Here's a live, unedited blog covering the 2015 Shooting Stars competition:

Up first in the Shooting Stars competition was Team Curry. Dell Curry missed a few, then Stephen Curry did as well. Dell nailed the halfcourt shot. They finished in 47.0 seconds.

Up second was Team Westbrook. Tamika Catchings got off to an awful start. Russell Westbrook and Penny Hardaway nailed their shots. And then Penny quickly nailed the halfcourt shot to finish in a fantastic 35.2 seconds.

Up third was Team Millsap. They struggled the whole way through, finishing in 51.4 seconds.

Up fourth, Team Bosh. Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash did reasonably well. Chris Bosh quickly nailed his jumper. And then Bosh quickly nailed the halfcourt shot.

In the championship round it's Team Westbrook against Team Bosh. Team Westbrook went up first, got to the halfcourt shot very quickly, but failed to hit it. Time ran out, at 1 minute, 30 seconds. Team Bosh was slowed by some missed Swin Cash jumpers up top, but hit reasonably quickly from halfcourt. Nique nailed it, finishing in 57.6 seconds.

Great shooting by Bosh tonight.

Team Bosh are your 2015 Shooting Stars winners.


2015 SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION INTRO

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 NBA Shooting Stars competition, taking place during All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 14.

TNT will exclusively televise the NBA 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, will also participate in the Three-Point Contest during 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 NBA 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.

InsideHoops.com prediction for the 2015 NBA Shooting Stars competition: It is ridiculous to predict this competition because it mostly comes down to which team can hit the halfcourt shot, which of course takes skill but also some luck. But if you were going to bet your car (do not bet anything, let alone your car, you silly fool you), we'd pick Team Curry (Stephen Curry, Dell Curry and Sue Bird) as the projected winner.

2015 NBA 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)



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2014 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION

Miami’s Chris Bosh hit a half-court shot to give Team Bosh the victory in the Shooting Stars contest that opened up NBA All-Star Saturday night. Bosh and teammates Dominique Wilkins and WNBA player Swin Cash had a final-round time of 31.4 seconds... Team Durant, consisting of Kevin Durant, Karl Malone and Skylar Diggins, opened the final round with a time of 43.6. -- Associated Press

Team Bosh — featuring Chris Bosh, Swin Cash, and Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins — won their second consecutive Sears Shooting Stars contest with a final round time of 31.4 seconds to beat Team Durant — Kevin Durant, Karl Malone, and Skylar Diggins. In the first round they defeated Team Hardaway — Tim Hardaway, Jr., Tim Hardaway, Sr., and Elena Delle Donne. Bosh hit the half-court shot on his first attempt of both rounds, giving Team Bosh the only 2 rounds under 40 seconds. Last year ‘Nique hit both half court shots for his team. -- HawksBasketBlog

Team Bosh defeated a team comprised of Karl Malone, Kevin Durant and Skylar Diggins. Bosh capped the final round with his second shot from midcourt, finishing in a time of 31.4 seconds. Each team must make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and halfcourt shot. "Straight luck," Bosh said. "Throw it up and you pray. And I did a quick prayer and they both went in. So, if it wasn't for Dominique missing two easy ones on purpose. I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get us in the zone and it worked." -- South Florida Sun Sentinel

2014 SHOOTING STARS INTRO

NBA All-Stars Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder headline the 2014 Sears Shooting Stars (#SearsShootingStars), taking place during All-Star Saturday Night (#StateFarmSaturday) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Sears Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and an NBA Legend on each team.

All-Star Saturday Night will be exclusively televised on TNT. The event also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio and will collectively reach fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 47 languages.

Two teams representing the Western Conference and two teams representing the Eastern Conference will compete in the 2014 Sears Shooting Stars. Joining Durant, the three-time NBA scoring champ (2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12) on one Western Conference team are Hall of Famer Karl Malone and the No. 3 overall selection in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Skylar Diggins of the Tulsa Shock. Curry is joined on the second West team by his father, NBA Legend Dell Curry, and six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Stars.

The East stand-ins for one team are Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks, his father and NBA Legend, Tim Hardaway Sr., and 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year Elena Della Donne. Two-time NBA champion Bosh is joined by Hall of Fame member Dominique Wilkins and three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash of the Chicago Sky.

