Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook head new 3-vs-3 All-Star event
On All-Star weekend, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook will be leading a new 3-vs-3 game featuring some other big names.
The DEW NBA 3x All-Star game will feature some of the best amateur basketball talent from around the country, according the to press release announcing the event. Irving and Westbrook will serve as GMs of teams that will square off on All-Star weekend in a game that will air on TNT. Additionally, Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Scott will each coach a team. Former NBA guards Baron Davis and Jason Williams — yes, ‘White Chocolate’ himself — will each play and serve as team captains.
To qualify, amateur players have to participate in a 1 vs. 1 combine that consists of players from last year’s DEWNBA3x six-city tour. Those who qualify will then get to head to New Orleans to play.
Considering All-Star weekend can get a bit dull at points, this competition is (potentially) a fun way to spice things up. For one, getting to see Williams play will be an incredible treat considering he was a treat to watch while he played. Ditto for Davis, to a lesser degree. And although many/all of the players will be unknown, seeing them get some shine with Irving and Westbrook pushing them should be fun to see.
In the future, it also might be fun to see 3-vs-3 play a bigger part on All-Star weekend. It’s a different style of game that you can see at any other part of the year and it allows for fun combinations. One fun event for the future could be to adopt the team format (or something similar) from the old Shooting Stars event for a 3-vs-3 game that heavily emphasizes buckets.
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Just a few possible team suggestions:
- Kyrie Irving, Elena Della Donne and Ray Allen
- Russell Westbrook, Maya Moore and Baron Davis
- Kevin Durant, Diani Taurasi and Jason Williams
In short: Kyrie and Russ’ new event should be fun. And it could be the start of more 3-vs-3 events in the future.