2012 NBA All-Star Game: Kevin Durant Takes Home MVP Honors

Kevin Durant scored 36 points and picked up seven rebounds to earn Most Valuable Player honors during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. Although he cooled off late, the Oklahoma City Thunder Star was unstoppable for much of the game, going 14-for-25 in 37 minutes on the floor. For his efforts, the Western Conference was awarded with a 152-149 win.

The trophy is, unsurprisingly, the first of Durant's career. Somewhat surprisingly, the 23-year-old isn't the youngest player to be named an All-Star MVP. LeBron James earned the distinction during the 2006 game at just 21 years old with a 29-point, six-rebound performance. He likely would have won his third MVP title if the Eastern Conference had won Sunday. James tied Durant with 36 points on a blistering 6-for-8 display from behind the 3-point line.

For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream. For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers.

2012 NBA All-Star Game: Andre Iguodala Scores 12 In Eastern Conference Loss

The Eastern Conference rallied late to pull within one point of the Western Conference in the final minute of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. Ultimately, a 19-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome, however. That, and 36 points on the night from Kevin Durant. Final Score: 151-149, Western Conference All-Stars.

Andre Iguodala made the most of his 14 minutes on the court, scoring 12 points and picking up four rebounds, two assists, a steal, a block, and a turnover. More importantly, he was able to add a little more excitement to the night with a one-handed flush in the first half.

Deron Williams went for 4-for-7 from long range on the night, but missed a late 3-point attempt that would have given the East the lead on their final shot of the game. The East rebounded the miss, but LeBron James turned the ball over to Blake Griffin on a misguided pass.

Despite the play, James was the best player on the East squad on Sunday night, scoring 36 and picking up seven rebounds and six assists. He also went 6-for-8 from 3-point land, including this pretty crossover and step-back shot:

Durant's 36 led the West, topping Kobe's 27 and Blake Griffin's 22-point efforts. For the effort, the Oklahoma City Thunder star was awarded MVP honors. Dwyane Wade recorded a triple-double on the night, with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All-Star Game: Andre Iguodala With Monster First-Half Dunk, And Other Highlights

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game is approaching record levels, with the Western Conference leading 122-112 at the end of the third quarter. Andre Iguodala hasn't made much of an impact on the stat sheet. Through 36 minutes he has 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in eight minutes of play. He did impact the game in a more meaningful way, however, providing one of several huge dunks of the first half.

Other highlights include Russell Westbrook:

And a very Chris Brown halftime show:

Kevin Durant is the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player honors so far, with 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting on the night, as well as six rebounds. Other notable performances include LeBrown James with 28 points and six assists, and Kobe Bryant with 24 points.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

Photo: Andre Iguodala's NBA All Star Game Nikes

2012 NBA All-Star Game: Andre Iguodala Lone 76er On East Team

The Philadelphia 76ers may be in first place in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division standings at the midway point of the NBA regular season, but only one player, forward Andre Iguodala, will represent the upstart Philly squad in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

Iguodala, who leads the Sixers in assists (5.3 per game), steals (1.9 per game), while averaging 12.4 point per game, will be playing in his first All-Star game and is one of the reserves playing behind East starters Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony on Sunday night (7:37 p.m. ET on TNT).

If you're not sure who was named to the All-Star game rosters, well, here's a complete list for your reading pleasure.

Here is the Eastern Conference roster (*denotes starter):

Dwyane Wade, Heat*
LeBron James, Heat*
Derrick Rose, Bulls*
Dwight Howard, Magic*
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks*
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Deron Williams, Nets
Roy Hibbert, Pacers
Chris Bosh, Heat
Luol Deng, Bulls

Here is the Western Conference roster (*denotes starter):

Kobe Bryant, Lakers*
Chris Paul, Clippers*
Blake Griffin, Clippers*
Kevin Durant, Thunder*
Andrew Bynum, Lakers*
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Steve Nash, Suns
LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Tony Parker, Spurs
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

NBA All-Star Game 2012 Time, TV Schedule And More

Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks had his playing time in the rookie-sophomore challenge Friday, everybody had their fun watching the 3-point shooting competition and slam dunk contents Saturday. But on Sunday, Philadelphia 76ers forward Andre Iguodala gets his shot to shine when the 2012 NBA All-Star Game is actually played.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., TNT will begin their coverage of the NBA All-Star Game, a full hour before tipoff at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL is set to take place, and if you'd like to catch all the action, well, you're in luck.

