For the first time in over twenty years, the NBA All-Star Game will be hosted from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in the city of Cleveland. Alongside the All-Star meeting, Cleveland will host a plethora of events, starting with the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb.18 at the Wolstein Center and ending with the highly anticipated NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb.20.
With the Clorox Rising Stars challenge taking the main event position on Friday, Saturday’s festivities will play host to the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk competition. Up-and-coming talent will be joined with veterans of the sport to deliver a weekend of elite displays of skill.
Roster selections and line-ups are complete for the NBA All-Star Weekend 2022, and we’re highlighting some of the potential standouts and expectations from the key events.
Clorox Rising Stars (Feb.18, 9 p.m. ET)
In its newly announced format, the Rising Stars competition will comprise 28 players (12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and 4 players from the NBA G League Ignite development squad). The selected squad members will be drafted into four teams, competing in a “Race to 75” elimination-style mini-tournament.
Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cade Cunningham from the Detroit Pistons are the standout rookies partaking in the event. Along with the Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, Mobley and Cunningham are topping the power rankings to become this NBA season’s Rookie of the Year winner.
One to Watch: Evan Mobley
During the Rising Stars tournament, the one to watch is unquestionably Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whichever team acquires Mobley’s services on the night will receive one of the best defenders in the NBA.
NBA betting sites reveal Mobley’s impressive talents; the current 2022 ROTY odds on Mobley aren’t even close. Currently priced at -200, the next most immediate favorite is Cunningham at +600, as it looks like this year’s rookie standout in Mobley has already certified his victory in the running’s.
In addition to his Rookie of the Year #1 power ranking, he’s also a dark horse in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting. Should the production of Mobley be sustained, it’s hard to envision why he cannot collect both awards.
Despite dropping hopes of becoming the NBA ROTY 2022, Cade Cunningham will pose a severe threat in the Rising Stars competition. Last week, he averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists throughout three games. He also broke his career-high record of 34 points when the Detroit Pistons faced the Denver Nuggets.
AT&T Slam Dunk Contest (Feb.19, 8 p.m. ET)
A complete line-up for the 2022 Slam Dunk Contest is set in stone. Houston Rockets rookie guard Jalen Green, New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin, Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Orlando Magic’s guard Cole Anthony are the four players scheduled to participate in the annual contest.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons opted not to return and defend his 2021 crown, leaving his opponent of last year’s final, Obi Toppin, as the sole returning competitor to the 2022 edition.
Unfortunately, the days of superstar participants in the Slam Dunk Contest seem to have faded, unlike the tournament’s historical moments when the likes of Michael Jordan (1987/88) and Kobe Bryant (1997) wowed the audience with their phenomenal dunking abilities. Regardless, up-and-coming athletes will undoubtedly deliver a hunger to impress and make their name on the court. And although Toppin reached the finals of last season’s dunk contest, keep your eye on Jalen Green.
One to Watch: Jalen Green
Rockets rookie Jalen Green will headline the NBA Slam Dunk Contest; he was selected with the No.2 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and now has the opportunity to become the 15th Rookie in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history to win the competition.
In addition to his dunk contest call up, 19-year-old Green is also among the players selected for the Rising Stars roster. While Toppin owns the experience of already competing in the tournament, Green has delivered countless highlight-reel dunks during the NBA season.
Complete 2022 NBA All-Star Schedule
- Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (Feb. 18, 7 p.m. ET)
- Clorox Rising Stars (Feb. 18, 9 p.m. ET)
- NBA All-Star Practice (Feb. 19, 11 a.m. ET)
- NBA x HBCU All-Star Classic (Feb. 19, 2 p.m. ET)
- Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET)
- MTN Dew 3-Point Contest (Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET)
- AT&T Slam Dunk Contest (Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET)
- NBA Legends Brunch (Feb. 20, 12 p.m. ET)
- NBA G League Next Gem Game (Feb. 20, 2 p.m. ET)
- 71st NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 20, 8 p.m. ET)