Lillard busy as new-format All-Star set
Damian Lillard has an extremely busy weekend on both sides of San Francisco Bay, on and off the court.
The Oakland native is making his ninth All-Star Game appearance on Sunday in San Francisco, and the meaning runs deep for the Milwaukee Bucks’ veteran guard.
Lillard will aim to defend his 3-point shootout title on Saturday while also spending time in his old stomping grounds, including Thursday’s visit to Oakland High School, which he attended.
“They knew I was good at basketball but none of this was expected,” Lillard said at the school. “So, when I kind of think back on it, I always remind myself of how important the journey is. Everybody will look at where I am now but when I think about the moments in the journey, that’s what gives me chills sometimes about how it all happened.”
“… It’s always a great experience when I get to come back home.”
Lillard, who earned his first seven All-Star selections with the Portland Trail Blazers, will be part of the festivities that feature a new game format.
Sunday will include a mini-tournament instead of one 48-minute game. There will be two semifinal contests to decide which two teams advance to the championship game. The winners then meet for the title.
In all three games, the winner will be the first team to score 40 points.
TNT captains
Longtime Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said the new format is worth undertaking.
“It’s OK to change and try new things, knowing the energy around the [All-Star] Game had kind of dwindled over the last couple years,” Curry said.
As for the teams, the 24 All-Stars are split into three eight-player squads captained by former NBA players and current TNT studio hosts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
The fourth squad will be a group of first- and second-year NBA players who won the Rising Stars tournament on Friday. The victorious squad, led by San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle and Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, will be guided in the All-Star tournament by former WNBA star Candace Parker, who also works for TNT.
