OAKLAND, Calif. — NBA All-Star weekend tipped off Friday with a cavalcade of events that included Hollywood stars and the greatest talents in basketball.
Emmy Award-winning actor Rome Flynn led Team Barry Bonds to a 66-55 win over Team Jerry Rice in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game on Friday at Oakland Arena. Flynn finished with a game-high 22 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, and eight rebounds, five assists and one steal. He was named MVP with his bold and beautiful performance. (Flynn won a Daytime Emmy Award for his role on the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 2018.)
“Shout-out (to) my teammates. They were looking for me before the game,” Flynn said. “They said, ‘We want you to get the MVP.’ I’m a selfless guy. I just want to win. They just put the ball in my hands.”
And in the nightcap, some of the NBA’s Rising Stars competed in a three-game series with Team C, coached by Chris Mullin, winning a spot in the main event Sunday against Shaquille O’Neal’s team.
This year marks a departure as the All-Star Game will be two semifinals pitting the best in the league against each other. The winning teams will play in a third and final game. The format now includes the winning Rising Stars squad from Friday, which will be helmed by WNBA icon Candace Parker.
Catch up on all the action from Friday’s Celebrity Game and now-crucial Rising Stars showcase event:
Rising Stars: Spurs guard Stephon Castle wins MVP
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle scored 12 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists, in leading Team C over Team G League and into Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Rising Stars: Chris Mullin’s Team C advances to All-Star Game
Rising Stars, Game 3: Team C 25, Team G League 14
Team G League was competitive early, but Team C ripped off a massive run to win the Rising Stars mini-tournament, clinching a berth in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
Facing a four-point deficit in the middle of the game, Team C (led by coach Chris Mullin) ripped off a 17-2 run to close the game and top Team G League, 25-14. Team C did it on defense, clamping down on the perimeter and never letting Team G League find rhythm.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle willed Team C, leading all scorers with 12 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists. In fact, Castle scored seven more points than the next closest players — Dalton Knecht of Team C, and Dink Pate and Leonard Miller of Team G League — each of whom scored five points. Castle was named MVP.
As they did in their victory over Team T (led by coach Tim Hardaway Sr.), Team C allowed Castle to run point and push in transition; in the final against Team G League, Team C scored 10 fast-break points, compared to just two from Team G League.
But, more than anything, it was the Team C defense that limited Team G League to just 31.6% shooting – that won the game.
Rising Stars, Game 2: Team G League 40, Team M 39
The offense wasn’t as crisp in the second game of the Rising Stars mini-tournament as it was in the first, but the action was far closer. There were six ties and 10 lead changes in the game and the largest lead either team held was four points.
In the end, it was Team G League (led by coach Jeremy Lin) who topped Team M (led by coach Mitch Richmond) by the score of 40-39.
With the score at 37-35, Team G League had multiple attempts to tie the game late, and finally did, thanks in part to five consecutive missed free throws by Team M. Rockets forward Amen Thompson of Team M, however, soared through the lane for a dunk, giving Team M a 39-37 lead.
Lin called a timeout and dialed up a play to get a 3-point shot. And while the design faltered, Team G League forward Bryce McGowens eventually heaved a shot from beyond the arc as the shot clock was winding down. He swished it home, winning the game for Team G League, who won despite shooting 45% from the floor.
Team G League posted 10 second-chance points to Team M’s two, and the game’s two leading scorers, center Leonard Miller (14) and McGowens (12) were both on Team G League.
They will face Team C (led by coach Chris Mullins) in the final.
Rising Stars, Game 1: Team C defeats Team T, 40-34
Team C (led by coach Chris Mullin) pulled away from Team T (led by coach Tim Hardaway Sr.) to take the first game of the Rising Stars mini-tournament with a score of 40-34. Team C outhustled Team T, scoring five second-chance points and pushed the pace, topping Team T in fastbreak points, 13-5.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle orchestrated the Team C offense, pushing the ball and finding shooters for open looks. Castle dropped six points — including the game-winning jumper — four assists and four rebounds. Jazz guard Keyonte George led Team C with 10 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the field, while Raptors guard Gradey Dick led Team T with 12 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field.
So now, Team C advances to the finals to face the winner of the game between Team G League (led by coach Jeremy Lin) and Team M (led by coach Mitch Richmond). The winner in the final will then compete in the revised All-Star Game on Sunday.
Rising Stars, Game 1: Team C 25, Team T 21
In the first game of the Rising Stars mini-tournament, a battle between Team C (led by coach Chris Mullin) and Team T (led by coach Tim Hardaway Sr.), it was Team C that raced out to an early 10-point lead.
