The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is here and we’re grading the competitors for all the events ahead of Sunday’s revamped All-Star Game that will feature four squads facing off in a tournament-style format at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The festivities kicked off Friday with the Rising Stars event, featuring a twist: The winner of the four-team mini-tournament of first- and second-year NBA players (plus one G League squad) booked a spot to participate in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Saturday night started with the skills challenge, which was dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers duo of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell despite the controversy surrounding the disqualification of San Antonio Spurs partners Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul. The sharpshooters of the league then went head-to-head in the 3-point contest, with Damian Lillard going for a three-peat. In the end he was dethroned by Tyler Herro.
The highly anticipated dunk contest did end in a three-peat as reigning champion Mac McClung took the trophy home once again after a battle against Rising Star MVP Stephon Castle.
Let’s get to the grades and assess how each player is doing this weekend.
Skills competition | 3-point contest | Dunk contest | Rising Stars
SKILLS COMPETITION
To kick off All-Star Saturday night, Cavs forward Evan Mobley joined Damian Lillard, Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade as multitime winners of the skills challenge. Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland won the title during 2022 All-Star Weekend in front of home fans in Cleveland, but this time he teamed up with fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell to add a second team win in San Francisco.
The skills challenge was the most memorable for Paul and Wembanyama after they were disqualified for not making valid shot attempts. Check out our grades from the competitors’ performances from the skills challenge.
Winners: Team Cavs (Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley)
Grade: A-
What stood out: Mitchell and Mobley edged their way into the finals despite Mobley struggling badly with his shooting in the first round, but aced the course in their second time through. Mobley missed his chest pass, having to double back as he did in the first round, which was the only blemish for Team Cavs in the final. Mitchell stood out with a one-handed pass on target and finished in under 30 seconds, giving Cleveland a winning time of 1:00.4.
TEAM CAVS (MOBLEY & MITCHELL) ARE THE 2025 #KiaSkills CHAMPS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/blkOMl2v5G
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025
Grade: B
What stood out: The home team dominated the opening round, racing through the course in barely more than a minute thanks to strong shooting by Moody and Green banking in a 3-pointer. Facing more pressure in the final after Team Cavs set the time to beat, Team Warriors got off to a strong start with Moody racing through the course in half a minute but Green was unable to complete all the skills. He missed all three of his passes at the first target, then knocked the balls out of the first shooting rack in his hurry. Time ran out with Green still on the other end of the court from the finish line.
Grade: B-
What stood out: Going after the disqualified Spurs probably worked against the top two picks in this year’s draft, who didn’t fully break a sweat with no time to beat. No. 1 pick Risacher did well enough to advance to give his squad a shot at the final, but No. 2 pick Sarr was a little slower through the course and that ended up costing Team Rooks as it finished a little more than a second behind Team Cavs.
Fourth place: Team Spurs (Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama)
Grade: F
What stood out: The Spurs outthought themselves by trying to game the skills challenge. Wembanyama, who took credit for the idea afterward, and Paul just tossed up “shots” as quickly as possible at the three shooting stations — coming nowhere within the vicinity of the basket — and were disqualified for not making valid attempts.
Frankly, the NBA deserves an F here too. The fact that making a shot is irrelevant to a timed competition was always an obvious problem with the obstacle-course format and one that would easily be rectified by adding a time penalty (say, five seconds) for a competitor who misses all three required shots.
That said, if you’re going to violate the spirit of the competition, you better at least make sure you’re playing by the written rules. Paul and Wembanyama paid for it with no shot to redeem themselves.
Meet the #KiaSkills teams 🙌
Live now on TNT! pic.twitter.com/xcq1Dv5ah6
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025
3-POINT COMPETITION
Saturday’s NBA 3-point contest saw Damian Lillard fall short of history as his quest for a three-peat ended in the opening round, while Buddy Hield made some by tying the record with a first-round score of 31 points.
In the end, however, it was Tyler Herro who was crowned 3-point champion by putting up 24 points in the final round. Here are my grades for all eight of Saturday’s competitors.
Final Scores:
Final
Tyler Herro: 24
Buddy Hield: 23
Darius Garland: 17
First Round
Buddy Hield: 31
Darius Garland: 19
Tyler Herro: 19
Jalen Brunson:18
Damian Lillard: 18
Cade Cunningham: 16
Cam Johnson 14
Norman Powell: 14
Winner: Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Grade: A-
What stood out: Credit Herro for saving his best for last. Herro’s opening-round score of 19 was barely good enough to advance, and that required him to make 11 of his last 16 shots — including becoming the first player all night to make the deep 3. Leading off in the finals, Herro made both his deep shots and went four-of-five from the top of the key. That set the bar high at 24 and proved enough to make Herro the winner.
