The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 626 - 305: Tim Hansen

No matter the cause, this news completely maxed out the anticipation for this year’s Slam Dunk Contest.

Including Hansen, who had already announced his participation, and Zach Raven who last year took the crown with royal swagger, and now James joining in, this definitely promises to be an event even more worth looking forward to than the century dunk contest of Carter’s era.

Time swiftly moved to the end of January.

After four rounds of fan voting, as well as player votes, the NBA revealed the results of the fan-elected starters, and the coaches’ choices for the All-Star reserves.①

After taking the title of second in votes last year, Hansen came back with an overwhelming momentum to reclaim the title of All-Star vote leader.

And Irving ultimately joined Hansen as the starting backcourt for The East All-Stars.

Beyond that, the rosters for the other highly anticipated individual events were also announced at the same time.

In the Three-Point Contest, aside from Hansen and Curry, Curry’s teammate Klay Thompson, Rockets’ Harden, Cavaliers’ Irving, the current season leader in three-point percentage JJ Redick, Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, and Rockets’ Chris Bosh comprised the eight participants.

As for the final spot in the Slam Dunk Contest, it went to Magic Team’s second-year player Aaron Gordon.

In addition, another interesting fact was that since the Warriors finished last year as division leaders, rules dictated that Cole could not continue to serve as the coach of The West All-Stars, so this year’s coach for The West would be Lakers’ Scott.

Although The East faced a similar situation, due to a coaching change, Riley would serve as the coach for The East All-Stars.

As February came closer and the All-Star Game was on the near horizon, the League also experienced a small wave of injuries.

Among the most noteworthy was Chris Bosh, who due to a calf injury would miss this year’s All-Star Game.

Kings’ Cousins would replace him on The West All-Star roster, while Lakers’ Frye would take his place in the Three-Point Contest.

On the Cavaliers’ side, Mo Williams also had to sit out for some time due to an elbow injury.

This gave some opportunities to Powell.

Though he lacked playmaking abilities, his role as a scoring guard seemed to find more room to unfold when he shared the court with Jokic.

In a game against the Clippers, he was on fire, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting, showcasing his explosive scoring ability.

The good news for Hansen was that his "blessing of an elementary student" also reached a plateau during this time, which made him more confident in the Three-Point Contest.

There was a little side story as well.

Besides Hansen and Irving from the Cavaliers, Jokic also got selected to this year’s Rookie Challenge.

He didn’t want to go, and he even chatted with Hansen about using an injury as an excuse—wondering if a groin injury would do.

Hansen directly arranged for him to be his assistant in the Slam Dunk Contest, promising to give him the prize money should he win.

That’s right, there are cash prizes in the NBA’s individual events, with the champions of the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest each receiving $50,000—though this amount of money to Hansen felt like no more than a mere $5, it was significant for a rookie like Jokic.

When February 12th arrived, Malone, Irving, and Jokic flew to Toronto on Hansen’s private plane.

The All-Star Game was an entertainment event and naturally, they didn’t travel alone—they were accompanied by their families.

Malone brought his wife, Hansen brought Ajalee, Jokic brought Natalia, and Irving his girlfriend Kelly Rivers.

Ah, yes—Rivers’ younger daughter.

So the plane was quite lively indeed.

After landing in Toronto, Hansen got busy straightaway.

Maple Country is a province of the United States, and although the overall population here is small, Toronto as the capital has many residents.

Under Armour naturally wanted to seize such a promotional opportunity.

Aside from Hansen, the Splash Brothers, along with newcomers like Raven and Booker, made a collective appearance at the event, signifying its importance.

It was at their debut that fans realized Under Armour’s influence had grown substantially.

Especially at this year’s All-Star Game, where the Slam Dunk and Three-Point Contests could be seen as an inner competition among Under Armour athletes.

No wonder James announced his participation—not so much to win, but rather to keep up with the buzz. After all, he had already lost so much, what’s the harm in losing one more dunk contest? The important thing was to stay on top of the conversation.

When the first day of the All-Star weekend arrived, the NBA also hosted Media Day for the All-Star Game.

Hansen’s previous year’s declaration to surpass Jordan was still fresh, but this year, the spotlight was inevitably on Kobe.

"Do you want to compete for the MVP of this year’s All-Star Game?" That was the first question Kobe was asked.

Kobe’s retirement season naturally brought to mind Jordan’s second retirement—that is, his last All-Star Game appearance.

That year the controversy over who should start, and The East All-Stars’ eager collaboration to help Jordan get one last All-Star MVP, made the headlines.

Unfortunately, Kobe drawing fouls spoiled the effort, and Garnett holding the MVP trophy especially made for the league—a custom gift for Jordan—became an embarrassingly memorable moment.

When Kobe heard the question, he also smiled, clearly recalling the experience.

"No, I’m going to enjoy the game," Kobe replied with a smile.

While Kobe expressed his indifference towards the MVP, it seemed the other players felt differently.

James soon expressed his attitude in front of the media,

"We’re going to get the MVP for him, to give him a perfect halftime farewell in his career."