NBA All-Star Weekend 2025: Predictions for Every Event

The NBA All-Star Weekend is a time for the best players across the league to showcase their skills. This year, we have a new format for the Rising Stars and the All-Star Game with four teams competing in a bracket-style format. That will add to Saturday’s usual competitions featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, and Slam Dunk Contest. Let’s go through each competition, highlight the competitors, and give our picks for who we think will win each event.

Rising Stars

Team T: Anthony Black (ORL), Tristan Da Silva (ORL), Gradey Dick (TOR), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (MIA), Zaccharie Risacher (ATL), Alex Sarr (WAS), Cason Wallace (OKC)
Team M: Toumani Camara (POR), Bub Carrington (WAS), Bilal Coulibaly (WAS), Scoot Henderson (POR), Yves Missi (NO), Amen Thompson (HOU), Ausar Thompson (DET)
Team C: Stephon Castle (SAS), Ryan Dunn (PHO), Zach Edey (MEM), Keyonte George (UTA), Trayce Jackson-Davis (GSW), Dalton Knecht (LAL), Jaylen Wells (MEM)
Team G-League: JD Davison (MNE), Mac McClung (OSC), Bryce McGowens (RCITY), Leonard Miller (IWA), Dink Pate (MXC), Reed Sheppard (RGV), Pat Spencer (SCW)

The first change NBA fans will experience during All-Star weekend occurs on Friday during the Castrol Rising Stars competition. Four teams will compete for a spot in Sunday’s All-Star bracket. Each team will be led by an NBA legend. Teams T, M, and C will be coached by former Golden State Warriors trio Tim Hardaway Jr., Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. The G-League squad will have Jeremy Lin as coach.

Team C has a nice group of youngsters, including high-flyer Stephon Castle, sharpshooters Dalton Knecht and Jaylen Wells, and the giant Zach Edey. However, we’re giving the edge to Team M. They have great chemistry with two pairs of teammates and a set of twins. Watch for Amen and Ausar Thompson to set the tone on Friday.

Prediction: Team M

Skills Challenge

Team Cavs: Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley
Team Rooks: Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr
Team Spurs: Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama
Team Warriors: Draymond Green and Moses Moody

Saturday’s festivities kick off with the Kia Skills Challenge. It’s often the forgotten competition of the weekend but always ends up coming down to the wire. Team Warriors will have all the pressure to perform in front of a home crowd, and Draymond Green is never one to shy away from competition. However, we’re giving this one to Team Spurs. It’s going to establish a theme for the weekend of Victor Wembanyama showcasing his immense ability.

Prediction: Team Spurs

3-Point Contest

Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Cade Cunningham, Pistons
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
Tyler Herro, Heat
Buddy Hield, Warriors
Cameron Johnson, Nets
Damian Lillard, Bucks
Norman Powell, Clippers

The fan-favorite of All-Star weekend in recent years has been the Starry 3-Point Contest. It’s typically the one competition that the league’s stars don’t shy away from. Unfortunately, fans in attendance at the Chase Center won’t get to see Stephen Curry or even former Warrior Klay Thompson compete this year. What they will get is back-to-back champion Damian Lillard and seven other marksmen.

First-time contestants typically don’t have much success in this format, so we can cross off Cunningham, Garland, Johnson, and Powell. Lillard is a heavy favorite to three-peat, but Hield gave him a run for his money two years ago. The first-year Warrior picks up his second 3-Point Contest win in front of the home crowd.

Prediction: Buddy Hield

Slam Dunk Contest

Matas Buzelis, Bulls
Stephon Castle, Spurs
Andre Jackson Jr., Bucks
Mac McClung, Osceola Magic

The Slam Dunk Contest field has a glaring lack of star power — including two rookies, a sophomore, and a G-Leaguer. Buzelis, Castle, and Jackson Jr. are all great athletes with bright futures ahead. However, they’re facing an uphill battle against dunking phenom and back-to-back champion Mac McClung. It will be interesting to see if the 2024 G-League MVP has anything new in store for this year. He’s looking to become the first contestant to win the contest in three consecutive years.

Prediction: Mac McClung

All-Star Game

Team Shaq: LeBron James (LAL), Stephen Curry (GSW), Jayson Tatum (BOS), Kevin Durant (PHO), Damian Lillard (MIL), James Harden (LAC), Jaylen Brown (BOS), Kyrie Irving (DAL)
Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards (MIN), Jalen Brunson (NYK), Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM), Jalen Williams (OKC), Darius Garland (CLE), Evan Mobley (CLE), Cade Cunningham (DET), Tyler Herro (MIA)
Team Chuck: Nikola Jokic (DEN), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Victor Wembanyama (SAS), Pascal Siakam (IND), Alperen Sengun (HOU), Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK), Donovan Mitchell (CLE), Trae Young (ATL)

The four-team format made its way into Sunday’s All-Star Game. Three teams were selected by Inside the NBA analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley. O’Neal’s team is filled with living legends like LeBron, Steph, and Durant. Kenny went with up-and-comers Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams, and Cade Cunningham. Barkley had an international flair with his picks including Jokic, SGA, and Wemby. The fourth team in the bracket will be the winner of the Rising Stars tournament.

The vets have some of the greatest players in NBA history, but losing Anthony Davis to injury leaves them without a center. James and Durant will have to do some heavy lifting down low and hope for Curry to knock down a ton of threes. Kenny’s young stars have fresh legs but are lacking in experience. We’re counting out the Rising Stars winner early.

That leaves us with Barkley’s squad. Jokic isn’t known for dominating All-Star games, and Gilgeous-Alexander is a bit out of place with his mid-range expertise. However, Wembanyama is absolutely perfect for this setting. It seems like he’s going to take it seriously and look to dominate from the opening tip. The 21-year-old leads his team to victory and hopefully inspires a more competitive spirit among All-Stars moving forward.

Prediction: Team Chuck, Wembanyama wins MVP