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Tyler Herro edges Buddy Hield to win 3-point contest
Heat guard Tyler Herro wins the 3-point contest with 24 points in the final round.
Grade: A-
What stood out: Although he lost the finals this time, the 2020 3-point winner made history in front of home fans with his opening-round score of 31. That tied Warriors teammate Stephen Curry in 2021 and Tyrese Haliburton in 2023 for the highest score in a single round, albeit benefiting from the addition of the moneyball rack and the deep shots that have inflated scores since they were introduced in 2014 and 2020, respectively.
Like Haliburton, Hield was unable to translate a historic first round into hardware. He captured the excitement of the arena with a late run. Needing to make all his remaining shots, Hield hit his moneyball from the left wing and his first three attempts from the left corner. Moments like that are why the 3-point contest should be the anchor leg of All-Star Saturday night rather than the dunk contest. Alas, Hield missed his fourth attempt from his moneyball rack, meaning he finished one point behind Herro.
Grade: B+
What stood out: Wearing the No. 22 his father, Winston, sported for seven seasons in the NBA (including two-plus with the Warriors), Garland tied for the second-best score, putting up 24 points in the first round thanks to eight makes in his final 10 attempts. Garland had less success in the finals, putting up a score of 19, and was last of the three competitors.
First-rounders:
Grade: B-
What stood out: Brunson got off to the strongest start of anyone in Round 1, hitting four of his five shots beginning in the left corner, including the moneyball. Brunson also made the first of two deep 3s but did not finish strong. He made just two shots from his moneyball rack in the right corner. One more make would have sent Brunson to the finals and knocked out eventual winner Tyler Herro.
Grade: B-
What stood out: If we were grading on a curve using past results, Lillard would have scored even worse. The two-time defending champ looked well on his way to another finals appearance after making his first four shots from the left wing, meaning he needed to hit just three of his final six attempts. Instead, Lillard missed his moneyball attempt and went 2-for-5 from his moneyball rack in the left corner. That left Lillard one point shy of advancing.
Grade: C+
What stood out: Despite a casual approach, Cunningham got through all of his racks. That was important because the Pistons’ front man made four of five from the left corner, both his moneyball rack and the final one. That pushed Cunningham briefly into contention for advancing, but he was never a serious contender.
Grade: C
What stood out: A late surge helped Johnson avoid finishing last. Through the first three racks, Johnson had just five points, but he went 4-for-5 from his moneyball rack on the right wing and then went 3-for-5 from the right corner. One factor that worked against Johnson was that he missed all four of his regular moneyball shots.
Grade: C
What stood out: Powell looked like he was heating up when he knocked down his final four shots from the left wing, but he couldn’t continue that success on his final moneyball rack. Powell went 2-for-5 from the left corner, finishing with 14 points to tie for last with Johnson.
DUNK CONTEST
After a lackluster start, Saturday’s slam dunk contest put on a show as rookie Stephon Castle pushed two-time defending champion Mac McClung to the final showdown. Despite near-perfect scores for Castle in the finals, McClung went 4-for-4 with 50-point dunks to become the first player in the history of the dunk contest to win three years in a row. After the night’s bounciest competition, we graded all four of Saturday’s competitors.
Winner: Mac McClung, Osceola Magic (G League)
Grade: A
What stood out: On a night where the dunk contest celebrated the 25 years since Vince Carter delivered his renowned 2000 contest, with Carter commentating on the TNT broadcast, McClung delivered a worthy contender for the all-time rankings.
All four of McClung’s dunks earned perfect scores, and rightfully so. He started by doing Blake Griffin’s winning dunk from the 2011 contest one better by jumping over a Kia while grabbing the ball from an individual stationed inside the sunroof and reverse dunking it. Notably, Griffin jumped over the hood of the car, while McClung cleared the full body of the vehicle.
To cap his performance, and perhaps his dunk contest career, McClung jumped over 6-foot-11 All-Star Evan Mobley, who was standing on a platform to elevate him beyond 7 feet. (Mobley ducked, but McClung still got way up.) Grabbing the ball off Mobley’s shoulders, McClung hung in the air long enough to hit the ball off the rim and raise it back up to finish.
In the first round, McClung jumped over his assistant and turned to dunk the other direction — his most modest effort of the night — and then positioned his helper on a moving hoverboard and grabbed the ball to windmill with his right hand while simultaneously dunking home a second ball with the left.
