We know what you’re thinking. Since when does All-Star Saturday Night -- the evening of skill-based competitions that includes the Slam Dunk Contest -- have team captains?
Since this season. And since it’s all in the name of charity, we don’t see any reason it shouldn’t happen.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul were named team captains for their respective conferences for All-Star Saturday, with the East and the West each playing for a charity of their choice.
The way it will work is that points will be allocated to each conference throughout the night’s four events, which consists of Sears Shooting Stars (the around-the-world style event that times teams while they attempt to make shots from designated spots on the floor, including from half-court), the Taco Bell Skills Challenge (the obstacle-course style contest that puts the league’s elite guards though a series of challenges), the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and the Sprite Slam Dunk contest.
Here are the details that matter about all of this, from the official release:
“NBA Cares and State Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $350,000 going to the winning conference’s charities and $150,000 to the runner-up conference’s charities. The Eastern Conference will be playing for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish America, while the Western Conference will compete for Boys & Girls Club of America and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. The charities were selected by Wade and Paul, the NBA, and State Farm.”
All in the name of charity and good fun. It’s likely that Wade and Paul will be mic’d up during the evening’s festivities, so hopefully they’ll add some creative and entertaining trash talk talong the way.