For the second consecutive year, the Eastern and Western conferences will compete during All-Star Saturday Night in an evening of challenges that will raise money for charity. NBA Cares and will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $100,000 awarded to each event’s winning conference’s charities and $25,000 going to the charities of the runner-up for each event. The Eastern Conference will be playing for the American Heart Association and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF while the Western Conference will compete for Teach for America and Wounded Warrior Project ®. All-Stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and George, winner of the 2012-13 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, will serve as captains of the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. The charities were selected by George and Curry, the NBA, and .

A two-round competition, the Sears Shooting Stars contest features four numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. The first round features two teams from the same conference competing against each other to advance to the championship round where the best team from each conference will square off. The team that completes all four shots in the least amount of time in the championship round will be declared the winner and will win $100,000 for their conference’s charities.

2014 SEARS SHOOTING STARS PARTICIPANTS

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Team 1: Tim Hardaway Jr (NYK); Tim Hardaway Sr (Legend); Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)
Team 2: Chris Bosh (Mia); Dominique Wilkins (Legend); Swin Cash (Chicago Sky)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Team 1: Stephen Curry (GS); Dell Curry (Legend); Becky Hammon (San Antonio Stars)
Team 2: Kevin Durant (OKC); Karl Malone (Legend); Skylar Diggins (Tulsa Shock)



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OLDER SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION EVENT INFO

The trio of Miami's Chris Bosh, WNBA star Swin Cash and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins won the Shooting Stars competition that kicked off All-Star Saturday night in Houston.

Bosh's group beat the team of Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, Maya Moore of the WNBA and former Houston Rocket Robert Horry.

The teams had two minutes to make shots from six locations on the floor, including one from half-court.

-- Associated Press

INTRO TO 2013 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION

Two teams representing the Western Conference and two teams representing the Eastern Conference will compete in the 2013 Shooting Stars competition as part of All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Representing the Western Conference from the NBA are James Harden, who earned his first career All-Star Game nod in his inaugural season with the Houston Rockets, and fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The WNBA stars for the West are Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, a 2012 Olympic gold medal winner and 2011 WNBA champion, and the Seattle Storm’s Tina Thompson, the WNBA all-time leading scorer. NBA Legends Sam Cassell and Robert Horry, who played a combined 31 seasons in the league and won 10 NBA championships, round out the West representation. Cassell and Horry were teammates on a Rockets team that won back-to-back titles in 1994-95.

On behalf of the Eastern Conference from the NBA are Chris Bosh, an All-Star and key member of the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat, and All-Star Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets, who earned his first All-Star nod. The WNBA Eastern Conference stars are Swin Cash of the Chicago Sky, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Tamika Catchings, who guided the Indiana Fever to the 2012 WNBA title and earned Finals MVP honors along the way. The NBA Legends on the East squads are Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player in NBA history at 5-3, who enjoyed a 14-year NBA career, and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, a nine-time NBA All-Star, who finished with 26,668 career points.

In last year’s competition, Team New York, which featured Landry Fields, Allan Houston and Cappie Pondexter, defeated Team Texas in the final round with a time of :37.3. Team Texas was comprised of Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Sophia Young (San Antonio Silver Stars), and Kenny Smith (NBA Legend).

Shooting Stars is part of All-Star Saturday Night, an all-inclusive skills showcase, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Toyota Center in Houston and will be televised live by TNT at 8 p.m. ET. The other events consist of the the Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; the Three-Point Contest; and the Slam Dunk contest. For the first time, All-Star Saturday Night will feature a new format that pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in a night of competitions that will raise money for charity.

The Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and an NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course.

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2012 NBA ALL-STAR SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION

Team Atlanta attempted to become the first repeat NBA Shooting Stars champion, competing against a field that included squads representing New York, Texas and NBA All-Star 2012 host city Orlando at Amway Center on Feb. 25.

But it was Team New York that rose up to win the 2012 NBA Shooting Stars competition.

The AP reports: Celebrities lined the court for the appetizer before Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, and the first event saw the continuation of the good vibes that New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin has brought to the Big Apple recently With Knicks super fan Spike Lee looking on, Team New York had the touch from the outside and won the Shooting Stars event. Former Knicks star Allan Houston nailed his third attempt at a half-court shot to give his team consisting of current Knicks guard Landry Fields and Cappie Pondexter of the WNBA’s New York Liberty the victory.