Here's the game's basic viewing information: tipoff time, TV schedule and location.

Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.

TV coverage start time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Channel: TNT

Tipoff time: 7:37 p.m. ET

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All Star Dunk Contest: Jeremy Evans Takes Dunk Title

It took an injury to Iman Shumpert to get him there, but Jeremy Evans made sure he wouldn't soon forget his first time participating in the NBA's dunk contest, defeating the rest of the four man field and taking home the 2012 crown.

Evans captured 29% of the 3,000,000-plus votes, and out dunked Paul George of the Pacers, Chase Budinger of the Rockets and Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Each participant was allowed three rounds of dunks (many of which can be seen below), with two minutes to complete each of his tries.

Evans stood out with his creativity, which included attaching a camera to a headband on his first dunk and dunking over comedian Kevin Hart in the final round, who was dressed as a mailman in a tribute to Karl Malone, the former Jazz great whose jersey Evans wore for the dunk. The highlight of his night, however, was a two ball dunk completed while jumping over teammate Gordon Hayward, which you can see right here:

Evans, a second year player out of Western Kentucky, is averaging just 1.7 points per game this season.

Here is a collection of most of the dunks from the evening:

Evans:

George:

Budinger:

Williams:

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All Star Three Point Contest: Kevin Love Takes Down Durant

In a battle of the Kevins, Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves upended Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a bonus round in the finals of the 2012 NBA three point shooting contest.

The two were three of the finalists to advance past the first round, and needed overtime after each posted a final round score of 16. Joining them in the finals was Miami's James Jones, who won the competition in 2011 and posted the top score in the opening round with 22 points.

Other participants included Anthony Morrow of the Nets, Mario Chalmers of the Heat, and Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic, who was a favorite in front of the home crowd.

Love is attempting nearly four and half three pointers per game this season and is shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All Star Skills Challenge: Tony Parker Upends Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams In Finals

Six exciting NBA point guards squared off in Saturday night's All Star Skills Challenge, maneuvering through an obstacle course while competing both against the clock and each other.

Tony Parker of the Spurs proved victorious, scoring a final round time of 32.8 seconds to out duel Deron Williams of the Nets and Rajon Rondo of the Celtics.

Williams set the opening round pace with a blistering time of 28.3 seconds, but was unable to regain his touch in the finals, finishing with a disappointing mark of 41.1 seconds.

Rondo was the eventual runner-up, and also had to break a first round tie with Washington's John Wall after the two posted identical times.

Parker was smooth in both rounds, hitting his jump shot on the first try on each occasion.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

NBA All Star Shooting Stars Competition: Team New York Victorious

The second night of the NBA's All-Star weekend kicked off with the Haier Shooting Stars competition, featuring four teams representing four different regions: Texas, New York, Orlando and Atlanta.

Each team was made up of three players: a current member of that city's NBA franchise, a former NBA player from that city's franchise, and a WNBA player that either plays in that city or is from that city.

The competition involved each team hitting six shots collectively, including one from half court.

Team New York and Team Texas advanced to the finals, with New York posting a first round best score of 38.7 seconds.

In the finals, Team New York, made up of current Knick Landry Fields, former Knick Allan Houston, and Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty, breezed to victory with a time of 37.3 seconds.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA Three Point Contest: Game Time, TV Schedule, Participants And More

The 2012 NBA Three-Point Contest has more star power than the usually marquee Slam Dunk Contest with two household names in Kevin Durant – who replaced Joe Johnson because of injury – and Kevin Love. Durant is the favorite, despite defending champ, James Jones, back to defend his title.

