SneakerReporter 2023 NBA All-Star Festivities Predictions

by Angel Ortiz | Feb 17, 2023 | Featured, NBA

Rising Stars Challenge:

This Year’s Rising Stars challenge will be a little different from previous teams where there will be 3 games played. Team Pau will go up against Team Deron, and Team Joakim will go up against Team Jason. The target score this year is 25 points. Whoever is the winner of those games will go up against each other in game 3 with a target score of 40.

Predictions: (Angel Ortiz Jr) Team Deron wins the tournament and Team Pau is the runner-up.

Predictions: (Travis Singleton) Team Joakim will win the tournament and Team Pau will be the runner-up. I feel like Mobley & Giddey have the IQ to get the job done to lead them.

Team Pau Gasol will feature: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Benedict Mathurin (Pacers), Jaden Ivey (Pistons), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jose Alvarado (Pelicans), Keegan Murray (Kings), Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)

Team Deron Williams: Franz Wagner (Magic), Jalen Green (Rockets) (injured) , Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Trey Murphy III (Pelicans), AJ Griffin (Hawks), Bones Hyland (Clippers), Walker Kessler (Jazz), Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)

Team Joakim Noah: Evan Mobley (Cavaliers), Josh Giddey (Thunder), Jalen Williams (Thunder), Jeremy Sochan (Spurs), Quentin Grimes (Knicks), Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets), Jalen Duren (Pistons) injured, Tari Eason (Rockets)

Team Jason Terry: Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite, Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite, Mojave King, G League Ignite, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle, Mac McClung, Delaware Blue Coats, Leonard Miller, G League Ignite, Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers

NBA Dunk Contest

The 2023 Dunk contest will feature: Kenyon Martin Jr., Houston Rockets,  Mac McClung, Philadelphia 76ers,  Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans,  Jericho Sims, New York Knicks

This will be the final event on Saturday Night and the most highly anticipated.

Prediction: (Angel Ortiz Jr) I believe Mac McClung could potentially win the dunk contest this year but Kenyon Martian Jr could cause some problems and take it this year. Whoever is the winner I hope this event puts on a show as previous dunk contests have not lived up to the expectations.

Prediction: (Travis Singleton) This is a no-brainer for me with the dunk contest winner. I’m rolling with Kenyon Martin Jr. I’ve seen his hops in person and he can jump out of the gym. I’m going with the over that he dunks on his dad in the dunk contest too. The dunk contest hasn’t been very good as of late and I’m hoping he can put on a show to bring it back so I can hear Kenny Smith saying “Superman is in the building”

NBA 3- Point Contest

The 3 Point Contest this year will feature these athletes: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers,  Tyler Herro, Miami Heat, Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers,  Kevin Huerter, Sacramento Kings,  Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers,  Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz,  Julius Randle, New York Knicks,  Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Prediction: (Angel Ortiz Jr) The 3-point contest is always a fun treat to watch as there are sometimes some upsets. I believe this year’s 3-point champion will be Damian Lillard and the runner up Jayson Tatum. Lillard has been known for his deep-range shots and there is no Klay Thompson or Stephen Curry this year to take home the trophy.

Prediction: (Travis Singleton) The NBA 3 Point Contest should be headlining the All-Star Saturday Night in my opinion as good as it’s been in recent years. Now with that said I’m going with Buddy Hield for his 2nd 3 Point Contest Championship with Damian Lillard as the runner-up. Buddy has the experience and he’s already shown that he can put on a show with the lights on.

NBA Skills Challenge

The 2023 NBA Skills challenge will include three separate teams. This challenge includes passing, shooting, and a Team Relay. After they complete those skills challenges the winner will be determined by having the most points from completing those challenges.

Team Antetokounmpo:  Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks , Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks , Alex Antetokounmpo, Wisconsin Herd

Team Jazz:  Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz , Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz,  Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz

Team Rookies:  Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic,  Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons , Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets

Prediction: (Angel Ortiz Jr) I believe Antetokounmpo will take this challenge as two Antetokounmpo brothers are in the NBA and have the experience to win this challenge.

