Kobe Bryant is Lakers new All-Time Scorer

LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant further added to his legend on Monday night when he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Bryant surpassed legendary Lakers star Jerry West, albeit in a losing effort to the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant finished the game with 44, but oddly wasn't the one taking the final shot for his team. Instead he kicked the ball out to Ron Artest for a missed three as time expired. Rudy Gay had 25 points including a 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds remaining. New All-Star, Zach Randolph, had 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead Memphis to the victory, 95-93 over Los Angeles.

Bryant set the new Lakers scoring record against the former Vancouver team now playing in Memphis. Ironically, Bryant's all-time scoring record in a game, 81 points, was set against another Canadian NBA franchise, the Toronto Raptors. Bryant's record-breaking basket was a light dunk late in the third quarter.

Kobe was gracious towards the former Lakers all-time scorer:

"It's a great honor to say the least," said Bryant, who broke the record of the man who later drafted him as the Lakers' general manager. "[West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He showed me a lot about the game, the jump shot and spin moves and all the others." - ESPN.com

Pau Gasol's younger brother, Marc had a kickout pass to Rudy Gay for the 3 that helped the Grizzlies under 30 seconds. The Grizz continue the hunt for a possible playoff spot this season, while the Lakers look to bounce back from the loss. And despite a Lakers loss, a few important points were made. Kobe's now got 25,193 for his career.

NBA All-Star Saturday Highlights

NBA All-Star Saturday night has become a fan favorite event with all the hoopla and special competitions they have. There's the Skills contest which tests a player's ability and agility around an obstacle course. There's the 3 point shootout where ballers test their accuracy from beyond the arc. And then there's an event where creativity reigns supreme, the Dunk contest.

Team Shooting competition

In the newest of the contests city-teams were made up of 1 retired NBA star, 1 current NBA star and a WNBA star from that city. The Spurs team of David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon beat out the Chicago Bulls squad featuring Chris Duhon, BJ Armstrong and

Skills Contest

As players tried to get through an obstacle course to the basket quickly, Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz edged out hometown hero Chris Paul to take this one.

Foot Locker 3 Point Shootout

In the 3 point shootout, Detroit Piston Rip Hamilton had his score subtracted from, added back to and subtracted from yet again. The reason being RIP stepped on the 3 point line a few times too many. Hamilton ended up with a score of 14 for the first round and was eliminated early.

Daniel "Boobie" Gibson had a record 11 three pointers in last night's Rookies vs. Sophomores Challenge. He continued his performance by getting a score of 17 in Round 1 of the shooutout.

Dirk Nowitski tied Gibson's mark with 17 despite missing a 3 badly. Reggie Miller remarked that Dirk must have been out on Bourbon St. late last night.

Defending champion Jason Kapono came through with a score of 20, even though he now plays for the Raptors and not the Heat. Kapono kept momentum into the finals and tied a record

NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Jamario Moon set the stage early with a top score, but Dwight Howard came with a toss off the back of the backboard, followed by a one handed jam. Impressive stuff. Rudy Gay proved to be more of a "game dunker

But it only got more amazing and creative. Gerald Green enlisted the services of teammate Rashard McCants for the "Birthday cake dunk". McCants placed a cupcake up on the rim and lit the candle. Green then ran, soared and blew out the candle before dunking the ball with both hands. An impressive dunk for creativity's sake.

Dwight Howard followed up his earlier dunk with a "Superman Dunk". Howard ripped off his Magic jersey to reveal the Superman logo on his shirt, then donned a red "S" cape. Howard soared from below the free throw line and basically just threw the ball through the basket. No dunk, but still major creativity by Howard.

Green faced Howard in the finals. Green's obne dunk really made no sense where he signed his sneakers then removed them for a dunk in his green socks. Daryl Dawkins, one of the contest judges, was not impressed as he just pushed the shoes off the table.

