All 2024 NBA All-Star events with Indiana Pacers players involved
INDIANAPOLIS — 2024 NBA All-Star weekend kicks off in Indianapolis in just a few days, and the Indiana Pacers will be one of the most involved teams. Because the festivities take place in their home city, they have participants in nearly every event.
A half-dozen Pacers players will be involved in some of the weekend's action, including some members of Indiana's roster taking part in multiple events. There will be many chances to watch the blue and gold at All-Star weekend.
Here is every NBA All-Star weekend event with a Pacers player involved, sorted chronologically.
Rising Stars game (Friday, February 16, Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 9 p.m. Eastern Time)
Second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin and rookie center Oscar Tshiebwe will both represent the Pacers in this event. It's the second straight year that Mathurin has participated.
"It's a first taste of what I want to do for the rest of my career," he said in 2023.
NBA All-Star Saturday Night (Saturday, February 17, Lucas Oil Stadium at 8 p.m. Eastern Time)
The NBA will hold four premier events on Saturday night, including:
- Skills Challenge
- 3-Point Contest
- Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge
- Slam Dunk Contest
Indiana will have participants in the first two events. Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Mathurin will all team up in the Skills Challenge, which will feature three different trios. The Pacers team is, fittingly, called "Team Pacers".
"There's really no way to practice. All about instinct," Turner explained of the Skills Challenge.
Once that is done, Haliburton will stay down on the court and participate in the 3-Point Contest. He finished third in the event last year. "I'll be in the contest next year, I'm going to get this back," Indiana's leader said at the 2023 contest.
Currently, the star point guard is shooting 39.6% from long range. He has a unique combination of volume and accuracy from beyond the arc, which will give him a chance to win.
These events will follow one after the other with the first one beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, but there is no set start time for any of the events.
Pacers forward Obi Toppin's brother, Jacob, will be in the dunk contest. Obi participated in the event in 2022.
NBA G League Next Up Game (Sunday, February 18, Indiana Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time)
Two Pacers rookies on two-way contracts will participate in this showcase as Tshiebwe and Isaiah Wong were invited to play. They have spent the majority of their season in the G League with the Indiana Mad Ants, where Tshiebwe in particular has been sensational.
"It's just a blessing that they invited me," Wong said. Mad Ants wing Kyle Mangas has also been invited to the event. The Warsaw, Indiana native attended Indiana Wesleyan University, so his journey to essentially the G League All-Star Game in Indianapolis has been special.
NBA All-Star Game (Sunday, February 18, Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. Eastern Time)
Indiana will be represented by Haliburton in the All-Star game for the second year in a row. He scored 18 points in the game last year, and this year he will be a starter for the first time of his career.
"Being named a starter is a big deal. It just puts you in another class, another category," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle explained.
Haliburton will be joined by Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid as starters for the Eastern Conference team. Embiid is injured and won't play in the event, so East head coach Doc Rivers will name a replacement starter from the pool of reserves.
This year, the All-Star game is getting rid of the draft and going back to the East vs West format. That was announced in Indianapolis earlier this season.
"I'm excited about it," Haliburton said of All-Star weekend last week. "I have to be excited, I have to play in all these things!" He is averaging 21.9 points and 11.7 assists per game this season.
The Pacers are 30-25 with one game to go before the All-Star break.
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