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Shaq, LeBron, Dwight Howard All-Star Dance-Off

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J R Smith Top 10 Dunks

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Top 10 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Moments

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I’m currently in the lobby of the downtown Phoenix Sheraton, watching somebody excitedly get their picture taken with Gheorge Muresan while My Giant was trying to check into his room. Rookie/Sophomore practice ended a little bit ago, and we’re now a couple minutes away from the All-Star Saturday Night and All-Star Game media sessions … Imagine lazily shooting around with your boys at the gym — and I mean “lazily” to the extent that no one is jumping when they take jump shots — with a coach trying to teach the principles of pick-and-roll defense on deaf ears, and you get the idea of how these “practices” go. Luis Scola looked like he’d just gotten out of bed 15 minutes beforehand … A number of guys on the Sophomore team had some pretty ill purple/orange/white Huaraches, including Thad Young, Aaron Brooks (206!) and Al Thornton. Although when I asked Al about his kicks, he referred to them as Hyperdunks. Kevin Durant had some special makeups of his Nike KD’s, which were almost a blend of OKC and Phoenix colors, and Scola had what I think were Li Nings that looked alright … I cut in on an Al Horford interview and was all prepared to ask him questions, until I realized he was talking to a throng of Spanish-speaking reporters. And while I took like three years of Spanish between high school and college, I wouldn’t have been able to formulate anything beyond “What’s your name? How are you?” So I left …
Michael Beasley on the Rookie Team’s roster: “We nice, man. We niiiice. We nice.” Asked if it was fair that the Rooks had Greg Oden on their side, The Bease snapped, “Hell yeah! He’s in his first season, right?” Beasley told me he’s gotten 18 tattoos since the Draft … Earlier this morning I was at a Subway restaurant, where Tony Parker was making an appearance as part of a contest where a fan can win a day of hanging out with TP. At one point, some guy who was dressed like a valet was telling everyone how excited he was to get his mini-basketball autographed, then — I kid you not — turns to a teenage girl and asks, “What’s his name again?”

All-Star Weekend Schedule

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
NBA All-Star celebrity game, 7 ET (ESPN)
Rookie Challenge: Rookies vs. Sophomores, 9 ET (TNT, ESPN Radio)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Shooting Stars, 3-Point Shootout, Skills Challenge, H-O-R-S-E, Slam Dunk Contest, 8 ET (TNT, ESPN Radio)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15
East vs. West, 8 ET (TNT, ESPN Radio)

The top 10 All-Star Game dunks of all-time.

~Jordan's so smooth....just flying.
~I loved the shit out of Kobe's dunk! omg LOL
~Vince...yall should already know
~That's the T-mac i know....

2009 All-Star 3-Point Shootout Participants

Jason Kapono Toronto Raptors | Forward 2-time champion		Danny Granger Indiana Pacers | Forward First 3-point shootout
Rashard Lewis Orlando Magic | Forward Third 3-point shootout		Mike Bibby Atlanta Hawks | Guard Second 3-point shootout
Roger Mason San Antonio Spurs | Guard First 3-point shootout		Daequan Cook Miami Heat | Guard First 3-point shootout

Rookie Challenge

Rookie Roster		Sophomore Roster
Michael Beasley Miami Heat | Forward Drafted No. 2 in 2008		Aaron Brooks Houston Rockets | Guard Drafted No. 26 in 2007
Rudy Fernandez Portland Trail Blazers | Guard Drafted No. 24 in 2007		Wilson Chandler New York Knicks | Forward Drafted No. 23 in 2007
Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies | Center Drafted No. 48 in 2007		Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder | Forward Drafted No. 2 in 2007
Eric Gordon Los Angeles Clippers | Guard Drafted No. 7 in 2008		Jeff Green Oklahoma City Thunder | Forward Drafted No. 5 in 2007
Brook Lopez New Jersey Nets | Center Drafted No. 10 in 2008		Al Horford Atlanta Hawks | Forward-Center Drafted No. 3 in 2007
O.J. Mayo Memphis Grizzlies | Guard Drafted No. 3 in 2008		Luis Scola Houston Rockets | Forward Drafted No. 56 in 2002
Greg Oden Portland Trail Blazers | Center Drafted No. 1 in 2007		Al Thornton Los Angeles Clippers | Forward Drafted No. 14 in 2007
Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls | Guard Drafted No. 1 in 2008		Rodney Stuckey Detroit Pistons | Guard Drafted No. 15 in 2007
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder | Guard Drafted No. 4 in 2008		Thaddeus Young Philadelphia 76ers | Forward Drafted No. 12 in 2007

2009 All-Star Dunk Contest Participants

Rudy Fernandez Portland Trail Blazers | Guard First dunk contest		Dwight Howard Orlando Magic | Center 2008 dunk contest champ
Nate Robinson New York Knicks | Guard 2006 dunk contest champ		Rudy Gay Memphis Grizzlies | Forward Second dunk contest

2009 All-Star Starters

East Starters		West Starters
Dwyane Wade Miami Heat | Guard Fifth All-Star appearance		Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers | Guard 11th All-Star appearance
Allen Iverson Detroit Pistons | Guard 10th All-Star appearance		Chris Paul New Orleans Hornets | Guard Second All-Star appearance
Dwight Howard Orlando Magic | Center Third All-Star appearance		Yao Ming Houston Rockets | Center Seventh All-Star appearance
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers | Forward Fifth All-Star appearance		Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns | Forward Fourth All-Star appearance
Kevin Garnett Boston Celtics | Forward 12th All-Star appearance		Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs | Forward 11th All-Star appearance