If he wasn’t there already, Saturday cemented McClung’s place among the great competitors in dunk contest history.
Jumped over Evan Mobley AND tapped the ball on the rim 🤯
IT’S A THREE-PEAT 🏆🏆🏆
Mac McClung, 2025 #ATTSlamDunk Champ! pic.twitter.com/vBYejtMMZX
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025
Grade: A-
What stood out: Castle made McClung work in the final round. Castle got a perfect score — the only other player to receive one all night besides McClung — on his final dunk by going behind his back from right to left (his offhand) and cuffing the finish while completing a 180-degree spin. Castle fell just short of McClung’s standard on his first dunk of the final when it took him multiple attempts before completing an ambitious dunk, taking the ball out of the bottom of the net and windmilling between his legs.
Had Castle made that dunk on his first attempt, it might have merited a 50. It would be difficult to argue Castle was the deserving winner, however, particularly because his first-round dunks — a 180-degree windmill and a pass off the backboard for a reverse windmill — had a lower degree of difficulty.
Grade: C
What stood out: A solid second dunk — a reverse windmill from a pass off the side of the backboard — got Buzelis a score (47.4) in the same range as Stephon Castle’s pair of dunks. By that point, however, Buzelis had effectively been eliminated because he missed all three attempts in his first dunk. Buzelis couldn’t put down a bounce between his legs from the baseline. After two failed attempts, the Bulls’ rookie would have been wise to try something easier to finish.
Grade: C
What stood out: Jackson was unable to put down his original attempt on either dunk. He tried several more exciting options on his first dunk before settling for a two-hand windmill that was more of a game dunk than a competition one. After failing to complete a pass off the side of the backboard for a 360-degree finish on his second dunk, Jackson pivoted to cuffing a powerful windmill. That earned him third place and would have required Castle missing to give Jackson a shot at the finals.
RISING STARS
Team C, selected and co-coached by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, will advance to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game with WNBA legend Candace Parker taking over as honorary GM of what will become Team Candace.
On experience and talent, this team will be outclassed Sunday. But the players developed strong chemistry during two wins Friday, and if they play hard, they could present a challenge if their opponents (Shaq’s OGs, featuring MVPs Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James) treat Sunday like an exhibition rather than a competition.
In her role as GM, Parker chose Amen Thompson to join Friday’s winners for Sunday’s game. The second-year Houston Rockets forward was the right pick to complement this group and immediately becomes Team Candace’s strongest player.
Here are the grades for each player from the four Rising Stars teams.
Winner: Team C
Honorary coach: Chris Mullin
Stephon Castle, G, San Antonio Spurs
Final: 12 points | 3 points | 2 assists
Semifinal: 6 points | 4 rebounds | 4 assists
Grade: A
What stood out: An easy choice as MVP, Castle scored nearly half of his team’s 25 points in the final, getting Team C going after a slow start. Castle was equally active in the semifinal, where he distributed more than scored, including a touchdown pass to a streaking Jaylen Wells. He sent Team C to the finals with a pull-up step-back to reach the target score. He also had eight of the team’s first 10 points en route to victory.
Ryan Dunn, F, Phoenix Suns
Final: 3 points | 1 block | 1 rebound
Semifinal: 2 points | 3 assists
Grade: B+
What stood out: Enjoying the opportunity to expand the 3-and-D role he usually plays for the Suns, Dunn had three assists in the semifinal — matching his career high as a rookie. That included two passes to set up cutters at the rim. Dunn was less of a factor in the final but did knock down a 3 as part of the victory.
Zach Edey, C, Memphis Grizzlies
Final: 2 points | 2 rebounds
Semifinal: 4 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: B
What stood out: At 7-foot-4, Edey’s size made him difficult to stop in this setting. He made three of his four shot attempts, including a hook in the post and a putback dunk to open the scoring in the final.
Keyonte George, G, Utah Jazz
Final: 3 points | 3 rebounds
Semifinal: 10 points | 2-4 3PT
Grade: B+
What stood out: Before making a 3 in the final to secure Team C’s victory, George also had a key score in the semifinal. George got fouled while shooting and made two free throws to get Team C within one basket of winning. George made 3-of-7 from 3-point range and also got back on defense to steal an outlet pass with the win in the balance.
0:41
Keyonte George hits winning 3 as Team C advances to All-Star tournament
Keyonte George knocks down a winning 3 as Team C moves on to the All-Star tournament Sunday.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, F, Golden State Warriors
Final: 1 rebound
Semifinal: 6 points | 3-4 FG
Grade: B
What stood out: As a screener in pick-and-rolls, Jackson-Davis contributed in the final without making any impact in the box score. He got more opportunities to finish in the semifinal, going 3-of-4 from the field with a lob dunk in transition.
