All-Star NBA 2023

Jayson Tatum took over the NBA All-Star Game, setting the record for the most points scored in the annual showcase with 55 as Team Giannis beat Team LeBron ...

Tatum also set the record for most points in a single quarter with 27 in the third.

Tatum caught fire from downtown, and put on a brilliant display of shot-making that included a 43-second span where he made three pull-up 3s in a row. In addition to his 55 points, he added 10 rebounds and six assists in a strong all-around performance befitting his vast array of talents. [Giannis Antetokounmpo's](/nba/players/2067655/giannis-antetokounmpo/) first pick during the starters portion of the pre-game draft, and that turned out to be a terrific decision.

“Just special,” Tatum said. Jason Tatum receives the Kobe Bryant trophy as the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP. And so it was a performance that ...

Both LeBron and Giannis seemed prepared — LeBron had a cheat sheet, Giannis a cheat book — and it was on. Curiously, Kyrie chose to leave LeBron and the Cavs after that title; he’s now on his third team since then — and is a free agent this summer, thus tossing a log on the speculative fire about a possible reunion with LeBron in L.A. The next task for Tatum is a championship; he and the Celtics faltered last summer after assuming an early series lead against the Warriors. I’m never going to change.” But loyalty to the game has limits when injured. Kobe was a mentor to Tatum almost from the start. It was enough to easily win the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award, which made Tatum emotional; Bryant was a massive presence in his life and development as a player. From Damian Lillard in the [Starry 3-Point Contest](https://www.nba.com/news/2023-3-point-contest), and Mac McClung dripping with near perfection in the [AT&T Slam Dunk](https://www.nba.com/news/2023-slam-dunk-contest), the finishing touch was provided just as emphatically in the [2023 All-Star Game](https://www.nba.com/allstar/2023) by a player who could not be stopped. Tatum’s first of four All-Star appearances was in 2020, a month after Kobe’s death. Only Lillard, who swished a shot effortlessly from halfcourt, was able to break the Celtic stranglehold on entertainment. And it came in a rush, when Tatum challenged Brown and their square-off turned into a welcome subplot. “We’ve always brought out the best in each other.” [NBA All-Star Weekend](https://www.nba.com/allstar/2023), the best way to describe it was …

Who stood out, for better or worse, in Salt Lake City? We break down Jayson Tatum's MVP, Mac McClung's win, and more from the star-studded festivities.

Maybe it was gamesmanship, maybe it was a favor to the NBA (after all, half the event was known as Team Giannis). If the pass is imprecise, the timing is off, or the dunk is missed, the element of surprise is gone and Murphy gets eliminated. The Elam Ending was praised as a savior concept for the All-Star Game itself, but watching the first three quarters was like getting a basketball lobotomy. [repeatedly and soundly dismissed the notion this weekend](https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2023/02/19/ja-morant-dunk-contest-nba-all-star-game/69921796007/). Mann: It could just be me—I’ve seen a bunch of these—but it definitely feels like All-Star Weekend is teetering on the edge of a cliff before this event enters a real era of free fall. Look, is it weird for a G League player to win the Dunk Contest? Kyle Mann:](https://www.theringer.com/authors/j-kyle-mann) The distance between his status among all the greatest basketball players in the world and his level of giving a shit this weekend is immeasurable. But when you consider that 99 percent of people in attendance didn’t know who he was entering the weekend, you’ve got to give it up to McClung for making sure everyone remembers his name. Early on and throughout long stretches of the game, several stars jostled for the trophy, but Tatum eventually separated himself from a pack that was highlighted by Donovan Mitchell (in what would’ve been a very sweet homecoming), Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown, who engaged his Celtics teammate in several friendly but spirited one-on-one clashes in the middle of the game. When turnovers, errant shots, and wasted possessions don’t translate to regular-season losses, the court becomes a playground for them to freestyle and test the limits of their ability. Sohi: For the second year in a row, LeBron and Giannis, the respective captains of the Western and Eastern Conference teams, chose their players in a pickup-style draft. Was it Mac McClung emerging from anonymity to win the Dunk Contest?