Every year, the National Basketball Association has a mid-season break known as All-Star Weekend. The break serves as a time to recognize the best players in the league. This season the NBA’s All-Star festivities were held Friday, Feb. 15 – Sunday, Feb. 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the Charlotte Hornets.
My friends and I went to Charlotte first thing Friday morning. We had not planned out what we were going to do, but we knew we wanted to get there early to beat the crowd.
Our first stop was the Mint Museum Uptown, which partnered with Nike and Jordan brand to offer an artistic look into the NBA. There were tons of game-worn shoes on display and free posters of All-Star players. While we were there, Karl-Anthony Towns, center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, made a surprise appearance.
Next, we headed for the Epicentre. The Epicentre is in the middle of Charlotte and serves as one of the city’s largest entertainment destinations. While we were waiting in line to enter, we saw Mo Bamba, center for the Orlando Magic, as well as Thomas Davis, a longtime linebacker for the Carolina Panthers and current NFL free agent.
When we finally made it inside, the first thing to meet our eyes was the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is annually awarded to the team that wins the NBA Finals. After taking pictures with the trophy, we moved to a miniature basketball shooting game sponsored by Rakuten, a Japanese electronic commerce company.
As we were waiting, Elena Delle Donne, small forward for the Washington Mystics and former WNBA MVP, arrived. She announced that the top two scorers during the hour she was there would each win $500 and two tickets to Saturday night’s festivities, which included the NBA’s skills challenge, 3-point competition and the dunk contest.
When we reached the front of the line, the top score was 16. My friends Mark Laming and Zac Clary both tied the high score, but I set the record at 17. We could not believe my luck.
As we waited to see if I would finish in the top two, someone scored a 22. We did not panic much because the hour was almost up. Just as an employee was informing me of the steps I would need to take to claim my prize, it was announced that the last contestant was about to play. We stood watching in disbelief as a man scored in the 30s, and my hopes of winning big were crushed. It was not a complete loss though, as I was still interviewed by Rakuten’s Japanese television station.
After meeting Delle Donne, we visited Mountain Dew Ice Courtside Studios, a party atmosphere with loud music and free Mountain Dew. Throughout the weekend, the Courtside Studios hosted many famous NBA players, as well as the hip-hop group Migos.
Our last destination was the Tissot Style Lounge, which presented autograph signings for NBA stars like Klay Thompson, Trae Young and Kemba Walker. We met Bradley Beal, a shooting guard for the Washington Wizards. Along with the pictures Tissot provided for us, my friend Michael Covil got Beal to sign his sports trading card, which will now stand out in his collection.
The 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend was certainly an unforgettable experience for countless sports fans. The city of Charlotte also benefited greatly from hosting the event, due to increased hotel rates and international media exposure.
The NBA All-Star game on Sunday night served as the final event, as “Team LeBron” defeated “Team Giannis” 178-164.