Dalton Knecht, G, Los Angeles Lakers
Final: 5 points | 2 rebounds
Semifinal: 7 points | 4 rebounds | 4 assists
Grade: B+
What stood out: Team C set up Knecht for a 3-pointer coming off a screen on the opening play of the semifinal. He finished with seven points and four assists, including a tomahawk dunk. Knecht found it tougher in the final, missing three of his five shots from deep, but had a scoop layup in transition and a deflection to set up a rare steal.
Jaylen Wells, F, Memphis Grizzlies
Final: 5 points | 2-5 FG
Semifinal: 5 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: B-
What stood out: The lone Team C starter to go scoreless in the final, Wells had a more memorable semifinal. He leaked out for a dunk set up by Castle and also made a deep 3-pointer, his only one of the night.
Runner-Up: Team G League
Honorary coach: Jeremy Lin
JD Davison, G, Maine Celtics
Final: 2 rebounds | 1 assist
Semifinal: 5 points | 2-5 FG
Grade: B-
What stood out: For one of the G League’s leading scorers, it was a quiet night for Davison, who was scoreless in the final. He made a 3-pointer in the early stages of the semifinals and just one more basket the rest of the game, finishing 2-of-7 across both games from the field.
Mac McClung, G, Osceola Magic
Final: No major stats
Semifinal: 5 points | 2 assists
Grade: B-
What stood out: Team G League put the ball in McClung’s hands early and he had a couple of assists, one of them to Leonard Miller for a dunk. Aside from a strong right-hand drive for a layup, however, McClung wasn’t a major factor as a scorer. And the two-time defending dunk champion didn’t give us any preview of his quest for a three-peat Saturday night.
Bryce McGowens, F, Rip City Remix
Final: 2 points
Semifinal: 12 points | 5-9 FG | 2-4 3PT
Grade: A-
What stood out: A 3-pointer from McGowens, who surprisingly had been on the bench for crunch time leading up to the final possession, sent Team G League to the final. McGowens had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting overall in the semifinal, then came off the bench in the final, making his only shot attempt.
0:50
Bryce McGowens sinks clutch triple to lead Team G League to win
Bryce McGowens hits a 3-pointer to lead Team G League to a win at the NBA Rising Stars Challenge.
Leonard Miller, F, Iowa Wolves
Final: 5 points | 2 blocks | 2 assists
Semifinal: 14 points | 7 rebounds
Grade: A-
What stood out: The leading scorer for Team G League in the semifinal, Miller shot 7-of-9 from the field and led the team in rebounding. Miller was especially effective in transition, outrunning the defense, and also had a powerful dunk. Miller memorably made a 3-pointer over Edey in the final and also blocked a 3, but missed five of his seven shot attempts.
Dink Pate, G, Mexico City Capitanes
Final: 5 points | 2-6 FG
Semifinal: 4 points | 7 rebounds
Grade: B-
The lone draft-eligible player to participate Friday — he’s projected to go early in the second round by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo — Pate flashed NBA-caliber athleticism but also showed room for improvement in his shot selection. Pate’s powerful tip dunk was impressive, as was a runner over Edey. Overall, however, he shot 4-of-13 and made just one of five 3-point attempts, including two that missed the rim. Pate, 18, has time to develop his shot selection.
Reed Sheppard, G, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Final: 0-1 FG
Semifinal: 2 assists | 0-3 FG
Grade: C-
What stood out: The No. 3 overall pick, playing for Team G League after putting up a 49-point outing in a brief three-game stint with the Vipers, wasn’t as effective Friday night. Sheppard was quiet on offense and missed all four of his shot attempts. Though his team won, Sheppard will hear from Houston Rockets teammate Amen Thompson about getting beat in the post for a dunk.
Pat Spencer, G, Santa Cruz Warriors
Final: 2 points | 3 rebounds
Semifinal: 2 rebounds | 0-1 FG
Grade: C+
What stood out: After going scoreless with a turnover in the backcourt during the semifinal, Spencer bounced back as a starter in the final. He had three of Team G League’s five offensive rebounds and cut backdoor for a layup.
Semifinalist: Team M
Honorary coach: Mitch Richmond
Matas Buzelis, F, Chicago Bulls
Semifinal: 4 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: C+
What stood out: We got the full Buzelis experience off the bench, highlighted by a powerful dunk and a steal that led to a pass over his back to Amen Thompson for a layup. On the flip side, Buzelis air-balled a 3-pointer and got out of control while driving late, resulting in a costly turnover.
