Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James’ 5-0 record as an NBA All-Star Game captain has ended after his team was defeated 184-175 by Team Giannis in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday.
The 72nd All-Star Game concluded a weekend-long showcase of the league’s most talented players, held in Utah for the first time in 30 years.
Both teams played to raise close to $1 million for their selected charities – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah for Team LeBron and Raise the Future for Team Giannis.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum finished the game with a game-high 55 points, setting a new All-Star Game record. Tatum was named the MVP of the game.
“You think of all the legends and great players to play in this game and in all honesty, records are meant to be broken. So, I’ll hold it for as long as I can but I’m certain someone will come along in a couple of years and try to break it,” Tatum said after the game.
The league honored James, who broke the NBA scoring record, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone, who hold the second and third spots on the NBA all-time scorers.
James finished the night with 13 points and four assists. He was taken out of the game after suffering a hand injury, after apparently hitting his hand on the rim in the first half.
“I’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s too much to worry about, but for precautionary reasons I had to take the rest of the night off, he said.
21 Savage and Cordae, actor Simu Liu, tennis star Frances Tiafoe, NFL player DK Metcalf and singers Nicky Jam, Janelle Monáe, and Ozuna played an All-Star Celebrity game.
The celebrity players were coached by Ryan Smith, Utah Jazz governor and honorary captain, and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade.
Also on Friday, 4 teams competed in the Rising Stars showdowns, featuring the best rookie and sophomore talents in the league.
Saturday’s lineup included a Skills Challenge, Three-point Contest, and Dunk Contest.
