All-Star Saturday Night was a lot of fun to be in the building for. A shout out to Sacramento’s own, Scott Freshour, who is serving as an All-Star event emcee for the 6th time. I’d like to see a movie about Scott Fresh – a man who successfully hypes up thousands of people, night after night, even if the product is hopeless beyond imagination. He’s a truly wonderful talent, and he deserves his All-Star appearances as much as any player.
Scott wasn’t the only Fresh thing on All-Star Saturday Night – we were treated to a fun competition in the Skills Challenge. De’Aaron Fox seemed to sail through the course, as many Kings fans imagined he would. His struggling 3-point stroke held him up, and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks snuck a 35-footer in past De’Aarons 3rd attempt at the shot – on the first try.

Young would ultimately pay dearly for the fluke, eventually losing the entire contest to Jason Tatum of the Boston Celtics in a very similar way. The players had a lot of fun performing – though Trae Young was the only player who seemed to be chasing the victory with urgency.

Celebrities and NBA legends were out in force. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat courtside in what appeared to be Lakers-themed slippers, and the Hornets brought nearly every big name from their 21-year history back for this All-Star Weekend. Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry, Mark Price, and Glen Robinson were all featured at some point in the night, with Curry, Price, and Robinson competing in their own 3pt shootout in an effort to support schools in Charlotte.
Buddy Hield held his own in the Three Point Shootout, lighting up the first round with 26 points. Unfortunately for Buddy and for Kings fans, he was outpaced in the second round, scoring only 19. Both Stephen Curry and the ultimate victor, Joe Harris, out-shot the Sacramento King. Kemba Walker, the hometown pick, performed about as well as you could imagine for a 36% shooter. You have to wonder if Klay Thompson or CJ McCollum would have been a better pick to compete.

Buddy Hield scored 26 in the first round

Joe Harris scored 26 to win it all

Buddy did it first so Buddy is the real 3 point champion#MtnDew3PT

— Sanjesh Singh (@TheSanjeshSingh) February 17, 2019

If they needed a Hornet, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was available. At least it would make for interesting content. Buddy did well, but he needed more consistency, and it seemed as though the racks messed with his flow. He was also the only contestant to run around the racks to the other side on each transition, and it’s easy to wonder about the strategy behind that when he could have started at the other side of the court.

None of the Kings were in the dunk contest, but it was a delight. All four of the contestants were true high flyers, and while there were some missed attempts, it was nowhere near some of the dreadful contests that All-Star Weekend has brought forth in the past. Hamidou Diallo of the Oklahoma City Thunder threw down some spectacular dunks, including a thrilling elbow slam over one of the Kings minority owners.
The city of Charlotte and the Hornets have been amazing hosts, keeping the arena and the immediate vicinity clean and organized in terms of the flow of people. Next up – the All-Star Game. The main event. There are no Kings in the game, but so much basketball talent in once place is hard to ignore for any basketball fan.

What are your predictions for the All-Star Game? Who will be the MVP? Were you satisfied with the performances of Hield and Fox on All-Star Saturday?
A HUGE thanks to all who are supporting this trip!

@SHAQ @hamidoudiallo @WTLC @SBNationNBA @sactownroyalty @sethpo @nbalensface pic.twitter.com/rmDmhrGaP5

— Kimani Okearah (@theKimansta) February 17, 2019