Howard was clearly in control of the contest and just needed a simple dunk to win. Instead of simple, Howard had a mini Orlando Magic basketball hoop suction-cupped to the backboard. The NBA basketball was placed on the mini hoop. On attempt #2, Howard grabbed the ball off the mini rim and tomahawked it with both hands through the real hoop. D-Howard is your 2008 Dunk contest winner, after fans made the text message vote official.

A fun NBA All-Star Saturday night should make way for another great All-Star game this Sunday!

NBA All Star Weekend is Here!

This weekend marks the 2008 NBA All-Star festivities from New Orleans, Louisiana! It will be a great time for the love of basketball and the city of New Orleans..Here's a look at what's on tap for the big game, other events, and of course predictions...


The 2008 All-Stars Themselves:

Eastern Conference

Jason Kidd--N.J. Nets
Dwayne Wade--Miami
Kevin Garnet--Boston
LeBron James--Cleveland
Dwight Howard--Orlando

Reserves:
Chauncey Billups--Detroit
Chris Bosh--Toronto
Caron Butler--Washington
Richard Hamilton--Detroit
Antawn Jamison--Washington
Joe Johnson--Atlanta
Paul Pierce--Boston

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Western Conference

Starters:
Kobe Bryant--L.A. Lakers
Allen Iverson--Denver
Carmelo Anthony--Denver
Tim Duncan--San Antonio
Yao Ming--Houston

Reserves:
Carlos Boozer--Utah
Steve Nash--Phoenix
Dirk Nowitzki--Dallas
Chris Paul--New Orleans
Brandon Roy--Portland
Amare Stoudamire--Phoenix
David West--New Orleans

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Event Schedule - TNT

T-Mobile Rookie Challenge 9PM Friday
D-League All Star Game 3PM Saturday
All Star Saturday night 8PM
(Dunk contest, skills, 3pt shootout)
NBA All-Star Game 8PM Sunday

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All-Star Weekend Predictions:

Dunk Contest: Rudy Gay
3Pt Shootout: Peja Stoyakovic
Skills Contest: Chris Paul
Rookie Game: Sophomores
All-Star Game: Western Conference 132-128, MVP: Chris Paul

If you've seen Rudy Gay's various NBA TV highlights then you know he's the real deal here. The 3 point shootout is always tough to pick, but Peja has been deadly almost always from that range and is the hometown hero. Another fan favorite will be Chris Paul in the Skills contest. It will be tough to dethrone guys like D-Wade and Kidd, but Paul may have the spirit of the hometwon crowd and city behind him.

Overall, this is a great time for the city which was hit so hard by Hurricane Katrina a few years back. Now hometown heroes, Chris Paul and David West can dazzle the fans along with the likes of Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade and many others. The West seems to have the power here, as KG is injured, Shaq isn't on the East and looking at the lineups you see how much frontcourt presence the West has. That's not to say this won't be a close and interesting game, as the East has great inside presence with Dwight Howard, and many sharp shooters. Should be a fun game, and these are usually about putting on a show, not playing solid D or any real game plan...Enjoy the events of 2008 NBA All-Star weekend!

To get pumped for the big game, check out this NBA All-star dance off featuring Shaq, D Howard and Lebron James!

Also see NBA.com, the official site for all info on the 2008 NBA All Star Game!

2008 Dunk Contest Entrants

The NBA announced that there will be four contestants in the 2008 NBA Dunk Contest:

Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Gerald Green, Boston Celtics
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Jamario Moon, Toronto Raptors

According to a recent Sportscenter, Dwight Howard is leading the NBA in terms of total dunks this season. Gerald Green of the Timberwolves is the reigning champion, as he won last year's contest in Vegas against Nate Robinson. This will be the first dunk contest for the Grizzlies' Gay and Raptors' Moon. Jamario Moon would have to be the unknown name to most NBA fans, unless you're in Canada. I'm picking Rudy Gay as the early favorite. A bit biased with the pick but he's had some vicious throwdowns since college and entering the league.

According to Ernie Johnson on TNT's NBA show, fans will be texting in votes to help determine this year's winner. Another first in NBA dunk contest history!

