All-Star Face-Off

Basketball stars came together in Chicago, Illinois, on February 16. They were there for the NBA All-Star Game. The game has been played every year since 1951. Teams are made of the NBA’s top players. This year, Team LeBron played Team Giannis. The first team was captained by LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers. The other was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The game served as a tribute to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. He and his daughter Gianna were among those killed in a helicopter crash in January. “His presence was felt,” James said.

Players on Team Giannis wore the number 24, Bryant’s jersey number. Team LeBron players wore a 2. That was Gianna’s number. She wore it for her youth basketball team.

The game had new scoring rules. At the end of the third quarter, 24 points were added to the number of points scored by the leading team, to honor Bryant. This created a target score of 157. The first team to reach 157 would win. It made for an intense fourth quarter. Team LeBron won 157 to 155.

Stop and Think! How is the NBA All-Star Game different from a regular NBA game? In sports news, the result is usually reported at the start of the article. Why does this article end with it?