A Kansas basketball fan’s guide to the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend

With multiple Jayhawks taking part in the 2020 NBA All-Star festivities, here’s a Kansas basketball fan’s guide to all of the events.

Even though not every Kansas basketball fan may be an NBA fan, there’s a lot of reasons to watch the different events from the NBA All-Star weekend. Namely, there are multiple Jayhawks getting a chance to showcase their talent.

Three former Kansas basketball players will be participating in various competitions this year:

• Joel Embiid – All-Star Game (Team Giannis)
• Devonte’ Graham – Rising Stars Game (Team USA), Three-Point Contest
• Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk – Rising Stars Game (Team World)

The All-Star festivities kick off this Friday morning at the United Center in Chicago. Now, let’s take a look at each event, the rosters, and how to watch (all times central).

Friday, February 14

• 11:00 am. – NBA Rising Stars Practice, NBA TV (Mykhailiuk & Graham)
• 4:00 p.m. – 2020 Hall of Fame Class Released, NBA TV
• 6:00 p.m. – NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, ESPN (View Roster)
• 8:00 p.m. – NBA Rising Stars Game, TNT (Mykhailiuk & Graham)

Kansas basketball alums Devonte’ Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk will be participating in the NBA Rising Stars Game, which is made up of the best first and second-year players in the NBA. The players are divided into Team World and Team USA, meaning the former college teammates will be competing against each other.

Ultimately, this is a great sign in the progression of both Graham’s and Mykhailiuk’s careers. The two former Kansas basketball stars have both been starting for their respective teams this season, and they could easily continue developing into full-fledged all-star caliber players.

Here are the rosters:

Saturday, February 15

• 9:30 a.m. – NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day, NBA TV (Embiid)
• 7:00 p.m. – NBA All-Star Saturday Night, TNT
  • First Event: Skills Challenge (View Roster)
  • Second Event: Three-Point Contest (Graham)
  • Third Event: Slam Dunk Contest (View Roster)

The Saturday night events (Skills Challenge, Three-point Contest, Dunk Contest), will begin with coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. on TNT. Once the Skills Challenge begins, the events will be on a “rolling schedule.”

Devonte’ Graham will be participating in the Three-Point Contest, and he has a chance to win it too. He has one of the best shooters in the league from behind the arc, knocking down around 3.5 three-pointers per game according to ESPN.

Here is the roster for the Three-Point Contest:

Sunday, February 16

• 7:00 p.m. – NBA All-Star Game, TNT (Embiid)

The 2020 NBA All-Star game is set to tip-off at 7:00 this Sunday night. It’ll feature Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis, with each team being made up of the Eastern and Western All-Star drafted by their respective team captains. Here are the rosters for each team:

This will be Joel Embiid’s third All-Star appearance in his career. If he continues to improve at this pace, he may become the most successful NBA Jayhawk since Wilt Chamberlain, which is quite an accomplishment.

The NBA All-Star Weekend should be entertaining this season, especially with three Kansas basketball alum having the opportunity to showcase their talent. Hopefully next year, Graham will make it into the All-Star Game, he’s certainly on pace to.