It seems redundant at this point to list Damian Lillard as part of the lineup for any of All-Star weekends many events, considering he’s participating in all of them. But he, along with DeMar DeRozan are the two 2014 All-Stars who will be taking part in the Skills Challenge event on All-Star Saturday night.
The competition is largely showcasing the league’s younger, up and coming stars. The remaining participants from the east will be Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Michael Carter-Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers and Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic.
In the West, we have Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz, Reggie Jackson of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns.
Dragic is the lone veteran of the crew, but his inclusion is likely to make up for the fact that he’s having an All-Star season, but would need to be named as an injury replacement to actually make the roster.
There’s a slight format change this year, which features four teams of two players each competing in a two-round timed relay-style course consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. But the important thing is that it’s mostly for charity, as detailed in the official release:
“As part of this year’s 2014 Taco Bell® Skills Challenge, four lucky teens will paired with the NBA participants. Through the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens, a total of $120,000 will be donated in support of educational scholarships and to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with the teen paired with the winning team receiving a $30,000 educational scholarship.”
“For the second consecutive year, the Eastern and Western conferences will compete during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night in an evening of challenges that will raise money for charity. NBA Cares and State Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $100,000 awarded to each event’s winning conference’s charities and $25,000 going to the charities of the runner-up for each event. The Eastern Conference will be playing for the American Heart Association and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF while the Western Conference will compete for Teach for America and Wounded Warrior Project®. All-Stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and George, winner of the 2012-13 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, will serve as captains of the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. The charities were selected by George and Curry, the NBA, and State Farm.”
Lillard won the event in Houston last season.
