2015 ALL-STARS BOSH, CURRY,
DAVIS AND WESTBROOK HEADLINE DEGREE®
SHOOTING STARS
– Hall of Famers Pippen, Wilkins Among Legends
Participating –
NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2015 – NBA All-Stars Chris Bosh
of the Miami Heat, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Davis of
the New Orleans Pelicans and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder
headline the list of participants for the 2015 Degree® Shooting Stars, taking place during
State Farm® All-Star
Saturday Night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 14.
TNT will exclusively televise the Degree® Shooting Stars, which features
four teams composed of one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and an
NBA legend competing in a two-round, timed shooting competition.
Bosh, an All-Star for the
10th consecutive season, is joined on one team by Hall of Famer
Dominique Wilkins, who ranks 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring
list, and four-time WNBA All-Star Swin Cash of the New York Liberty. Bosh,
Wilkins and Cash are seeking their third consecutive Shooting Stars title.
Curry, who is making his
second consecutive All-Star appearance, will compete for the second year in a
row with his father, Dell Curry, who played 16 seasons in the NBA and won the
league’s Sixth Man Award in 1994. Eight-time WNBA All-Star Sue Bird of the
Seattle Storm joins the father/son tandem. Stephen Curry, the top vote-getter
in NBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Sprint, will also participate in
the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.
Davis, a two-time All-Star
who leads the NBA in blocks and ranks
among the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, teams with
six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and two-time WNBA
All-Star Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky.
Westbrook, a four-time NBA
All-Star, will be on a team with two-time All-NBA First Team selection Anfernee
“Penny” Hardaway, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, as well as Tamika Catchings
of the Indiana Fever, a nine-time WNBA All-Star and five-time WNBA Defensive
Player of the Year.
The Degree® Shooting Stars includes four
numbered shooting locations of increasing distance, with each team attempting
to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. All four teams will compete in the first round, and the
two teams with the fastest times advance to the championship round. The team that finishes all four shots in the
least amount of time in the championship round will be declared the winner.
Complete rules can be found at mediacentral.nba.com.
2015 Degree® Shooting Stars
NBA All-Star 2015 in New
York City will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players
in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 64th NBA
All-Star Game will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 47
languages. TNT will televise the
All-Star Game for the 13th straight year, marking Turner Sports'
30th year of All-Star coverage, as well as the BBVA Compass Rising Stars
Challenge and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. Other events at Barclays
Center include the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire
and the NBA Development League Dream Factory presented by Boost Mobile on
Sunday, Feb. 15, both airing on NBA TV. Madison Square Garden will host Friday
night’s ESPN-televised Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
2015 DEGREE®
SHOOTING STARS PARTICIPANTS
Team Bosh: Chris Bosh (Mia); Dominique Wilkins
(Legend); Swin Cash (New York Liberty)
Team Curry: Stephen Curry (GS); Dell Curry (Legend);
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
Team Davis: Anthony Davis (NO); Scottie Pippen
(Legend); Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)
Team Westbrook: Russell Westbrook (OKC); Anfernee “Penny”
Hardaway (Legend); Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
WARRIORS’ CURRY AND THOMPSON AMONG FOUR ALL-STARS TO
COMPETE IN 2015 FOOT LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST
–All-Stars Harden and Irving, Percentage-Leader
Korver, ‘14 Winner Belinelli Add to Prolific Field–
NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2015 – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, the
record-setting duo known as the “Splash Brothers” for their long-distance
prowess, fellow All-Stars James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the player on pace for
a historic shooting season, Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks, will showcase
their range in the 2015 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 14,
at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The eight-player field also features defending
champion Marco Belinelli of the San Antonio Spurs, the
Portland Trail Blazers’ Wesley Matthews and the Los Angeles Clippers’ J.J. Redick.
The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest is part of State
Farm® All-Star Saturday Night, which
will be exclusively televised by TNT. This
marks Turner Sports’ 30th year of NBA All-Star coverage.
Curry,
the top vote-getter in NBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Sprint, became
the fastest player to hit 1,000 three-point field goals in NBA history when, on
Jan. 8, he accomplished the feat in his 369th game. He drilled 10
three-pointers in a season-high 51-point performance against the Dallas
Mavericks on Feb. 4, becoming the second player in league history (along with
J.R. Smith) to have multiple games of at least 10 threes. The sixth-year guard will
be competing in his fourth Foot Locker
Three-Point Contest, and he’ll also participate in the Degree Shooting Stars
during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.
