.

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Rockets’ Christian Wood at No. 8 in fan voting for All-Star frontcourt

Based on fan voting to date, Wood is the only Houston player who currently ranks in the Top 10 of the Western Conference.

Among frontcourt players in the Western Conference, Rockets center Christian Wood ranks No. 8 overall in All-Star fan voting conducted through Wednesday. He is the only Houston player in the Top 10 rankings.

The fan vote accounts for half of the voting that determines All-Star starters. Players make up 25%, as does a panel of media members. Since only three frontcourt players start, Wood is a longshot to earn that honor, since he already trails Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard — currently at No. 3 in frontcourt fan voting — by over a million votes.

However, Wood could still qualify as a reserve. All 30 NBA head coaches are given a ballot with the ability to select three frontcourt players, two backcourt players, and two wild-card picks from each conference. The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is expected to be held on March 7 in Atlanta.

If selected, a reserve could eventually become a starter this year, should one of the starters be injured or choose not to participate.

Now 25 years old, the 6-foot-10 big man is averaging 22.3 points (55.3% FG, 39.7% on 3-pointers) and 10.4 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game during his breakout season with the Rockets.

Fan voting for 2021 NBA All-Stars continues through Tuesday, Feb. 16. Details on how to vote online and on Twitter are available here.

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Sixers coach Doc Rivers would like an All-Star game if it’s good for the league

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers would like to see an All-Star game if it’s good for the league.

The NBA is working on trying to play a full and complete 2020-21 season in the murky waters that the pandemic currently represents and things have been rocky at times. There have been 23 games postponed so far due to the league’s health and safety protocols as they try and keep everybody safe.

One event that was assumed to not be happening was the annual All-Star game. Considering the current circumstances the league finds itself in, it seemed that All-Star weekend was not happening as a small sacrifice to complete the season.

However, both the NBA and the NBPA are now working towards having a 2021 All-Star game in Atlanta and it will benefit HBCUs. The game would be held on March 7 and it appears that they will have the usual skills events as well all in one day.

This would definitely affect the Philadelphia 76ers as they would most likely send Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to the game and coach Doc Rivers would be on track to coach a team due to the Sixers being on top of the Eastern Conference.

“I don’t think about that,” said Rivers. “That’s more league stuff, I try to stay out of that. Obviously, all coaches would take the vacation time off, but, it’s good for the league we should have it.”

The question then becomes why would the NBA and its players do this? Why would they risk the health and safety of others to play an ultimately meaningless game?

At the end of the day, as long as it’s done safely, it would be something that would beneficial for the league in terms of ratings and money.

“I’m not smart enough to know what’s good for the league in that case, but I’m a true believer in that if it’s good for the league, overall, then we should have an All-Star game,” Rivers added. “They’ll figure out what is what isn’t especially with all the safety protocols.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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How to vote online and on Twitter for Rockets as 2021 NBA All-Stars

Voting for 2021 All-Stars began Thursday, Jan. 28 and runs through Tuesday, Feb. 16. Christian Wood appears to be Houston’s top candidate.

The NBA on Thursday introduced fan voting for 2021 NBA All-Star honors. (Given the COVID-19 pandemic, it isn’t yet clear whether there will be an actual midseason game, as there usually is.)

Voting began on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. Central and runs through Tuesday, Feb. 16. “Discussions surrounding a potential All-Star Game are ongoing,” the NBA says in its press release.

From the league’s official announcement:

Fans may submit one full ballot each day via the NBA App and NBA.com, as well as vote for up to 10 unique players per day on Twitter. All current players are available for selection. Five “2-for-1 Days” will allow fans to have their votes count twice on Jan. 30, Feb. 2, Feb. 4, Feb. 13 and Feb. 16.

NBA players and media will join fans in selecting the All-Star starters. Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a media panel will account for 25 percent each. Players and media will be able to complete one ballot, featuring three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

After all votes are tallied, players will be ranked in each conference by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups — fan votes, player votes, and media votes. Each player’s score will be calculated by averaging his weighted ranks. Fan voting will serve as the tiebreaker for players in a position group with the same score.

For All-Star votes to be properly accepted via Twitter, here are official instructions from the Houston Rockets:

  • To vote for the NBA All-Star Ballot via Twitter, voters must tweet with #NBAAllStar and include the first and last name of the player that they want to see play in the All-Star game.
  • Voters can submit a maximum of 10 valid votes per Twitter handle per day. Each of the 10 votes per day must be for a different player in the NBA.
  • Tweets must include the NBA All Star Ballot hashtag — #NBAAllStar — to be counted as valid votes.
  • Each tweet must only include a vote for 1 player.
  • Retweets will count as valid votes.
  • Valid votes would need to include a player’s first and last name (eg. John Wall or JohnWall).

Houston’s top All-Star candidate would appear to be starting center Christian Wood, who entered Thursday averaging 23.5 points (52.8% FG), 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 33.6 minutes per game.

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Notre Dame Product A.J. Pollock is World Series Champion with Dodgers

For the first time since Brad Lidge with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, a former Notre Dame player has won a World Series title.

For the first time since Brad Lidge with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, a former Notre Dame player has won a World Series title. That player is Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock, whose team won its first championship since 1988 on Tuesday. Though he had only one double and one walk in seven plate appearances during the Fall Classic, he’ll surely take a ring in his second season in Los Angeles.

Pollock’s seven seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks included an All-Star selection and Gold Glove in 2015. After reaching the playoffs only once during that time, he took his talents to Chavez Ravine for a four-year, $55 million deal beginning in 2019. During the pandemic-shortened regular season, he tied with Mookie Betts for the team lead in home runs with 16. He also posted a slash line of .276/.314/.566 and had 34 RBIs over 55 games.

Congratulations to A.J. for playing a role in making the City of Angels the city of champions in 2020.

Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘Lakers’ worn by Anthony Davis in All-Star game could drop next month

Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘Lakers’ worn by Anthony Davis during All-Star game in Chicago could be releasing next month.

There were several moving tributes to Kobe Bryant during NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago. Among them was Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis rocking a pair of Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Lakers” shoes during the game on Sunday. Now, according to multiple reports, you could be able to potentially cop a pair of these exclusive Kobe’s yourself sometime next month.

Although not yet confirmed by Nike, the Kobe 5 Protro “Lakers” sneaker is reported to release on March 26th at select retailers according to Kicks On Fire. This design of this Kobe 5 comes in the Lakers colors of purple and gold while featuring a snakeskin pattern on a black heel, silver Kobe branding on the tongue and a white midsole.

The purple synthetic upper of this shoe is paired with black detailing throughout and gold trim to make an extremely fire sneaker. It’s one that Laker nation could rock proudly during a deep playoff run this season and beyond while paying homage to the great Kobe Bryant.

 

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