The 2020 NBA All-Star Game was a battle between Team LeBron James and Team Giannis Antetokounmpo. LeBron’s starting lineup was himself, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, and James Harden, while Giannis’ was himself, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Kemba Walker and Trae Young. Before the basketball got underway, though, Chaka Khan and Tenille Arts took center court to sing the United States National Anthem and Canadian National Anthem, respectively.
The event also kicked off with a touching tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 — just three weeks before the game. There was an eight-second moment of silence, and Jennifer Hudson was chosen to perform the powerful tribute. She brought the crowd and viewers to tears with her performance of “For All We Know.” Despite all the emotion, Jennifer kept her composure and sang a stunning rendition of the song.
The first quarter was won by team LeBron, while the second went to team Giannis. Then, before more gameplay got underway, Chance the Rapper, Quavo, Lil Wayne and DJ Khaled performed an epic Halftime Show to be remembered! During the Halftime Show, Chance also paid tribute to Kobe while singing “I Was A Rock.”
The third quarter was a TIE. After that, the scores from the first three quarters were added up, and a target score for the fourth quarter was established. The target score was determined by adding 24 points to the combined score of the leading team from the first three quarters. The number came to 157, with team Giannis ahead of team LeBron by nine points. After several intense minutes of play, team LeBron reached the target score first, and were named the winners of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. Team LeBron won 157-155, as Anthony Davis scored a free throw to get them the target score.
It was a night full of talent on the basketball court, as well as amazing entertainment from some of the biggest stars in the industry. Of course, Kobe’s presence was felt throughout the evening. Click through the gallery above to check out highlights from the evening.