Team Giannis Defeats Team LeBron In The NBA All-Star Game, With Celtics Jayson Tatum Creating A New Game Record

LeBron James' pristine 5-0 record as an NBA All-Star Game captain came to an end on Sunday night after his team was defeated 184-175 by Team Giannis in Salt Lake City, Utah. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks joked after earning the championship trophy, "Winner, winner chicken meal." The 72nd All-Star Game capped off a weekend-long exhibition of the league's best players, which was staged in Utah for the first time in 30 years.

Both teams competed to raise roughly a million dollars for their respective charities: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah for Team LeBron and Raise the Future for Team Giannis.

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics finished the game with a game-high 55 points, setting a new All-Star Game record. Tatum was voted the game's MVP.

"That means everything," Tatum replied when asked what it meant to break the record.

"You think of all the legends and great players that will participate in this game, and in all honesty, records are intended to be broken," Tatum said after the game on TNT. "Well, I'll hold it for as long as I can, but I'm sure someone will try to break it in a couple of years."

During halftime, the league honoured James, who earlier this month broke the NBA scoring record. He was joined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, who are second and third on the NBA all-time scoring list, respectively.

According to the TNT broadcast, James was ruled out of the game after suffering a hand injury after presumably slamming his hand on the rim in the first half. He finished with 13 points and four assists on the night.

"I'm going to be alright." "I don't think there's anything to be concerned about, but I had to take the rest of the night off for precautionary reasons," James said after the game.

On Friday, rappers 21 Savage and Cordae, actor Simu Liu, tennis star Frances Tiafoe, NFL athlete DK Metcalf, and singers Nicky Jam, Janelle Monáe, and Ozuna competed in an All-Star Celebrity Game.

Ryan Smith, Utah Jazz governor and honorary captain, and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade coached the celebrity players.

On Friday, four teams played in the "Rising Stars" showcases, which featured the league's best rookie and sophomore players.

On Saturday, there was a skills challenge, a three-point contest, and a dunk contest.

Mac McClung was crowned NBA Slam Dunk champion after scoring a perfect 50 on three of his four dunks, capping off a week that saw him sign a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.