Many are calling Sunday night’s 69th NBA All-Star game the best in recent memory. Maybe it’s because of the game’s new format change or maybe it was because the spirit of Kobe Bryant was most certainly in that arena all night, but the game is being hailed as the most dramatic, entertaining and competitive the world has seen in quite some time.
A lot of beautiful things happened in the game that capped off an especially exhilarating 2020 All-Star weekend. Jennifer Hudson melted hearts and faces as she gave us all of that sultry voice while she sang “For All We Know” as part of a beautiful tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.
There were other great moments in last night’s game such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, of Team Giannis, serving LeBron James with a block that could have set his hairline straight (sorry, that was a cheap shot...pun intended) in a crucial 4th quarter moment when LeBron beat Giannis into the paint and drove in for a layup—but Antetokounmpo hit him with the go-go-Gadget arm and pinned the shot against the backboard. Initially, it was ruled goaltending but the call was overturned after replay review.
Then, of course, there was the beautiful and heart-string tugging moment when the first-ever NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP award was given to L.A. Clipper Kawhi Leonard after scoring a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Team LeBron.
“I want to thank Kobe for everything he’s done for me. All the long talks and workouts,” Leonard said after receiving his trophy. “Thank you. This one’s for him.”
This leads us to Chaka Khan who won the “Say Something Nice” award after singing a...well...interesting rendition of the national anthem.
Oh, Chaka...
Listen, I love Miss Yvette Marie Stevens with all my heart. You could call her the queen of Soul/R&B and I wouldn’t argue. She has a voice that could bring Black Jesus back to life. Unfortunately, that voice couldn’t make it to the game Sunday.
Bruh, it was like she decided to sing in every key ever invented, plus a couple she clearly made up on the spot, and then she set herself to “random.” Her black may not crack, but her voice did at least a half dozen times during her performance. It was like the ancestors knew she’d be singing the anthem while America is still racist as hell and they were like, “Nah, we not gon’ have this. J. Hudson coming up later so she’ll make up for what we must do. Sorry, my child but we finna smite today!”
Of course, Black Twitter had a field day, but at least her legend status was recognized by people before they roasted her.
I mean, it wasn’t quite Fergie singing the anthem in the 2018 All-Star game bad, but it was pretty cringeworthy. And people didn’t shy away from making the Fergie comparison.
Good times.
All in all, it was a great game that ended with L.A. Laker Anthony Davis securing the game for Team LeBron with a free throw heard around the world.
Team LeBron claimed victory over Team Giannis with a score of 157-155.