The AP reports: Houston, Fields and Pondexter completed the shooting course in 37.3 seconds in the final round. It was better than the 47.6 posted by the Team Texas trio of former Houston Rockets star and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, current Rocket Chandler Parsons and Sophia Young of the San Antonio Silver Stars. Team Orlando and Atlanta posted the slowest times of Round 1 and were eliminated.

The Detroit Free Press reports: Allan Houston can't remember ever hitting a half-court shot during his 12-year NBA career. Not in his first three seasons with the Pistons or the nine with the Knicks. He made it look routine Saturday night, draining two half-court shots to help Team New York win the Shooting Stars competition during All-Star Saturday Night at the Amway Center. "You just go out there and try and prepare and fortunately everyone hit their shots," said Houston, a Piston in 1993-96 who is currently in a front-office role with the Knicks.

Here's a quick rundown of what happened:

LIVE NBA SHOOTING STARS NOTES:

Team Texas went first. It was a strange early performance for them, as they all seemed to be moving extremely slowly. Chandler Parsons also bricked a bunch of shots. But they finished nicely, thanks to Kenny Smith hitting the halfcourt shot pretty quickly. Their time: 42.7 seconds.

Team New York went second breezed through the early shots, got to halfcourt, and Allan Houston nailed the deep shot quickly, giving the team a terrific 38.7 seconds finish.

Up third is Team Orlando, and they started badly. And kept getting worse. It was a disaster. They took forever to get to halfcourt, and in a rare event at halfcourt, it was the WBA player, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, hitting the long-range bomb to end it. They finished in 1 minute, 4 seconds.

And now, Team Atlanta, who flew by the early shots, got to halfcourt very quickly, but took a crazy amount of time to hit the deep shot. And again, it was the WNBA player, Lindsay Harding, to nail from halfcourt. They finished in 55.3 seconds.

In the second and final round, Texas went first, and finished with great time thanks to Kenny Smith immediately banging home the halfcourt shot.

New York went second, and it was Allan Houston hitting up top to win it.

Team New York are the 2012 NBA Shooting Stars champions.

PREVIEW INFO: SHOOTING STARS COMPETITORS

The players involved with the 2012 Shooting Stars event are:

Atlanta: Joe Johnson, Lindsay Harding, Steve Smith

Orlando: Jameer Nelson, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Dennis Scott

New York: Landry Fields, Cappie Pondexter, Allan Houston

Texas: Chandler Parsons, Sophia Young, Kenny Smith

Fan discussion of the 2012 Shooting Stars event is in this basketball forum topic.

The main goal of this competition is to hit basic shots that every player should be able to hit, until the final shot from halfcourt, where players usually miss badly until one of them closes his or her eyes and manages to drop it in.

Shooting Stars is a pretty quick distraction (other than all the bricks shot from halfcourt) to warm everyone up for the big events of All-Star Saturday.

MORE INFO ON THE SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION AT ALL-STAR

The home team includes the Orlando Magic’s Jameer Nelson, an All-Star in 2009; Florida native and three-time WNBA All-Star Marie Ferdinand-Harris; and former Magic great Dennis Scott, who spent seven seasons with Orlando after the team made him the fourth overall selection of the 1990 NBA Draft.

Team Atlanta features the Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson, who was named an All-Star for the sixth time this year; Lindsay Harding of the reigning WNBA Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream; and NBA TV analyst Steve Smith, an All-Star selection in 1998 with the Hawks and a member of the 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Team New York is comprised of the New York Knicks’ Landry Fields, who will also play for Team Shaq in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend; the New York Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter, a four-time WNBA All-Star and one of the league’s top scorers; and former Knicks great Allan Houston, who averaged 17.3 points over his 12-year NBA career, and currently works in New York’s front office as an assistant general manager.

Team Texas is represented by the Houston Rockets’ Chandler Parsons, an Orlando-area native and second-round pick in 2011, who’s worked his way into the Rockets’ starting lineup as a rookie; the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Sophia Young, a four-time WNBA All-Star, who averaged 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 2011; and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995).

In last year’s competition, Team Atlanta, which featured Smith, the Hawks’ Al Horford and the Dream’s Coco Miller, defeated Team Texas in the final round with a time of 1:10.

