SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The National Hockey League should probably take note: NBA All-Star Weekend is worlds apart among such events in the wonderful world of professional sports in North America.
Even before the presentation of the all-star game on Sunday evening, the big basketball event could already be called a resounding success.
“This All-Star Weekend is the one with the greatest economic impact in NBA history, with economic spinoffs estimated at $280 million for the Salt Lake City region,” Commissioner Adam proudly announced. Silver, during his press conference.
Saturday night, featuring the skills challenge at Vivint Arena, alone fueled the show, although some stars still preferred to pass their turn for the infamous “dunks” contest.
Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers was the winner, to cheers from the crowd. Showing impressive momentum, the winner standing 6ft. 2 in. will have paid homage to the slogan of Utah “Life Elevated”, which can be seen in particular on various posters placed along the highways.
A perfect score of 50 and a score of 49.8 allowed McClung to advance to the final, where he edged Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans. “Little Mac” won out, earning two more perfect 50s in the process.
Lillard, king of the three points
Among other events, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers won the traditional three-point shot event. Teammate of Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin with the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton for his part shone by scoring 31 points in the first round of this competition before losing in a final grouping the three best.
“I collapsed under the pressure,” responded Haliburton, author of 17 points in the final compared to 26 for Lillard.
By making his last shot, the winner was just ahead of Buddy Hield, another Pacers player.
Three Utah Jazz players, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, won the team shot competition, much to the delight of spectators at Vivint Arena.
Both Las Vegas and Hollywood
As a whole, the sporting event is larger than life. For a long weekend, Salt Lake City has both Las Vegas and Hollywood flair.
It all started Friday with the celebrity game and its red carpet with, among many others, actor Ben Affleck, skier Lindsey Vonn and baseball legend Albert Pujols. Then, in the evening, Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin and his teammates won the mini-tournament of rising stars in a festive atmosphere.
“I really loved the event, I think it was a great weekend for me, commented the Pacers rookie. Now I’m ready to go back to Indiana to continue the season.”
Next year, the Star Weekend will take place in Indianapolis. The appointment is given for Mathurin and the other craftsmen of the NBA.