Vol 3 Chapter 435: Stars Gathering

After finishing the business in Los Angeles, An Luo went to Charlotte to meet Westbrook and others. This year, Anluo did not participate in other competitions except for the All-Star Game. He can finally enjoy this rare holiday.
Charlotte is located in North Carolina in the southeastern part of the United States. It has a mild and humid climate with four distinct seasons. The city has lush trees and green grass. It enjoys the reputation of "Green City". Although it is a highly modern industrial and commercial city, Charlotte still has a rural feel. Large shopping malls, schools, and hospitals are all in the suburbs. There are one and two-story bungalows everywhere, and only a few high-rise buildings in the city center, when most people come to work. No matter what, no one can be seen on the street.
The All-Star Game made this city the focus of the nation. Charlotte's name has also spread to the ears of basketball fans all over the world. The development of the NBA to this day is more than just a professional league. It has been mixed with many human factors, and it has become a calling card of American cultural diplomacy. Just like Houston, before Yao Ming entered the NBA, few people have heard that name. But now, Houston has become one of the few American cities most familiar to the Chinese people. The influence of the NBA has expanded from the circle of basketball fans in the world.
Charlotte is a good example. Before, when people heard this name, they were strangers except strangers. People in the second element may be familiar with it, but the Charlotte they know is just a group of adolescent girls with special abilities. This year's All-Star, let the whole basketball circle know the city. Charlotte and the Hornets are really connected.
On February 16, the first celebrity game kicked off the All-Star Weekend.
The so-called celebrity tournament means that all celebrities participate in this tournament. There are NBA retired celebrities, WNBA current and retired players, entertainment big names, sports superstars, and political and business celebrities. The home team is made up of stars who were either born in Carolina, or who grew up here, or have settled here in their careers, while the away team is made up of stars outside of Carolina. Former NBA All-Star player Ray Allen will represent the visiting team, and his performance is the biggest highlight of this game.
An Luo followed the Westbrook family to sit in the auditorium and watched the game.
Although it is an entertainment game, the players are basically not professional players, but the game played well. The fight was fierce and the whole process was wonderful. After all, it is a basketball event, and the officially invited participants still have a certain level of basketball. Ray Allen scored the best data in the game with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. But due to the home team's victory, he failed to win the MVP trophy.
After the Masters, there is the rookie game. This can be regarded as the first climax of the All-Star Weekend. The vast majority of All-Star players started in the rookie game. Anluo participated in the Rookie Challenge two years ago, but this year, he is not qualified! An Luo, in the third grade, has already broken away from the title of "rookie". However, in this year's world team, there is a repeater of the same level as An Luo. It is said that the 76ers will renew their contract early. A guy who is still playing a rookie game is about to sign a big maximum salary contract, which is really enviable. Of course, An Luo never worried about his contract. The only worry is whether the Thunder has the ability to provide him with a maximum salary contract. After all, with the contract between Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder doesn't have much room!
The rookie game is much more exciting than the celebrity game! There are future stars of the alliance such as Ben Simmons, Luca Doncic, Jason Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell. Among them, Ben Simmons was also selected for the All-Star Game.
The process of the game basically continued the All-Star performance style. At first, he didn't defend very much, and the operation show had to fly. As in the past, the world team has been shooting farther and farther, and shot after passing the center line several times. The U.S. team abused the basket as always. He is not last year's dunk champion Mitchell, staged several wonderful dunks. All the audience was excited! Of course, it also includes active players such as Anlow and Westbrook.
Although the styles of the two sides are different, the goals are the same. Since the NBA introduced the concept of World Team vs. America Team, the World Team has won 3 of them. The US team only won once in the 2016 Toronto All-Star Game, and the world team has had the last laugh in the past two years. This year, the young players in the United States are bound to win back. In the current NBA, the proportion of international players is getting higher and higher, and there are more and more international stars~EbookFREE.me~ Outside the United States, a group of young future stars have emerged: Antetokounmpo, Embiid, Jokic, Porzingis, Wiggins, Ben Simmons, Anlow, Doncic...In contrast, there are very few young players who can get a handful of them. Even the native players like Towns and Ayton are not Americans.
Suddenly, the entire basketball circle was chanting that American basketball has no successor. Of course, this is actually a bit biased. As the media said, Durant, Curry, Harden, Westbrook, and Lillard are indeed around 30 years old, but their peak is still a few years away. After this group of people, Leonard, Davis, Paul George, and Owen are at their peak again, and it is not easy for Antetokounmpo to be crowned king. After them, there are also very talented young people such as Devin Booker, Mitchell, Tatum, and Ingram. Although it doesn't seem to be as good as Anlor, Ben Simmons, and Doncic, who is right about the future!
However, the claim that American basketball has no successor makes these young and energetic rookies very uncomfortable. So when the game entered the second half, the young people of the US team began to get serious. Under their strong play, the world team gradually lost.
The most outstanding player is Kuzma of the Lakers. He showed his determination to hit the MVP in the first quarter, dunking multiple times and scored 14 points on 6 of 8 shots. When the world team was approaching the score in the last quarter, Kuzma also stood up and broke through continuously, killing the suspense of the game. In the end Kuzma scored 35 points and won the MVP honor. His 35 points are tied for 7th in rookie game history, and also broke the scoring record (31 points) held by Kobe for the Lakers in the rookie season.