Prediction: (Travis Singleton) I’m going with Team Jazz because they all have chemistry and play together on a daily basis so they have the advantage to me.

NBA All-Star Game

This year’s NBA All-Star Game will be different from previous years as a draft will take place before tipoff and Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are captains for the Eastern and Western Conference.

Team Captains LeBron & Giannis: Stephen Curry (will miss the game due to injury, Ja Morant will take Curry’s spot in starting lineup),  Luka Dončić , Nikola Jokić , Zion Williamson (will miss the game due to injury, Lauri Markkanen will take Williamson’s spot in starting lineup), Ja Morant , Lauri Markkanen,  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,  Damian Lillard,  Jaren Jackson Jr. , Domantas Sabonis,  Paul George,  Anthony Edwards (injury replacement for Curry),  De’Aaron Fox (injury replacement for Williamson), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Captain), Kevin Durant (will miss the game due to injury, Joel Embiid will take Durant’s spot in starting lineup),  Kyrie Irving,  Donovan Mitchell,  Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown,  Bam Adebayo,  Julius Randle,  DeMar DeRozan,  Jrue Holiday,  Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam (injury replacement for Durant

Prediction: (Angel Ortiz Jr) Despite us not knowing who will have who, Giannis is determined to beat LeBron, and we could potentially see another classic All-Star Game on our hands.

Prediction: (Travis Singleton) I’m just hoping for an EPIC game and it will be cool to see what players are joined together on the same team this year. I’m going Team LeBron because he’s been a great player selector with the 1st pick.

Feb 17, 2023 No Comments

New Nike Kobe 4 Protro Honors Gigi Bryant

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by Angel Ortiz | Feb 15, 2023 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

A New Nike Kobe 4 Protro has recently surfaced honoring Gigi Bryant. A Nike Kobe product hasn’t been released since the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita” and it seems like this year we will be getting quite a few Kobe sneakers.

This Kobe 4 honoring Gigi comes dressed in White, Black, Metallic Gold, and Bright Emerald. The heel comes with a black and white plaid pattern, it also has Gigi’s name embroidered, and Gigi’s number two in gold on the TPU heel counter which is the number she wore with mamba academy. The Nike swoosh is also embroidered instead of a traditional Nike swoosh.

No official release date has yet to be released but it is likely they are going to be released on Gigi Bryant’s birthday which is on May, 1st. A retail price of $180 is expected and it is also unknown at the time of writing if these will be available for grade school sizing as well.

Photos Via: KicksDong Via instagram

Feb 15, 2023 No Comments

New Nike Ja Morant “12AM” Colorway Revealed

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by Angel Ortiz | Feb 15, 2023 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

The Highly Anticipated Nike Ja Morant 1 surfaced in a new Colorway called “12 AM” this pair is one of the more subtle colorways we’ve seen revealed.

The Upper comes dressed in black as well as the midsole, the outsole is translucent with the phrase “It’s 12AM Somewhere” written on the outsole, and the most eye catching feature is the Swarovski stones appear on the entire Nike Swoosh that does wrap around onto the medial side. It also comes with a 12AM” lace-locks and a silver JA Morant logo hang tag.

No official release date has yet to be announced but Nike did reveal these images so it is expected to release. For now enjoy a detailed look at the Nike Ja Morant 1 “12 AM” down below.

Feb 15, 2023 No Comments

Detailed Look at the Nike GT Cut 2 “Kay Yow”

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by Angel Ortiz | Feb 14, 2023 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

The Nike GT Cut 2 is one of Nikes more notable basketball models as it’s been very popular among college athletes, NBA Athletes, and WNBA athletes. This time around we are seeing a “Kay Yow” Colorway of the Nike GT Cut 2.

This Colorway consists of a primarily Punk upper with white hints along the upper as well, a black Nike swoosh on the lateral side and a white Nike swoosh on the medial side, it also has a white midsole with Pink splattering, and a white outsole. It also comes with a Hang Tag on the laces saying “When Life Kicks You, Let It Kick You Forward.” The Nike GT Cut 2 cushioning is made up of Nike React foam, Air Zoom Strobel, and extra Nike Air Zoom.