Team C pushed the pace up the floor, earning seven fast break points out of the team’s first 15 points, as Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George dropped eight early points on three-of-four shooting, including a pair of 3s, as Team C sped out to a 15-5 lead.
But Team T battled back by working the paint, and it was Raptors second-year guard Gradey Dick leading all scorers midway through the game with nine points on four-of-five shooting.
Team C leads Team T, 25-21.
Rome Flynn named celebrity All-Star MVP: Check out highlights
For his effort, Flynn who won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2018, was named MVP of the celebrity game.
“When I’m not filming, I hoop,” Flynn said on the court while holding the MVP trophy. “You want to have fun, but ultimately you want to win the game. It’s really competitive and we actually wanted to win. We had a real game plan.”
Flynn revealed the game plan Barry Bonds, the coach of the winning team, had for the contest. “He said, ‘Get Rome Flynn the ball.’ ”
Flynn is from Springfield, Illinois, and attended the same high school as former NBA All-Star Andre Iguodala.
Was Druski snubbed for MVP?
Despite Druski appearing to be shocked at the MVP trophy presentation — where he went to accept the trophy before Rome Flynn was called — the comedian was nowhere near a top performer. Druski, of Team Jerry Rice, finished with four points in the losing effort. He shot 1-of-6 from the field and 1-of-4 from three. He added one rebound and one turnover to his stat line.
Celebrity All-Star Game Stats
How did your favorite star fare in the All-Star Celebrity game? Here’s a look at the box score:
Final: Team Bonds 66, Team Rice 55
Actor Rome Flynn scored a game-high 22 points, leading Team Bonds to a 66-55 victory against Team Rice in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Friday in Oakland. The Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor delivered a show with his scoring – he has a pick-up game quality step-back fadeaway jump shot – passing and dribbling. Shelby McEwen, the high jumper who won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and played two seasons of community college basketball, had 14 points for Team Rice and had the only two dunks of the game – a two-handed slam in the third quarter and a windmill dunk in the fourth. WNBA forward Rickea Jackson had 16 points and musician Tucker Halpern scored eight points for Team Bonds. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens scored 18 points for Team Rice.
Q3: Team Bonds 47, Team Rice 35
Team Bonds has a double-digit lead over Team Rice heading into the fourth quarter. Actor Rome Flynn of Team Rice continued his MVP campaign on Friday with a deep three from behind the Ruffles Four-point Ridge Line to extend Team Bonds lead to 47-35. Flynn is nearing a double-double — maybe even a triple-double — with 15 points (7-of-12 FG), six rebounds and five assists. Team Rice’s Shelby McEwen is keeping his squad in the game with nine points, while his teammate Terrell Owens has eight points.
Team Bond’s Kai Cenat finally got on the board with a layup on an assists from none other than Flynn. Team Rice’s Druski is still scoreless. (He missed two free throw attempts in the third quarter.)
Watch: Olympian Shelby McEwen dunks in All-Star Celebrity Game
Leave it to the Olympic high jumper to get the first dunk in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Shelby McEwen, who won a silver medal for the U.S. in the high jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics, threw down a two-handed dunk for Team Rice in the third quarter. McEwen played college basketball at Northwest Mississippi Community College and averaged 5.7 points in 2016-17 and had a season-high 16 points against Arkansas State Mid-South.
Halftime: Team Bonds 31, Team Rice 25
Actor Rome Flynn was the star of the second quarter, finishing the first half with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists and giving Team Bonds a 31-25 lead at halftime. Flynn whipped a quick no-look pass to Tucker Halpern for an assist and was the best non-athlete on the court. He also displayed a nifty fadeaway jump shot. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens leads Team Rice with six points. Fan favorite Dylan Wang, the Chinese actor and singer who has 5.7 million followers on Instagram, received the biggest cheers when he scored on a layup late in the second quarter. Druski continues to shoot but remains scoreless for Team Rice.
“I feel great. I’m just trying to let the game come to me a little bit,’ Flynn said at halftime. ‘I had an Olympic high jumper (Shelby McEwen) guarding me in the first quarter… I couldn’t really do too much with that guy guarding me. I got some good match-ups and knocked down a couple mid-range (shots).”
Q1: Team Bonds 10, Team Rice 10
We are all even after one quarter. Team Bonds jumped to an early lead with a quick bucket from Shelby McEwen, who just so happens to be an Olympic high jump silver medalist. Team Bonds quickly had an 8-2 advantage, but actor Pablo Schreiber and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens started to heat up for Team Rice. They each scored four points to tie it at 10.