Thompson,
a first-time All-Star, set an NBA record for most points in a quarter on Jan.
23 against the Sacramento Kings, piling up 37 in the third period of a
career-high 52-point barrage that included 11 three-pointers and a
league-record nine in one quarter. Curry and Thompson are the only teammates
ever to combine for 400 three-pointers in back-to-back seasons.
Harden,
the league’s leading scorer (27 points per game) and the Kia NBA Western
Conference Player of the Month for both December and January, ranks fifth in
both three-pointers made (130) and attempted (336). The All-Star quartet is
rounded out by Irving, the 2013 Foot Locker
Three-Point Contest winner. Irving sank a Cavs-record 11 three-pointers
during a career-high 55-point outburst against Portland on Jan. 28, a
performance that helped him earn NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week
honors.
Korver
leads the NBA in three-point accuracy at 53.2 percent, and his 53.6 percent
shooting through 41 games was the highest mark in league history at the halfway
point of the season. Set to make his third appearance in the Foot Locker
Three-Point Contest and first since 2005, Korver is on track to become the
first player among qualifiers ever to shoot at least 50 percent from the field,
50 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free throw line.
Belinelli
will defend the crown he won by defeating Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal
in New Orleans in 2014. Matthews leads the NBA in three-pointers made (151) and
attempted (376). The Clippers’ Redick is enjoying a career year from deep,
connecting on 43.2 percent and threatening to shatter his previous high of 165 triples
in a season (he is currently at 114).
2015 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest
In the two-round competition,
five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four of the
racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multi-colored
“money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack will be a special “all money
ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting
locations. Every ball on this rack will be worth two points. The players have
one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors
with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. Complete rules can be found at mediacentral.nba.com.
NBA
All-Star 2015 in New York City will bring together some of the most talented
and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the
game. The 64th NBA All-Star Game, set for Sunday, Feb. 15, will
reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages. TNT will televise
the All-Star Game for the 13th consecutive year, as well as the BBVA
Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13, and State Farm All-Star
Saturday Night. Other events at Barclays Center include the NBA Development
League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire and the NBA Development League
Dream Factory presented by Boost Mobile on Sunday, Feb. 15, both airing on NBA
TV. Madison Square Garden will host Friday night’s ESPN-televised Sprint NBA
All-Star Celebrity Game.
Below is the lineup for the 2015 Foot Locker Three-Point
Contest and a list of previous
winners:
2015 FOOT
LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST PARTICIPANTS
*2014-15 season*
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Made Att. %
Marco Belinelli, San Antonio G 6-5 210 39 102 38.2
Stephen Curry, Golden State G 6-3 190 147 364 40.4
James Harden, Houston G 6-5 220 130 336 38.7
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland G 6-3 193 100 245 40.8
Kyle Korver, Atlanta G 6-7 212 149 280 53.2
Wesley Matthews, Portland G 6-5 220 151 376 40.2
J.J. Redick, L.A. Clippers G 6-4 190 114 264 43.2
Klay Thompson, Golden State G 6-7 215 145 325 44.6
(Statistics
through games played on Wednesday, Feb. 4)
FOOT LOCKER
THREE-POINT CONTEST YEAR-BY-YEAR WINNERS
1986 - Larry Bird, Boston 1995 - Glen Rice, Miami 2005 - Quentin Richardson
1987 - Larry Bird, Boston 1996 - Tim Legler, Washington 2006 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
1988 - Larry Bird, Boston 1997 - Steve Kerr, Chicago
2007 - Jason Kapono, Miami
1989 - Dale Ellis, Seattle 1998 - Jeff Hornacek, Utah 2008 - Jason Kapono, Toronto
1990 - Craig Hodges, Chicago 2000 - Jeff Hornacek, Utah
2009 - Daequan Cook, Miami
1991 - Craig Hodges, Chicago 2001 - Ray Allen, Milwaukee 2010 - Paul Pierce, Boston
1992 - Craig Hodges, Chicago 2002 - Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2011 - James Jones, Miami
1993 - Mark Price, Cleveland 2003 - Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2012
- James Jones, Miami
1994 - Mark Price, Cleveland 2004 - Voshon Leonard, Denver 2013 - Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
2014 - Marco Belinelli, San Antonio
NBA
ALL-STARS WALL, LOWRY, BUTLER AND TEAGUE
HIGHLIGHT 2015 TACO BELL® SKILLS CHALLENGE
– Eight-Player Field to Compete in Event’s First Bracket-Style
Tournament –
NEW
YORK, Feb. 5,
2015 – Four guards from the Eastern Conference All-Star team – starters John
Wall of the Washington Wizards and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, as well
as reserves Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls and Jeff Teague of the Atlanta
Hawks – and defending champion Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz will headline the
2015 Taco Bell® Skills
Challenge during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 14.