The NBA Shooting Stars competition will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

The NBA Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one TNT on-air talent/NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION PAST WINNERS HISTORY

2004 (Los Angeles): Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005 (Denver): Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006 (Houston): Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2007 (Las Vegas): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)

2008 (New Orleans): David Robinson (San Antonio legend), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2009 (Phoenix): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit legend), Aaron Afflalo (Detroit Pistons), Katie Smith (Detroit Shock)

2010 (Dallas): Kenny Smith (Texas legend), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2011 (Atlanta): Steve Smith (Texas legend), Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks), Coco Miller (Atlanta Dream)

Team Texas is going to attempt to become the first repeat NBA Shooting Stars competition champion as it competes against a field that includes squads representing Atlanta, Chicago and NBA All-Star 2011 host city Los Angeles at Staples Center on Feb. 19.

It was Team Atlanta stepping up to win the event. Here's how Shooting Stars 2011 went down:

LIVE 2011 NBA SHOOTING STARS BLOG

Team Atlanta went first and didn't start particularly strong, and took a while at the end until Al Horford was able to hit the halfcourt shot. They finished in 47.6 seconds.

Team Chicago went second, and went through the initial series of shots pretty quickly, but had a miserable time with the halfcourt shot until Steve Kerr finally hit it at 1:06 (1 minute, six seconds).

A group of dancers then came out to perform, presumably for a TV commercial timeout.

The crowd is extremely quiet. Aside from when the halfcourt shot gets hit, the crowd is extremely quiet. This event and the Skills Challenge are really just preludes to the big shootout and dunk events later.

Team Los Angeles went first and flew through the initial shots faster than the other squads, until Rick Fox kept missing from the left elbow, showing them down substantially. Rick Fox ended it by hitting the halfcourt shot at 55.8 seconds, which eliminated Team Chicago.

And now, the defending champions, Team Texas. They started badly due to some Dirk Nowitzki misses, but overall the team did alright, getting to the halfcourt shot in reasonable fashion, but Kenny Smith stepped up and nailed his very first attempt, winning it for Texas with a time of 31.8 seconds.

That's round 1. The second and final round of the Shooting Stars competition features Team Atlanta vs Team Texas.

Team Atlanta went first in round 2, and got to halfcourt extremely quickly, in under 30 seconds. But Atlanta has an absolutely horrible experience at halfcourt, with Horford finally hitting it at 1:10 (one minute, 10 seconds).

ANd now, Team Dallas, whose lives will surely be far greater should they succeed in retaining such an important title as Shooting Stars champions, got to halfcourt with ease, but were unable to hit in time, and at 1:21 the clock simply stopped as Atlanta had already clinched the victory.

Congrats to Team Atlanta for winning the 2011 Shooting Stars All-Star competition!

And that's your quick rundown. Quotes from players and more coming later and tomorrow.


NBA SHOOTING STARS CONTEST PREVIEW

The NBA Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one TNT on-air talent and legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

The home team from Los Angeles, which won the inaugural NBA Shooting Stars All-Star event in 2004, includes the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, who was selected to his fourth All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 20, at Staples Center; the Los Angeles Sparks’ Tina Thompson, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer; and NBA TV analyst Rick Fox, a three-time NBA champion with the Lakers (2000-02).

Team Atlanta features the Hawks’ Al Horford, who was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game this year; Coco Miller of the reigning Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream; and NBA TV analyst Steve Smith, an All-Star selection in 1998 with the Hawks and a member of the 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Team Chicago is comprised of the Chicago Bulls’ Taj Gibson, who will represent the Sophomores in the 2011 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held Feb. 18 at Staples Center; the Chicago Sky’s Cathrine Kraayveld, one the WNBA’s best long-range shooters; and TNT NBA Analyst Steve Kerr, a five-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls (1996-98) and San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003).

Defending champion Team Texas is represented by Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, the organization’s all-time leading scorer and one of only 24 NBA players to have scored at least 22,000 points; the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Roneeka Hodges, who last season averaged a career-high 3.2 rebounds to go along with 7.7 points; and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995).

In last year’s competition, Team Texas, which featured Nowitzki, Smith and the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Becky Hammon, defeated Team Los Angeles in the final round with a time of 34.3 seconds.

The NBA All-Star Shooting Stars competition will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will also feature the Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk contest, and Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from Staples Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and will be broadcast in more than 40 languages.

