The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City is here. The NBA’s annual mid-season exhibition is always a highlight of the league’s calendar, and this season is no different. The action started on Friday with the Rising Stars game, although things really pick up speed on All-Star Saturday night. Always one of the most exciting nights of the season, the prequel to the All-Star Game once again features three star-studded events: the Skills Challenge, the 3-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 iteration of All-Star Saturday Night:
Skills Challenge
- If: Saturday February 18th
- Time: 8 p.m. ET (first event) | TV channel: TNT
Participant:
The Skills Challenge, which was held for the first time in 2003, is the opening act of the evening. The league has often played with the Skills Challenge format, and recently introduced a new team format that’s back, featuring three teams. As always, participating players will find their way through an obstacle course that will challenge their skills in the game’s most important facets: dribbling, passing and shooting.
- opportunities: Team Jazz -120; Team Rookies +165; Team Antetokounmpo +450 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
3-point competition
- If: Saturday February 18th
- Time: After Skills Challenge (about 8:45 p.m. ET) | TV channel: TNT
Participant:
The 3-point competition has gotten some new wrinkles in recent years; there are now two additional long-range shots worth three points each, and the time limit has been increased to 70 seconds. However, the basic premise has remained unchanged since its inception, which adds to the mystique.
- opportunities: Liliard +325; field +420; Warden +550; Herro +650; Haliburton +650; Markkanen +650; Tatum +750; Randle +950 (via Caesar’s Sportsbook)
dunk competition
- If: Saturday February 18th
- Time: After the 3-point contest (about 9:30 p.m. ET) | TV channel: TNT
Participant:
The night concludes with the main event, the Dunk Contest, which has produced some of the most iconic moments in NBA history. This one is as simple as it gets. You try to make the baddest dunk, and the five judges rate your performance on a scale of 1 to 10, providing a maximum of 50 points. Each contestant receives two dunks in the first round, and the two highest combined scores advance to the championship round, where they receive two more dunks to determine the winner.