The 2023 NBA All-Star weekend kicks off with the Jordan Rising Stars game on Friday night and ends with the All-Star game on Sunday. In-between, fans will get to see some of the league's greatest duke it out in various competitions.
Predicting winners isn't as simple as just going chalk. In fact, none of last year's favorites — Jalen Green (Dunk), Fred VanVleet (3-point) and Team Rookies (Skills) — ended up winning. Of particular note is Karl-Anthony Towns who won the 3-point contest despite the longest odds at +1,400.
Offering up picks for All-Star weekend is tricky business, and yet here we are!
Who will win every event and contest? Which team and player will be honored during Sunday's main event? Here are my predictions.
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Rising stars prediction
There will be four teams competing in a three-game mini-tournament, comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores, and G-League players at 9pm ET on Friday, Feb 17.
Those four teams will be led by captains Deron Williams, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, and Jason Terry.
Team Pau Gasol
| Player | Team |
| Paolo Banchero | Magic |
| Bennedict Mathurin | Pacers |
| Jaden Ivey | Pistons |
| Scottie Barnes | Raptors |
| Jose Alvarado | Pelicans |
| Keegan Murray | Kings |
| Andrew Nembhard | Pacers |
Team Deron Williams
| Player | Team |
| Franz Wagner | Magic |
| Jalen Green | Rockets |
| Alperen Sengun | Rockets |
| Trey Murphy III | Pelicans |
| AJ Griffin | Hawks |
| Bones Hyland | Nuggets |
| Walker Kessler | Jazz |
Team Joakim Noah
| Player | Team |
| Evan Mobley | Cavaliers |
| Josh Giddey | Thunder |
| Jalen Williams | Thunder |
| Jeremy Sochan | Spurs |
| Quentin Grimes | Knicks |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | Rockets |
| Jalen Duren | Pistons |
Team Jason Terry
| Player | Team |
| Sidy Cissoko | G League Ignite |
| Mojave King | G League Ignite |
| Scoot Henderson | G League Ignite |
| Kenneth Lofton Jr. | Memphis Hustle |
| Mac McClung | Delaware Blue Coats |
| Leonard Miller | G League Ignite |
| Scotty Pippen Jr. | South Bay Lakers |
Team Deron probably has the most talent. Franz Wagner is the best player in the game, and they have the best two centers in Walker Kessler and Alperin Sengun along with two of the best shooters in Trey Murphy III and Bones Hyland.
I'm going with the dark horse though — Team Jason, full of G-League players. They're the least talented but will try the hardest. And effort is going to be a pretty big factor, as the winner will have to play two games in a row.
Prediction: Team Jason
Skills challenge prediction
The Kia Skills challenge will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8pm ET between three teams:
| Team | Players |
| Antetokounmpos | Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo |
| Jazz | Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton |
| Rooks | Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith Jr. |
The Antetokounmpos have been in this competition before, finishing dead last in 2022. That had to have hurt their pride, and their experience combined with the hunger to win makes them my pick.
Prediction: Team Antetokounmpos
3-Point contest prediction
The Starry 3-point contest will be held directly after the Kia Skills Challenge. The participants are as follows:
| Name | 3-point percentage |
|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | 35.7% |
| Tyler Herro | 36.9% |
| Damian Lillard | 37.2% |
| Anfernee Simons | 38.1% |
| Kevin Huerter | 39.2% |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 39.9% |
| Lauri Markkanen | 41.2% |
| Buddy Hield | 42.6% |
I'm picking Hield to win. Not only does he have the highest 3-point percentage this season, but he won the event back in 2020.
Prediction: Buddy Hield
Dunk contest prediction
The Slam Dunk contest will be the last event on Saturday night. The participants are as follows:
| Player | Team |
| Kenyon Martin Jr. | Rockets |
| Mac McClung | Delaware Blue Coats, G League |
| Trey Murphy III | Pelicans |
| Jericho Sims | Knicks |
While he is the least-known of the group, Mac McClung is the easy favorite here. He has the underdog story, and he has built a massive 820,000 followers on Instagram thanks to his vicious dunks.
No other contestant has put in close to the amount of time planning out their routine. McClung has been preparing for this moment for years. All-Star Saturday night will be McClung's "hello, world" moment. He's also only 6-2, making his dunks pop.
Prediction: Mac McClung
All-Star Game winner and MVP prediction
For years, NBA fans have clamored for a school-yard style All-Star draft. This year, that's exactly what we'll get.
Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will pick the All-Star teams at 7:30 p.m. ET in a live draft with the game scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET.
LeBron hasn't been a good general manager of the Lakers, but he has been great at picking All-Star teams. His teams are 4-0, including two wins over Team Giannis back in 2019 and 2020.
This is an easy pick.
Prediction: Team LeBron
There are two general trends when it comes to All-Star MVPs — there are rarely repeat winners, and big men almost never win.
Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving have all won the award already. They probably won't be gunning for it this year.
Luka Doncic is probably the best player still left in that field, but he has always put up pedestrian numbers and been happy to take it easy that day. He's already said that the part of the day he's looking most forward to is when he flies to Mexico after the game is finished.
My first instinct was to go with Joel Embiid, who scored 36 in last year's game. But with Embiid questionable to play, I'm going with Lauri Markkanen. He has the home-court advantage and is a big-time scorer. Fun fact: The only other time Utah hosted the NBA All-Star game back in 1993, Jazz teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone took home co-MVP honors. Can Markkanen repeat history? I say yes.
Prediction: Lauri Markkanen