TNT
will exclusively televise the Taco Bell®
Skills Challenge, which features a head-to-head, bracket-style tournament
format for the first time. The Philadelphia 76ers’ Michael Carter-Williams, the
Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Knight and the Phoenix Suns’ Isaiah Thomas complete an
eight-player field for the three-round, obstacle-course competition that tests
dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills.
Wall, who leads the NBA in
assists (10.2 apg), will be appearing in the Taco Bell® Skills
Challenge for the third time. His first-round opponent will be Thomas, who
ranks second in scoring among NBA reserves (15.4 ppg). Wall will also play in
his second All-Star Game, on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden, where
he will be joined by first-time All-Stars Lowry, Butler and Teague.
Lowry, the Kia NBA Eastern
Conference Player of the Month for December, is matched up in the first round
of the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge against Butler, the Kia NBA
Eastern Conference Player of the Month for October/November. Teague, one of
three All-Stars for the East-leading Hawks, faces Carter-Williams, the 2013-14
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. Carter-Williams will also compete in the BBVA
Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13, at Barclays Center, as will
Burke, who was part of last year’s winning team in the Taco Bell®
Skills Challenge. Burke’s first-round
opponent will be Knight, who leads the Bucks in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists
(5.3 apg).
The Taco Bell®
Skills Challenge format calls for two players to compete simultaneously on an identical
course with the fastest finisher reaching the next round. In the first round,
the eight players have been paired to participate in four head-to-head
competitions. The four winners advance to the second round, where two more
head-to-head showdowns will determine the two finalists. Complete rules can be found at mediacentral.nba.com.
As part of this year’s Taco Bell® Skills Challenge,
four lucky teens will be paired with the NBA participants. Through the Taco
Bell Foundation for Teens™, $120,000 will be
donated to local Boys & Girls Clubs in support of educational scholarships
and teen empowerment. Each teen participating in the Challenge will receive
educational scholarships between $10,000 and $30,000.
-more-
PAGE TWO
2015 TACO BELL®
SKILLS CHALLENGE
NBA
All-Star 2015 in New York City will bring together some of the most talented
and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the
game. The 64th NBA All-Star Game will reach fans in 215 countries and
territories in 47 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 13th
consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 30th year of All-Star coverage, as
well as the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge and State Farm All-Star
Saturday Night. Other events at Barclays Center include the NBA Development
League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire and the NBA Development League
Dream Factory presented by Boost Mobile on Sunday, Feb. 15, airing on NBA TV. Madison
Square Garden will host Friday night’s ESPN-televised Sprint NBA All-Star
Celebrity Game.
Below
is the roster for the 2015 Taco Bell®
Skills Challenge, the bracket and a list of previous winners:
2015 TACO BELL® SKILLS CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS
Participant, Team Pos. Ht. Wt.
Trey Burke, Utah Jazz G 6-1 185
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls G/F 6-7
220
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers G 6-6
190
Brandon Knight,
Milwaukee Bucks G 6-3 189
Kyle Lowry, Toronto
Raptors G 6-0 205
Jeff Teague, Atlanta
Hawks
G 6-2 181
Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix
Suns
G 5-9
185
John Wall, Washington
Wizards
G 6-4 195
2015 TACO BELL® SKILLS CHALLENGE
TACO BELL® SKILLS
CHALLENGE WINNERS
2003 – Jason Kidd, New Jersey
2004 – Baron Davis, New Orleans
2005 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2006 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2007 – Dwyane Wade, Miami
2008 – Deron Williams, Utah
2009 – Derrick Rose, Chicago
2010 – Steve Nash, Phoenix
2011 – Stephen Curry, Golden State
2012 – Tony Parker, San Antonio
2013 – Damian Lillard, Portland
2014 – Trey Burke, Utah and Damian Lillard, Portland
