Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics combined for 107 points as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 211-186 in the NBA All-Star Game 2024 last night. This victory made them the first All-Star team in NBA history to score 200 points in a game. Lillard made history by becoming only the second player ever to win both the Saturday event, specifically the 3-Point Contest, and the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. The only other player to achieve this feat was Michael Jordan, who was named the 1988 Slam Dunk champion and All-Star Game MVP. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves led the West All-Stars with 50 points and eight rebounds.

During the All-Star Weekend, Mac McClung won the AT&T Slam Dunk contest, defeating Jaylen Brown with a perfect score on his final dunk, successfully defending his title. In the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge, 10-time NBA All-Star Steph Curry emerged victorious against the WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu during the 2024 State Farm All-Saturday Night festivities.

On Friday night, Team Jalen emerged victorious over Team Detlef to claim the 2024 Panini Rising Stars title.

One of the notable events of the NBA All-Star Weekend was the NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon, which brought together leaders from various fields to celebrate the NBA and Basketball Africa League’s (BAL) expansion in Africa. The luncheon included a panel discussion with NBA All-Star and BAL Global Ambassador Joakim Noah, Harvard Business School’s Professor Anita Elberse, and Rwanda Development Board CEO Francis Gatare, who discussed the opportunities and challenges of building a sustainable basketball ecosystem in Africa. Additionally, creative director Becky Muikia from Kenya showcased her new short film “Jumping for Change” as part of the “NBA Films for Fans” event, highlighting cultural perspectives on basketball from around the world.

The fourth season of the BAL is set to begin in Pretoria on March 9, and tickets are now on sale.

African Impact

The NBA All-Star Weekend also featured seven players with ties to Africa, including former NBA Academy Africa alumni Thierry Serge Darlan from the Central African Republic and Babacar Sane from Senegal, who participated in the NBA G League Up Next event. Furthermore, 40 of the top high-school-age prospects, including seven campers from four African countries (Angola, Mali, Senegal, and South Sudan), attended the 2024 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend.