2021 NBA All-Star Weekend: By the numbers

BasketballNews.com Staff
Mar 5 2021

NBA All-Star 2021 will take place on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets. This marks Atlanta’s third time hosting the league’s annual global celebration of basketball.

TNT’s NBA All-Star coverage in the United States will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax, followed by the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and MTN DEW 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star Game coverage on TNT will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest taking place at halftime. ESPN Radio coverage in the U.S. will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

Below are facts and figures about NBA All-Star 2021:

NBA All-Star Game

  • 4 – The Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul is the third player to be named an All-Star with four different franchises, joining Moses Malone and Shaquille O’Neal.
  • 9 – The LA Clippers’ Paul George made a record nine 3-pointers on his way to 41 points in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game while representing the Indiana Pacers.
  • 17 – The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James has been selected as an NBA All-Star 17 times, third most in league history behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18).  James is also set to start the All-Star Game for the 17th consecutive year.
  • 20 – At 20 years old, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson is set to become the fourth-youngest player to play in the NBA All-Star Game, behind Kobe Bryant, James and Magic Johnson.
  • 27.3 – The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo has the highest scoring average in NBA All-Star Game history at 27.3 points per game.
  • 58 – As part of the game production, 58 cameras will be positioned around the arena, including more than 30 in robotic form in the tunnel, practice court and locker room.
  • 70 – This is the 70th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, which was first played in 1951.
  • 385 – James is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history with 385 points.
  • 7,424,951 – NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T set a single-day record with 7,424,951 fan votes cast on Jan. 28.

AT&T Slam Dunk Contest

  • 1 – In the final round, the two competitors who advance that far will perform one dunk each and the winner will be determined by “Judges’ Choice” instead of individual score. 
  • 2 – Two Slam Dunk participants, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons and the Pacers’ Cassius Stanley, have NBA G League experience.
  • 3 – Nate Robinson is the only player to win Slam Dunk three times (2006, 2009, 2010). 
  • 7 – This year’s five Slam Dunk judges (Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins) won a combined seven Slam Dunk titles.
  • 44 – Stanley recorded a maximum vertical leap of 44 inches in the 2020 NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000.
  • 107 – Slam Dunk competitor Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks led Division I college basketball in dunks last season with 107.

MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

  • 3 – The 3-Point Contest will feature two shots in the deep “MTN DEW Zone” that are worth three points each.
  • 6 – The six-player field will be composed entirely of 2021 NBA All-Stars – Devin Booker of the Suns, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls and Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz – making it the first 3-Point Contest in which each participant is a current All-Star.
  • 7 – Curry, the 2015 champion, will compete for the seventh time, tying Dale Ellis for the second-most appearances behind Craig Hodges (eight).
  • 2,664 – Curry has made 2,664 career 3-pointers, second most in NBA history behind Ray Allen (2,973).

Taco Bell Skills Challenge

  • 2 – Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade are the only two-time winner of the Skills Challenge.
  • 5 – Chris Paul is making his record fifth appearance in the Skills Challenge and his first since 2011.
  • 22 – Dončić, who turned 22 on Feb. 28, is the first player in Mavericks history to be voted as an NBA All-Star Game starter in two consecutive years.
  • 2013 – Robert Covington, who entered the NBA in 2013, attended Tennessee State, an HBCU in Nashville, Tenn.

NBA All-Star in Atlanta

  • 3 – This is the third NBA All-Star in Atlanta, which previously hosted in 1978 and 2003.
  • 27 – The Buffalo Braves’ Randy Smith scored 27 points to lead the Eastern Conference past the Western Conference 133-125 in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, the first time that Atlanta hosted.
  • 300 – The teams combined for 300 points in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, where the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 155-145 in the only double-overtime game in All-Star history.  Kevin Garnett scored a game-high 37 points and Michael Jordan had 20 points in his final NBA All-Star Game.

NBA All-Star Entertainment

  • 12 – All-Star entertainers have earned a combined 12 GRAMMY Awards during their careers.
  • 7 – Gladys Knight, a seven-time GRAMMY Award winner, will sing the U.S. national anthem at NBA All-Star 2021.
  • 3 – Three-time GRAMMY Award winner and Florida A&M University alum Common will introduce the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir, which will perform an original rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
  • 1 – GRAMMY Award winner and singer-songwriter Alessia Cara will sing the Canadian national anthem.
  • 1 – GRAMMY Award winner Anthony Hamilton will perform his song “Fine Again” in recognition of frontline workers.
  • 100 – The nationally-recognized Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band and Florida A&M University Marching 100 will play during NBA All-Star player introductions from their respective historic campuses.

NBA All-Star Around the World

  • 1 – For the first time ever in Canada, TSN, Sportsnet and RDS will televise all the All-Star events.
  • 2 – Two international players have been named All-Star Game MVP: Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands; 2000) and Kyrie Irving (Australia; 2014).
  • 4 – Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon) is one of four players born in Africa to be at least a four-time All-Star, along with Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Steve Nash (South Africa) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
  • 6 – A record six European players were named All-Stars this season: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz; France), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers; Lithuania) and Nikola Vučević (Orlando Magic; Montenegro).
  • 9/5 – There are a record nine international All-Stars, including a record five international players voted All-Star Game starters.  The nine international All-Stars are Antetokounmpo, Dončić, Embiid, Gobert, Irving, Jokić, Sabonis, Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia) and Vučević.
  • 14 – Fourteen active international players have been named All-Stars during their careers.

NBA All-Star on TNT

  • 7 – TNT’s announcing team of Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Chris Webber will call its seventh straight NBA All-Star Game together.
  • 8 – Analysts Shaquille O’Neal (3), Isiah Thomas (2), Charles Barkley (1), Dwyane Wade (1) and Candace Parker (1) have won a combined eight All-Star MVP awards in the NBA and WNBA.
  • 19 – TNT will present the NBA All-Star Game for the 19th straight year.

NBA All-Star on ESPN Radio

  • 25 – ESPN Radio will broadcast its 25th NBA All-Star Game.  Commentator Marc Kestecher and analyst Jon Barry will call the game action, with Kevin Winter and analyst P.J. Carlesimo anchoring pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage.  ESPN Radio host and Los Angeles Sparks star Chiney Ogwumike will join the broadcast at halftime as a special guest analyst for AT&T Slam Dunk.

Support for HBCUs and COVID-19 Equity Efforts

  • 9 – Throughout the game, members of the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, a prestigious group of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations, will introduce step teams from Spelman College and Morehouse College.
  • 37/47 – As part of this year’s game format, the two All-Star teams will play for either UNCF (consisting of 37 member colleges) or Thurgood Marshall College Fund (composed of 47 publicly-supported HBCUs) as their respective beneficiary, with both providing scholarship funding to further HBCU students’ higher education.
  • 3,400 – The Goodr NBA All-Star Grocery Pop-Up presented by Kaiser Permanente will benefit nearly 3,400 families in need across 16 locations in Metro Atlanta by providing them with free groceries and household essentials.
  • 3 Million – As part of NBA All-Star 2021, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association will commit more than $3 million in initial funds and resources toward HBCUs and support awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 care, relief and vaccines.