NBA SHOOTING STARS PAST WINNERS HISTORY

2004 (Los Angeles): Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005 (Denver): Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006 (Houston): Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2007 (Las Vegas): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)

2008 (New Orleans): David Robinson (San Antonio legend), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2009 (Phoenix): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit legend), Aaron Afflalo (Detroit Pistons), Katie Smith (Detroit Shock)

2010 (Dallas): Kenny Smith (Texas legend), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

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2010 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION
February 13, 2010

The AP reports: In Saturday night’s opening event, hometown favorite and former Nash teammate Dirk Nowitzki hit a shot from midcourt to cap Team Texas’ victory in the Shooting Stars competition. Texas, which also consisted of San Antonio Silver Stars player Becky Hammon and former Houston guard Kenny Smith, beat Team Los Angeles with a time of 34.3 in the finals. The Texas trio needed 13 shots to complete the final round. Lakers All-Star Pau Gasol, former NBA player Brent Barry and Marie Ferdinand-Harris of the Los Angeles Sparks came in second, finishing in 55.2 seconds.

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A new NBA Shooting Stars champion will be crowned as teams representing Atlanta, Los Angeles, Sacramento and the state of Texas take the floor on Feb. 13, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at American Airlines Center in Dallas. For the first time in the event's history, TNT and NBA TV analysts will participate in the event, each serving as the NBA Legend on one of the four respective teams.

The home team from Texas includes the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, the team’s all-time leading scorer, who was selected to his ninth All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington; 2009 WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA First Team member Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars; and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995).

Team Atlanta features the Hawks’ Joe Johnson, who was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game this year; Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream, the 2009 WNBA adidas Rookie of the Year; and NBA TV analyst Steve Smith, an All-Star selection in 1998 with the Hawks and a member of the 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Team Los Angeles, which won the inaugural All-Star Shooting Stars competition in 2004, is comprised of Pau Gasol, who will be making his third NBA All-Star Game appearance in 2010; Marie Ferdinand-Harris of the Los Angeles Sparks, who is a three-time WNBA All-Star; and NBA TV analyst Brent Barry, winner of the 1996 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest as a member of the Clippers.

Team Sacramento is represented by the Kings’ Tyreke Evans, who has won four consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards, and who headlines the 2010 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam Rookie Team; TNT and NBA TV analyst Chris Webber, a five-time All-Star, who averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists over a 15-year career; and Nicole Powell, currently with the New York Liberty, who was a first-time WNBA All-Star in 2009 with the Sacramento Monarchs.

In last year’s competition, Team Detroit captured its second title in three years, defeating host Team Phoenix in the final round with a time of 58.4 seconds.

The NBA Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one TNT on-air talent and legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.


SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION HISTORY: PREVIOUS SHOOTING STARS WINNERS

2004 (Los Angeles): Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005 (Denver): Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006 (Houston): Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2007 (Las Vegas): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)

2008 (New Orleans): David Robinson (San Antonio legend), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2009 (Phoenix): Bill Laimbeer (Detroit legend), Aaron Afflalo (Detroit Pistons), Katie Smith (Detroit Shock)

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2009 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION
February 14, 2009

Detroit: Aaron Afflalo, Bill Laimbeer and Katie Smith

Los Angeles: Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper and Lisa Leslie

Phoenix: Leandro Barbosa, Dan Majerle and Tangela Smith

San Antonio: Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon

Raw, unedited notes taken as the Shooting Stars contest happened:

Detroit is up first. They did ok, missing a few shots but no real struggle. Until they got to the halfcourt shot, which they took a long time to hit until Laimbeer was able to hit it. They finished in 59.3 seconds.

Los Angeles was up second. They were stalled by Lisa Leslie missing a few shots from the right side, then Fisher tossing some bricks from the left. But Los Angeles took forever to hit from halfcourt, missing 16 shots until Cooper was able to connect at 1:16.

Phoenix went third. They were slowed by Barbosa missing a bunch of times from the left side. At halfcourt they flew through it faster than anyone thanks to Dan Majerle, who drilled the shot at 53.3 seconds, putting Phoenix in first place, bumping Detroit down to second.

And now, San Antonio, who would appear to be at a disadvantage with two center-sized players who aren't known for outside shooting. Yet they flew through the first series of shots, but struggled mightily from halfcourt, not finishing until little Becky Hammon connected at 1:06.