Comedians are off to a rough start. Team Rice’s Druski is 0-for-2 from the field and had a turnover along the sideline while bringing the ball up the court. Meanwhile, Team Bond’s Cenat got rejected at the rim by Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton.
Jerry Rice spars with Barry Bonds
The trash talking has begun. Coaches Jerry Rice and Barry Bonds, two Bay Area legends, engaged in verbal sparring before their star-studded lineups faced off against each other in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday.
“How many rings do you have?” Rice asked Bonds, who jokingly responded, “I have two divorce rings.”
Bonds, who played 15 seasons with the San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2007, never won a World Series during his 22-year career. Rice, on the other hand, won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for 16 seasons from 1985-2000. Rice also played four seasons with the Oakland Raiders (2000-2004).
When is the NBA All-Star Celebrity game?
The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game takes place on Friday, Feb. 14, with the TV broadcast airing on ESPN.
All times Eastern.
Game starts: 7 p.m. ET
NBA All-Star Celebrity game TV channel: How to watch showcase
TV channel: ESPN
ESPN will have TV coverage from Oakland Arena. The event precedes the Rising Stars game that will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and TruTV.
NBA All-Star Celebrity game stream: How to stream basketball event
NBA All-Star weekend welcomes a few events tipping off across networks that include ESPN and TNT, which you can stream on Sling.
Watch NBA All-Star weekend events with Sling
Who are the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game coaches?
Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice knows a thing or two about greatness — He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion, after all. Now, he’s adding coaching to his resume. Rice will serve as the All-Star celebrity coach of Team Rice, alongside Grammy award-winning rapper 2 Chainz. The rapper, whose real name is Tauheed Epps, has some basketball experience. He played two seasons of collegiate basketball for the Alabama State Hornets.
Rice and Epps will face off against Team Bonds, led by former MLB heavyweight Barry Bonds, the league’s all-time career home runs leader (762). Bonds will be accompanied on the bench by influencer Khaby Lame, who has the most-followed account on TikTok (162M).
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game rosters: Who is on Team Bonds?
*Kai Cenat; popular streamer
*Baron Davis; former NBA player and entrepreneur
Rome Flynn; Emmy-winning actor
Rickea Jackson; Los Angeles Sparks star
Mickey Guyton; four-time Grammy-nominated country musician
Tucker Halper of Sofi Tukker; two-time Grammy-nominated musician
Noah Kahan; two-time Grammy-nominated multi-platinumartist
Danny Ramirez; star of Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: New World Order”
Masai Russell; Olympic 100m gold medalist
Pablo Schreiber; star of Paramount+’s “Halo”
*Dylan Wang; Chinese actor and singer
*Asterisk represents a celebrity’s second All-Star game appearance
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game rosters: Who is on Team Rice?
Matt Barnes; NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors
Bayley; WWE Superstar
Chris Brickley; top basketball skills trainer
AP Dhillon; Indian singer, rapper and songwriter
Druski; comedian and creator
*Walker Hayes; singer-songwriter
Shelby McEwen; Olympic high jump silver medalist
Terrell Owens; Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
Shaboozey; five-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter
Oliver Stark; star of the drama series “9-1-1”
Kayla Thornton; Golden State Valkyries forward
Pelicans’ Yves Missi ruled out of Rising Stars showcase
New Orleans Pelicans rookie Yves Missi will no longer participate in Friday’s Rising Stars mini-tournament after hyperextending his knee in the Pelicans’ 140-133 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, the day before the NBA All-Star break commenced. Although “an MRI taken last night showed no structural damage,” the Pelicans said Missi will opt to rest his knee ahead of being reevaluated next week.
Missi will be replaced by Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis on Team M, which is coached by Mitch Richmond. Buzelis is also a participant in Saturday’s dunk contest. The rookie averages 6.4 points in 14.8 minutes per game in 53 games this season. In his last eight games, he has scored in double figures each time and averaged 14.1 points.
When is the Rising Stars game?
The reimagined Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament follows the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game:
When: Friday, Feb. 14, 9 p.m. ET
Where: Chase Center
Channel: TNT, TruTV
Streaming: TNT Overtime, NBA App, NBA.com, Max, Sling
Carmelo Anthony, Sue Birds finalists for 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame class
A group of 17 finalists were announced for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 on Friday as part of the NBA’s All-Star Game weekend, including former Nuggets and Knicks icon and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, eight-time All-WNBA point guard Sue Bird, three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard and four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore.
The group of finalists was whittled from a list of 95 nominees that were announced in mid-December. Nominees are sorted through six categories: North America, Women’s, Contributor, International, Women’s Veteran and Veteran. Read the full list of finalists here.
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