Check out 5 Classic NBA Dunks here.

2 NBA Stars Flying High

In addition to Portland's Trailblazer, Brandon Roy, there appears to be two other rising stars in the NBA this season. Both men are aerial assassin/high-flyer types who have the ability to score in bunches and win games. They are Atlanta's Josh Smith and Memphis' Rudy Gay.

Gay already hit a game-winner this season to help defeat the San Antonio Spurs. The play was amongst the top NBA plays of 2007. Rudy had the Spur's Tim Duncan in his mug, yet rained a three pointer to seal the deal. Grizzlies win and Rudy's a hero. He's also been amongst top 10 plays all season for his impressive throwdowns. Many questioned his abilities when he first entered the league, as he came from a University of Connecticut team that didn't meet expectations. However, Gay is proving he's well worth the money as he keeps improving. The Grizzlies will begin to succeed, in time.

Josh Smith hit the NBA straight out of high school. He's the typical sink or swim player. Either he's going to prosper like several other straight from high school stars have, or he'll fall to the bottom of the bench. So far Smith has been swimming, well above water, and well above the rim. He used to be most known for impressive dunks, but now they go hand in hand with his scoring prowess and outside shooting. The Hawks are surprisingly considered in talks for the Eastern conference playoffs too. Thanks can go to Josh Smith as part of its talented group of young stars.

It would be great to see both players in a dunk contest showdown. While this isn't a measure of success in the NBA, they both provide a lot of excitement. and will surely continue to make their teams better.

Top 10 Facial Dunks of 2007

NBA.com has presented its "Top 10 Facial Dunks of 2007". Here's a look at what made their list for the past year.

10 - Lamar Odom delivers a facial on Amare Stoudamire
9 - Kevin Durant's Tomahawk dunk on the Raptors
8 - Tyrus Thomas dunks it on Josh Smith
7 - Manu Ginobli takes it to the hole on Diop of the Mavs.
6 - Rudy Gay dunks on the Rockets' Scoda.
5 - Tim THomas with the vicious dunk on the Knicks.
4 - Elton Brand on Jerry Stackhouse
3 - Trevor Ariza dunks it on Emeka Okafor
2 - Lebron James jams it on Rasheed.
1 - Baron Davis takes it strong over Kirilenko

Check out the highlights of these at NBA.com.

Also today, NBA TV will be presenting highlights and games from the classic Lakers versus Celtics rivalry. Tonight the new look dominant Celtics face Kobe and his Lakers in Los Angeles at 10 PM EST.

UConn Ballers Make Statements

Several entries ago it was noted here that the University of Connecticut is the college/university with the most players in the NBA. And if you missed NBA action last night, players from the school definitely made their presence known.

- Ray Allen was prominent despite the Celtics' loss to the Pistons. Ray hit a huge 3 in the final 30 seconds or so of the game to tie things up. It was the other Allen, Tony (not from UConn) who cost the C's the game as Billups faked him to draw the foul with 0.2 seconds left. On the opposing side for the Pistons was Rip Hamilton who added 21 points. He and Ray matched up and defended one another during the game, with the commentators noting their alma mater. Read more about the game here.

- Rudy Gay hit a huge three over Tim Duncan with time expiring to win the game for the Memphis Grizzlies. Rudy's been having a huge season and this is further evidence of his talent and potential to become an All-Star. More about Rudy's heroics

- Ben Gordon was the key for the Bulls in their win over the Wizards. Gordon notched 22 points in the win, leading the charging Bulls as they try to move back towards respectability in the East. More about Gordon's efforts

- Caron Butler while on the losing side for the Washington Wizards recorded his second career triple double. His stat line: 29 pts 11 rebonds 10 assists

Of course there were some lesser performances and no shows. Emeka Okafor had just 6 points and 9 rebounds with his Bobcats team beating the Utah Jazz. Kevin Ollie of the Sixers and Donyell Marshall of the Cavs were both DNP's for Wednesday night. Besides that though the University of CT players seem to be representing in the NBA this season.