So, Phoenix and Detroit are in the 2009 NBA Shooting Stars competition finals.

Detroit went first in the Shooting Stars finals. And they all missed a bunch of shots, especially Afflalo. They didn't get to halfcourt until around 38 seconds (give or take), and Katie Smith hit at 58.4 seconds, a pretty good mark.

And now, Phoenix, who got off to a blazing start, hitting all of their shots to quickly reach the halfcourt shot, but simply unable to hit the halfcourt shot, taking forever, until Majerly hit at 1:15.

Team Detroit are the 2009 NBA Shooting Stars competition champions, with Phoenix the runner-up.


NBA Shooting Stars competition Preview

Team San Antonio will defend its NBA Shooting Stars competition title against Team Detroit, Team Los Angeles and Team Phoenix in this year’s All-Star event, which will be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 14, at US Airways Center in Phoenix beginning at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio.

The San Antonio team, which captured the title last year in New Orleans with a time of 35.8 seconds, consists of All-Star and three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, David Robinson, one of the 50 Greatest Players of All-Time, and four-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon. Team San Antonio also captured the Shooting Stars title in 2006 with a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds. The 2006 San Antonio trio was comprised of All-Star Tony Parker, NBA legend Steve Kerr and the Silver Stars' Kendra Wecker.

Team Detroit, last year’s runner-up and the 2007 winner, is comprised of Pistons 2007 first round draft selection Aaron Afflalo, Detroit Shock head coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer, who has guided the Shock to three WNBA titles, and 2008 WNBA Finals MVP Katie Smith.

Team Los Angeles, which won the inaugural competition in 2004, is made up of three-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper -- the only person to have won titles in the NBA, NBA D-League and WNBA -- and three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie.

Team Phoenix, the 2005 Haier Shooting Stars champion, features Leandro Barbosa, the 2006-07 Sixth Man Award winner, NBA legend Dan Majerle and Tangela Smith, who helped guide the Mercury to the 2007 WNBA title.

The NBA Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

PAST NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION WINNERS HISTORY

2004 (Los Angeles) Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005 (Denver) Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006 (Houston) Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2007 (Las Vegas) Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)

2008 (New Orleans) David Robinson (San Antonio legend), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)




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LAST YEAR'S NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION
Feb. 16, 2008

The Shooting Stars competition is one of the newer and lesser NBA All-Star Weekend events. It took place Saturday night, February 16. Also see preview/overview, previous winners and the rules.

Team San Antonio, with Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon, won the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend Shooting Stars competition Saturday night. After the team got through the regular shots, Tim Duncan quickly hit the half-court shot.

The other team in the Shooting Stars second and final round was Team Chicago, with Chris Duhon, Candice Dupree and B.J. Armstrong. They did well with the regular shots and easily could have won, but took forever to hit the half-court shot, losing it for that reason.

Team Los Angeles wasn’t too hot. And Team Phoenix had potential, but Eddie Johnson was awful.



PREVIEW: 2008 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION
Feb. 15, 2008

Team Detroit will defend its Haier Shooting Stars title against Team Chicago, Team Phoenix and Team San Antonio in this year’s competition, which will be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena.

The Detroit team, which captured the title last year in Las Vegas with a time of 50.5 seconds, consists of All-Star and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, Shock forward and two-time WNBA All-Star Swin Cash, and Shock head coach and four-time NBA All-Star Bill Laimbeer. Cash and Laimbeer were key figures in the Shock capturing the 2003 and 2006 WNBA championships.

Team Chicago, last year’s runner-up, is comprised of Bulls guard and Slidell, La. native Chris Duhon, two-time WNBA All-Star and Sky forward Candice Dupree and three-time NBA champion B.J. Armstrong. Representing Phoenix, the 2005 winner, are All-Star Amaré Stoudemire, two-time WNBA All-Star and 2007 WNBA Finals MVP Cappie Pondexter and Suns great Eddie Johnson. Team San Antonio, which dominated the competition in the 2006 Shooting Stars challenge with a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds, consists of 10-time All-Star and three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, four-time WNBA All-Star and Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon and David Robinson, a two-time NBA champion and One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Team Los Angeles won the inaugural competition in 2004.

