The home team Utah Jazz won the 2023 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge on Saturday in Salt Lake City. This is only the third time Utah players have won the competition after it was introduced in 2003. The other two instances came in 2008 and 2014 when Deron Williams and Trey Burke, respectively, won it. The Utah group of Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton beat Team Rookies and Team Antetokounmpo to win the competition which involved three rounds: one each of relay, passing and shooting. Giannis Antetokounpmo, who injured his wrist before the All-Star weekend, didn’t play and Jrue Holiday took his place alongside other two Antetokounmpo brothers, Bucks’ Thanasis and G League’s Alex.
After winning the challenge, Utah’s Clarkson spoke during the on-court ceremony and said they did it for Utah. “Doing it for Utah, man . “We appreciate everybody showing up. You already know. This is putting on for the city and representing. Love,” Clarkson said. Collin Sexton also shared his thoughts on the win and said, “It feels good, especially to do it in front of the home team,” Sexton said. “We got amazing energy from the crowd; we appreciate you all,” he added.
In the competition, relay round had an obstacle course with moving LED screen lit up with neon lights. The passing round required players to move from spot to spot while throwing feeds into moving targets. And, in the shooting round, required players to make rebound for one another and pass to a team player spotting up around the court for 1,2,3,4 and 5-point shots.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play the game, he still was the official coach for Team Antetokounmpo. The third team of the competition, The Rookies, had Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, Houston Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. and Detroit Piston’s Jaden Ivey.
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