Start time: All-Star Saturday Night begins at 8:30 EST, but the three-point contest will probably begin around 9:45-10:00

TV Schedule: Coverage of All-Star Saturday Night begins at 8:00 EST on TNT

Participants: Anthony Morrow of the New Jersey Nets, James Jones of the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Love of the T'Wolves, Mario Chalmers of the Miami Heat and Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic.

Betting Odds: (via Sportsbook.com) Kevin Durant +225, Ryan Anderson +275, James Jones +350, Anthony Morrow +400, Mario Chalmers +400, Kevin Love +700

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: TV Schedule, Time, Participants

The 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest has always been the marquee event of NBA Saturday night, but this year's lack of star power and/or rumors of dunking over cars has resulted in less than normal publicity for the showcase. The casual NBA fan would be lucky to know two of the four contestants – recent lottery picks, Paul Geroge and Derrick Williams.

Start time: All-Star Saturday Night begins at 8:30 EST, but the Dunk Contest will probably begin around 10:15-10:30

TV Schedule: Coverage of All-Star Saturday Night begins at 8:00 EST on TNT

Participants: Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Derrick Williams of Minnesota T'Wolves, Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz and Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets.

Betting Odds: (via Sportsbook.com) Paul George +180, Chase Budinger +200, Jeremy Evans +275, Derrick Williams +375

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

Rising Stars 2012: Team Chuck Defeats Team Shaq, 146-133; Evan Turner Scored 16

Philadelphia 76ers second-year player Evan Turner helped Team Chuck defeat Team Shaq by a score of 146-133 in Friday night's BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Turner had a double-double, scoring 16 points and bringing down a game-high 11 rebounds. He also had seven assists on the game. However, his 16-point performance was slightly overshadowed by Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving's 34-point performance for Team Chuck, as Irving was a perfect eight-for-eight from three-point rangle.

CSNPhilly.com's Dei Lynam was able to catch up with Turner after the game where he said that it would have been cool to have the tripple double which he was just three assists short of.

"It would have been cool," Turner said. "It would have been a great thing, but we got the win. I don't know if you know results from past Rising Star games, but you get to enjoy yourself in the off-season is what you get. It was cool and I am glad I got to play."

This was the second highlight of Turner's day as he set a new world record before the game started by making the most shots from behind the backboard in a minute with 14. This was also just the second of many events spread throughout the NBA's All-Star Weekend. There is still a three-point shooting contest, a slam dunk contest and the actual all-star game to be played over the next two days.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

GIF: Evan Turner Benefits From A MarShon Brooks Fail

NBA All-Star Weekend 2012: Evan Turner Breaks Guinness World Record

Early Friday morning during practice for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, also known as the Rookie/Sophomore game, Philadelphia 76ers guard, Evan Turner, set a new Guinness World Record for 'most shots made from behind the backboard in a minute' with 14.

Below is a video of what appears to be the tail-end of Turner's record-setting shots, via NBA's Twitter.

And yes, according to the Sixers Director of Public Relations, Michael Preston, the record has indeed been verified. Below is a picture from Preston's Twitter of Evan holding his new ... world record?

The second overall pick in the 2010 draft was left out of the Rookie/Sophomore game all together last season and was not good enough to be selected, but rather assigned to Charles Barkley's team, after Chuck and Shaq – the GMs of the two teams – held a draft including all of the eligible first and second year players.

Clearly, this record proves Evan is the best player in the NBA.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 2012 Time, TV Schedule And More

The 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities begin Friday with the Celebrity All-Star game and the Rookie/Sophomore game. Every year former NBA players and stars from the entertainment industry participate in an exhibition in front of a fans in a smaller area at the site of the All-Star game. The last four MVPs of the game were Justin Bieber, Terrell Owens (twice) and Michael Rapaport.