As with all of this year's All-Star participants, members of the Shooting Stars teams will join over 2,500 members of the NBA Family for the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service on Friday, Feb. 15. The volunteers will participate in a variety of service projects at 10 different sites throughout New Orleans.

The Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.


PREVIEW SHOOTING STARS WINNERS

2004: Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005: Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006: Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2007: Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)


NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION RULES

FOUR TEAMS (NBA Player/WNBA Player/NBA Legend), two-round, timed shooting event.

GAME FORMAT:

Shooting from 6 locations of increasing difficulty, teams attempt to make all 6 shots in numeric order in the fastest time.

The two teams that hit all six shots in the fastest times will move on to the Final round.

Teams will shoot in inverse order of their First round time for the Final round.

Six numbered shooting spots will be placed on the floor to designate each shot location.

Each team must choose a specific order of shooting (Player A,B,C) and follow that order thru the event (see below).

Each shot must be made (unlimited attempts) before the next player begins shooting in succession.

For Shot #6 (near half court), Player C must make the initial attempt - then all three players will rotate (in A,B,C order) until the shot is made, which will stop the clock and give the team their official time.

A referee will be on-court to pass judgment on any violation of the rules.

INSTANT REPLAY – At discretion of the referee, instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

TIME LIMIT:

Each team will be given up to 2:00 minutes to complete the shooting course.

The clock will be started by the referee and will start at 0:00 and count up.

The clock will be stopped by the referee’s whistle when the team makes shot #6.

If a team has not completed all six shots as of the 2:00 mark, the horn will sound and their score will be based upon the total number of shots completed as of 2:00.

TIEBREAKERS:

In the case of a tie (two or more teams complete all shots in the same amount of time, or teams only complete the same amount of shots after 2:00), a shoot-off will be used to break the tie.

The clock will be reset (a time limit of 1:00 will be imposed) and the team that makes one shot from the “#6” in the shortest amount of time will, depending on the round, either advance to the Finals or be declared champions.

Once again each team’s three players must rotate their attempts (in any 3-player order their team decides).

If no team makes shot #6 in the designated 1:00 tiebreaker, it will be repeated shooting from shot #5.

Shot Order, Locations and Player Rotation:

Shot #1 – 10 foot BANK shot from right side angle – PLAYER A

Shot #2 – 15 foot shot from left side angle – PLAYER B

Shot #3 – NBA 3-Pt. shot from top of the arc/straight on – PLAYER C

Shot #4 – 18-Foot shot from right side baseline – PLAYER A

Shot #5 – NBA 3-Pt. shot from left side angle – PLAYER B

Shot #6 – Shot from just inside half-court/straight on – PLAYER C, PLAYER A, PLAYER B, repeat….

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2007 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION

Team San Antonio will face Team Chicago, Team Detroit and Team Los Angeles in its quest for back-to-back titles in the NBA Shooting Stars competition to be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 17 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The San Antonio team, which captured the title last year in Houston with a record time of 25.1 seconds, consists of All-Star Tony Parker, Silver Stars forward Kendra Wecker and Hall of Famer George Gervin.

Team Chicago is comprised of Bulls guard Ben Gordon, Sky forward Candice Dupree and seven-time All-Star Scottie Pippen.

Representing Detroit are All-Star and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, Shock forward Swin Cash and Shock head coach and four-time NBA All-Star Bill Laimbeer, both key figures in the Shock capturing the 2003 and 2006 WNBA championships.

Team Los Angeles, the runner-up in last year’s contest, consists of Lakers forward Lamar Odom, Sparks guard and 2005 WNBA Rookie of the Year Temeka Johnson and Michael Cooper, a member of five Lakers’ Championship teams.

NBA Shooting Stars Contest Rules

The NBA Shooting Stars competition features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

The 2007 NBA Shooting Stars event will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from Thomas & Mack Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Listed below are the previous winning teams from the Haier Shooting Stars competition:

2004: Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fischer (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005: Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006: Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

Return to the InsideHoops.com NBA All-Star Weekend main page.

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2006 NBA SHOOTING STARS COMPETITION

SHOOTING STARS PREVIEW

The NBA Shooting Stars event at NBA All-Star Weekend pairs a current NBA shooting star with a retired, former NBA player and a current WNBA star. The event is part of All-Star Saturday.

