On Saturday, the Kia Shooting Stars competition returns after an 11-year break, and the Knicks have some dogs in the fight.
The competition uses a two-round structure. In the first round, four teams compete
one at a time, with 70 seconds to score points by rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court. All three teammates shoot at each spot in a fixed order. The two teams with the highest scores advance to the final round, where they repeat the course head-to-head. The higher-scoring team wins the title.
Each team has two current players and one legend. For the Knicks, that legend is H20!
The lineup:
- Team All-Star: Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, and Rip Hamilton
- Team Cameron: Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel, and Corey Maggette (Dukies)
- Team Harper: Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Jr., and Ron Harper Sr. (a whole family thing)
- Team Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Allan Houston
Brunson is an Eastern Conference starter for the second-straight year. This will be the sixth All-Star appearance for Towns, a Team World reserve and one of the best shooting big men in the league.
And Houston, he of the silky smooth stroke? The former Knick made the All-Star team twice in his 12-year career and won the Shooting Stars event in 2012, alongside Landry Fields (Knicks) and Cappie Pondexter (New York Liberty). These days, he serves as the Knicks’ Vice President of Player Leadership & Development.
The Shooting Stars event originally ran from 2004 to 2015 and often included a WNBA player per team before its hiatus. For some of us old guys, seeing Houston putting up shots again will be the highlight of the whole weekend.
The event occurs Saturday, during NBA All-Star Saturday Night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Coverage starts at 5 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Tipoff is around 5:30 p.m. ET, right after the State Farm 3-Point Contest wraps up.
Go Knicks!