Toumani Camara, F, Portland Trail Blazers
Semifinal: 8 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: B
What stood out: It was an eventful night for Camara, who made an early 3-pointer after a jab step and got Team M within one possession of victory by making three late free throws. In between, Camara couldn’t finish twice after getting to the rim on nice cuts.
Bub Carrington, G, Washington Wizards
Semifinal: 5 points | 4 assists
Grade: A-
What stood out: Splitting time as the point guard, Carrington handed out a game-high four assists and made both shots he took — one of them a 3-pointer.
Bilal Coulibaly, F, Washington Wizards
Semifinal: 4 points | 3 rebounds
Grade: B
What stood out: Playing alongside his Wizards teammate Carrington, Coulibaly showcased his athleticism on a couple of impressive plays. Coulibaly made a layup on a cut and later followed his miss to finish with a dunk. However, Coulibaly didn’t have quite enough control midair to finish a lob from Amen Thompson for what could have been a spectacular dunk.
Julian Strawther, G, Denver Nuggets
Semifinal: 3 points | 2 points
Grade: C+
What stood out: Strawther shot three 3-pointers in his eight minutes, making one of them. Another attempt was wide right, hitting hard off the backboard.
Amen Thompson, F, Houston Rockets
Semifinal: 11 points | 5-6 FG
Grade: A-
What stood out: Despite three turnovers, Thompson would have been the MVP had his team won its semifinal. He scored a team-high 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including an unorthodox play where Thompson intended to set up his twin brother Ausar for a lob but made the shot instead. Amen Thompson also overpowered his Rockets teammate Reed Sheppard in the post for a dunk, and had another dunk to move Team M within a point of victory. The strategy was questionable: Team M would have won by making a 3 and never got the ball back.
Ausar Thompson, F, Detroit Pistons
Semifinal: 4 points | 2 assists
Grade: C-
What stood out: There were good moments for Thompson, who seemed to float to the basket to finish a dunk and drew a foul when his twin brother Amen was trying to lob him the ball. Ausar Thompson made that free throw to complete the three-point play, but missed all four late in the game.
Semifinalist: Team T
Honorary coach: Tim Hardaway
Anthony Black, G, Orlando Magic
Semifinal game: 4 points | 4 assists | 2-for-5
Grade: B
What stood out: Black handed out a team-high four assists, including a nice feed to Gradey Dick for a layup. Black also had a hard take for a layup but missed three shot attempts.
Tristan da Silva, F, Orlando Magic
Semifinal: 5 points | 2-2 FG
Grade: B+
What stood out: Coming off the bench, da Silva gave his team a nice lift. He quickly found teammate Black with a hit-ahead pass for a layup and knocked down a 3 in transition to make things interesting.
Gradey Dick, G, Toronto Raptors
Semifinal: 12 points | 5-7 FG
Grade: A
What stood out: Dick was the standout for the losing team in the first semifinal, scoring a game-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Dick knocked down a pair of 3s and also drove to the hoop for a layup after Dalton Knecht overplayed on the perimeter in pursuit of a steal.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., F, Miami Heat
Semifinal: 4 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: B-
What stood out: It was a quiet game for Jaquez, whose only bucket came on a wide-open 3 when the defense didn’t close out on him after an offensive rebound. Jaquez also set up da Silva with a lookaway pass.
Brandin Podziemski, G, Golden State Warriors
Semifinal: 2 points | 3 assists
Grade: C
What stood out: Playing in front of home fans, Podziemski couldn’t get much going. He handed out three assists, but missed three of his four shot attempts. The lone exception came when Podziemski snuck in for an offensive rebound and putback.
Zaccharie Risacher, F, Atlanta Hawks
Semifinal: 4 points | 2 rebounds
Grade: B
What stood out: The No. 1 overall pick missed his first two shot attempts, one of which came on an end-to-end drive, before getting in the scorebook with a dunk on a nice cut. He followed that with a difficult off-hand finish over Zach Edey.
Alex Sarr, C, Washington Wizards
Semifinal: 3 points | 1-2 FG
Grade: B-
What stood out: The 7-foot Sarr showed his versatility in the Rising Stars format. He brought the ball up and set up Gradey Dick’s 3-pointer with a dribble handoff, then made a 3 with Zach Edey in his face. Sarr was less impactful as a traditional big, with just one rebound and no blocks.