In the 2006 NBA Shooting Stars competition, the Phoenix Suns return to defend their title. Mercury guard Kelly Miller replaces teammate Diana Taurasi and joins Shawn Marion and Dan Majerle as they face teams from Houston, L.A. and San Antonio. The teams compete in the contest featuring six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty.

The 2005 NBA Shooting Stars event was won by Team Phoenix: WNBA Rookie of the Year Diana Taurasi of the Mercury, current Suns forward Shawn Marion and Phoenix legend Dan Majerle.

SHOOTING STARS RECAP | LIVE, UNEDITED NOTES

Teams have to make shots from six places on the court, with the final shot being from halfcourt. San Antonio went first. And they were amazing, finishing in just 25.1 seconds. Tony Parker made the half-courter.. Los Angeles up next. Lisa Leslie started badly, missing about five mid-range bank shots before finally making one. Magic johnson wasn't too great. Kobe Bryant did well, and nailed the half court shot. As a team, Los Angeles finished in 43.something seconds... Houston is up now. All three members did OK but not great. McGrady hit the halfcourt shot, using a wild one-handed technique. Houston finished in 47.2 seconds... Phoenix, who win it last year, is up last. Kelly Miller missed a few shots that slowed them down. It took them a long time to hit the halfcourt shot -- WNBA player Miller made it... San Antonio wins it! They shot an amazing 6-of-8. No one else was even close.

INTERVIEW WITH SHOOTING STARS WINNING TEAM

TONY PARKER, SAN ANTONIO - STEVE KERR, SAN ANTONIO - KENDRA WECKER, SAN ANTONIO

Q. First off, Steve, the obvious, what was that experience like for you, getting back on the international stage like that?

STEVE KERR: It's nerve-wracking. Even though it's just kind of a for-fun event, just something to enjoy.

We were talking about it beforehand. Kendra and I were both a little nervous, but that's the way it's supposed to be. The lights go on and you're involved in the competition and you feel the butterflies, that means you're ready. We had a lot of fun out there.

Q. Since there was no Pop out there, who did the pep talk?

TONY PARKER: Steve. Steve gave us the pep talk.

STEVE KERR: Pop gives us the same one every game anyways. Just replay, push play on the tape recorder. That fired us up.

Q. Did you know that three was going in when it left your hand?

TONY PARKER: The three or the halfcourt?

Q. The halfcourt.

TONY PARKER: Yeah, it felt good. Banged it, so it was good.

STEVE KERR: We couldn't make it in the practice. We ran through a practice, it took us over a minute, right, like over a minute. We missed probably 20 straight half-courters. I'm thinking, this is trouble. We're not going to do very well, and he makes the first one.

Q. Of course she got you guys off to the good start.

TONY PARKER: Very good start.

STEVE KERR: Two out of two, Kendra was great, she got us rolling.

Q. Were you worried about him when he missed his first?

KENDRA WECKER: No, I wasn't worried. I knew it would take him two at the most. He didn't back off from the shot like everyone did. If he missed the first one, I knew he would get the second one in.

Q. Does Chip get any credit for that halfcourt shot?

TONY PARKER: A little bit. Every shot I make he gets credit.

Q. So he actually works on that shot with you guys?

TONY PARKER: I was missing everything in practice, and this morning in practice with the West team, it was my first made today.

Q. Steve, do you now feel like a legend?

STEVE KERR: Isn't that great? You play 15 years, average 16 points a game and they call you a legend when you show up at All-Star Weekend. I won't correct it if they run it, I'll just go with it.

Q. That record is going to be pretty tough to beat, the 25?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, I think we missed two shots; I missed one and Tony missed one. So it's going to be tough to get much better.

TONY PARKER: That's the competition, the record.

Q. Just another big weekend for you, it just keeps getting better and better.

TONY PARKER: Better and better.

2006 NBA Shooting Stars Rosters

Houston Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets) Clyde Drexler (Houston Rockets - retired)

Los Angeles Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers - retired)

Phoenix Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns) Kelly Miller (Phoenix Mercury) Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns - retired)

MAIN SECTIONS Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars) Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs - retired)

NBA Shooting Stars Competition History (Previous Winners)

2005 Phoenix -- Dan Majerle, Shawn Marion, Diana Taurasi
2004 Los Angeles -- Magic Johnson, Derek Fisher, Lisa Leslie

(The event began in 2004)