2023 NBA All-Star Game Weekend Quiz

Answer: Utah Jazz

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game festivities took place in Salt Lake City at Vivint Arena, the home of the Utah Jazz. This was the second time that the Utah Jazz had hosted the NBA All-Star Game. The prior time being in 1993 when the game was held at the Delta Center, the arena's former name. The arena was opened in 1991 and is located just a 30 km (18.6 mi) drive to the Great Salt Lake.

Answer: Mac McClung

Mac McClung was born in 1999 in Kingsport, TN and he played college basketball at Georgetown and Texas Tech. Although he registered a gravity defying 43.5 inch vertical leap at the 2021 NBA Combine, McClung was undrafted. Prior to getting a two-way contract by the Philadelphia 76ers, he played for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers's G League affiliate.

At the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend, McClung amazed the judges and the crowd with his four dunks getting 19 out of 20 perfect 50 scores across the five judges. His dunks included jumping over two of his friends and a final dunk in which he nearly completed two spins (a 720) in the air.

Answer: Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard was born in 1990 and he was the sixth pick in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. Lillard immediately shined in the NBA as he was the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year award and he was voted to the All-Star Game seven times during his first 10 seasons.

At the 2023 Three-Point Contest, Lillard scored 26 points in the first round while Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 and Buddy Hield scored 23. In the final round, Lillard again scored 26 while Hield scored 25 and Haliburton 17. The win for Lillard was not surprising as he was one of the most prolific three-point shooters over the first 10 years of his career.

Answer: LeBron James

Lebron James received the most votes for Western Conference players which made him one of the captains for the All-Star Game. In 2018 the NBA changed the format for the All-Star Game to have two captains draft teams rather than having the Western Conference players go against Eastern Conference players. From 2018 to 2023, Lebron James was a captain for each All-Star Game contest. Earlier in the 2022-23 NBA season, Lebron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading regular season scorer.

Answer: Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1992 and he was the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Irving played his first six seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2015-16 he won an NBA title. He then played for the Boston Celtics for two seasons and the Nets for 3+ seasons before he was signed by the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023. Known for his exceptional ball handling and passing skills, Irving had 15 assists and 32 points in the 2023 All-Star Game as a member of Team LeBron.

Answer: Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown was born in 1996 in Marietta, GA and he was the 3rd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. At the 2023 All-Star break, Brown was averaging 26.5 points per game and was noted for his defensive prowess. In the 2023 All-Star Game, Brown made 16 of his 27 shots and collected 14 rebounds. An interesting aspect of the All-Star Game format is that teammates can play against each other as was the case with the Boston Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum who both made shots against each other.

Answer: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell was born in Elmsford, NY in 1996 and he was the 13th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. Mitchell played his first five seasons for the Utah Jazz during which he averaged 23.9 points per game. In early 2023 while a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mitchell scored 71 points in a game and he became the first player to have 70+ points and 10+ assists in the same game.

In the 2023 All-Star Game, Mitchell made 15 of his 25 shots including eight three-pointers.

Answer: True

Since defense and fouls are at a minimum in NBA All-Star Games, Team LeBron did not attempt a single free throw. This was the first time that a team did not attempt a free throw in an NBA All-Star Game. Team Giannis only attempted four free throws in the game of which they made three.

Answer: Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum was born in 1998 in St. Louis, MO and he was the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. At the 2022-23 All-Star break, Tatum was having a stellar season averaging 30.6 point per game. Tatum shined in the All-Star Game as he won MVP while making 10 of his 18 three-pointers, collecting 10 rebounds and throwing down some sensational dunks. Team Giannis outscored Team LeBron by 36 points on three-point shots.

Answer: Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard won the Three-Point Contest at All-Star weekend and made eight three-point shots in the 2023 All-Star Game. Lilllard made a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that brought the score for Team Giannis to 184 points. The All-Star Game was set up whereby a target score (182) had to be met after which the game would end and the team that reached that score would be declared the winner.