No official announcement has been made if these will be released anytime soon or if these will be exclusively for Collegiate athletes. For now take a look at the “Kay Yow” Nike Gt Cut 2 down below.

Feb 14, 2023 No Comments

The New Look Minnesota Timberwolves Lose To The Memphis Grizzlies (128-107)

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by Travis Singleton | Feb 11, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The day started off with the breaking news that Anthony Edwards was going to be in the NBA All-Star Game. Edwards was selected as an injury replacement and got the news at the shootaround today. This was also the first game after the trade and the Minnesota Timberwolves were excited to have Conley Jr and Alexander-Walker available for tonight. The new-look Timberwolves were ready for all the smoke as they were ready to go toe to toe with their playoff rivals from last postseason.

The Timberwolves started this game off really well as Mike Conley Jr was able to make an instant impact. The ball was flowing and he was able to get the ball in the spots that Gobert/Edwards wanted to attack from the start. You can still see that the relationship is new as they had some minor mistakes but as time goes along these small hiccups can be straightened out with ease. The Timberwolves got a true leader in Mike Conley Jr and he showed a lot of those traits tonight out there. Anthony Edwards finished the game with 17 points and couldn’t really get his offense going as he shot 8/19 from the field. Edwards was attacking but didn’t get the calls and it didn’t help that the game was played in Memphis. Sometimes stars can get a call when they’re at home so once Edwards jumper was off it threw the whole game off for him. One thing that we didn’t see tonight was the defensive Ant that can use his defense to create easy offense but he will most definitely bounce back.

Anthony Edwards is an All-Star now and that comes with a lot of responsibility and accountability when it comes to your team. The starters struggled in this game but it was good to see Jaylen Nowell get into a shooting groove as he was able to add 21 points off the bench to be the games leading scorer for the Timberwolves. Nowell has shown glimpses of what he can do when he gets hot so hopefully this will continue leading into other games for the Timberwolves. You have to give the Timberwolves a lot of credit they went out there with a new point guard and tried to make the best of it against a well-oiled machine in Memphis. That Memphis squad knows each other inside out and plays together as a unit with experience together.

It was too much Ja Morant for the Timberwolves tonight as he was able to do anything and everything he wanted. This season the Timberwolves have held Morant in check somewhat but tonight it just got out of hand. Ja finished with 32 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds and was able to get in there for 3 steals as well. It was a game where he was able to control the pace and tempo of the game on his own. When Ja Morant gets to play comfortably and gets a lot of space to operate it’s tough for any defense. Minnesota wasn’t putting multiple bodies on Morant and it gave him a chance to set the offense up or catch the Timberwolves while they weren’t set. Memphis shot 58% from the field and when you’re that hot it’s going to be a long night for any defense.

The Timberwolves are going to throw this game out as the Grizzlies beat them in every category tonight (REBS, FT, AST, STL, BLK, BENCH PTS, POINTS IN PAINT, ETC). This is one of the reasons why it’s good to get 82 games so if you have one like this you can forget and move on. The Timberwolves will be looking to bounce back on Monday as they take on the new look Dallas Mavericks with Luka & Kyrie.

Photo Credit: (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Feb 11, 2023 No Comments

Curry 2 Low Flotro “All-Star” Coming Soon

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by Angel Ortiz | Feb 10, 2023 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Despite Stephen Curry missing the All-Star game this year due to injury, Under Armour is releasing a Curry 2 Low Flotro “All-Star” before All-Star Weekend.

The Curry 2 Low Originally released in 2016 it was once the pinnacle of meme culture as the Curry 2 Low “Chef” was referred to as a dad shoe. Fast forward to 2023 Under Armour has updated its technology and has put the “flow” technology through the midsole and outsole area. This colorway features blue, black, gold, white and red. The heel has a graphic design pattern, the heel counter and midsole area comes dressed in gold with white stars representing “All-Star” weekend.

This pair was made available on shoe palace for $150 USD on February 10th, but as of now there is no official release date and is not available to purchase on the Under Armour website. Stay updated for a release date, for now take a look at some detailed pictures down below.

Photo Via: NBAALLINLIVE via Instagram