When: Friday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Center Court at Jam Session, Orange County Convention Center
TV: ESPN

Here's a list of this year's rosters:

Ne-Yo (R&B/pop); Common (Just Wright); JB Smoove ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"); Vinny Guadagnino ("Jersey Shore"); Kevin Hart (Laugh At My Pain); Javier Colon ("The Voice"); Drew and Jonathan Scott ("Property Brothers"); Jesse Williams ("Grey's Anatomy"); NBA Legends Mitch Richmond (six-time NBA All-Star), Penny Hardaway (four-time NBA All-Star), and Nick Anderson (NBA legend); 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings (WNBA, Indiana Fever); and Doug Gottlieb (ESPN, "The Doug Gottlieb Show").

The two teams will be coached by Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant. Vinny Guadagino is my early favorite for MVP.

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Preview: Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner To Represent Sixers

There are two Philadelphia 76ers who will be representing the team at the upcoming 2012 NBA All-Star weekend.

Sixers foward Andre Iguodala will play for the East All-Stars in the NBA All-Star game as a reserve and guard Evan Turner was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge. Turner was drafted by Charles Barkley and will face the squad drafted by Shaquille O'Neal.

Here's the schedule of events for the NBA All-Star weekend:

Friday, Feb. 24

Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (7 p.m., TV: TNT)

BBVA Rising Stars Challenge (9 p.m., TV: TNT)

Saturday, Feb. 25

NBA D-League All-Star Game (2 p.m., TV: NBA TV)

NBA All-Star Saturday Night (8:30 p.m., TV: TNT)

- 2012 Haier Shooting Stars (1st Event)
- 2012 Taco Bell Skills Challenge (2nd Event)
- 2012 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest (3rd Event)
- 2012 Sprite Slam Dunk (4th Event)

Sunday, Feb. 26

NBA All-Star Game (7:37 tip-off, TV: TNT)

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 Rising Stars Challenge: Sixers' Evan Turner Selected By Team Barkley

Philadelphia 76ers sophomore forward Evan Turner was selected by general manager Charles Barkley, former Sixers legend, in 2012 Rising Stars Challenge draft Thursday night on NBA.TV. The exhibition game, which was formerly known as the Rookie Challenge, will take place on Feb. 24

The game will feature 18 of the top first- and second-year players rather than have the rookies face off against the sophomores like they have every other season, the league decided to mix the rosters, with Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal drafting the teams from the an available pool of players.

Here is the team Charles Barkley drafted:

John Wall
Kyrie Irving
DeMarcus Cousins
Paul George
Derrick Williams
Marshon Brooks
Gordon Hayward
Tiago Splitter
Kawhi Leonard
Evan Turner

Here is the team Shaquille O'Neal drafted:

Blake Griffin
Jeremy Lin
Ricky Rubio
Greg Monroe
Markieff Morris
Kemba Walker
Landry Fields
Norris Cole
Brandon Knight
Tristan Thompson

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 Rising Stars Challenge: Draft Takes Place Thursday Night

It hardly comes with the excitement of the NBA Draft, but Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Evan Turner learns Thursday night which team he will play for in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 24.

Formerly known as the Rookie Challenge, the game features 18 of the top first- and second-year players. Rather than have the rookies face off against the sophomores like they have every other season, the league decided to mix the rosters, with Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley choosing teams from the available player pool on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on NBA TV.

A list of the players selected to participate in the game follows:

Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight,Kemba Walker, Markieff Morris, MarShon Brooks, Kawhi Leonard, Evan Turner, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, Landry Fields, Tiago Splitter

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more on the NBA's All Star Weekend, visit our StoryStream.

2012 NBA All-Star Rosters: Andre Iguodala Named Eastern Conference Reserve

Philadelphia 76ers forward Andre Iguodala was named to the 2012 NBA All-Star game as a reserve player for the Eastern Conference today.

In his eighth season in the NBA, Iguodala will be making his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game. Iguodala has 13 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game this season. The 2012 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. (TV: TNT) the Amway Center in Orlando.

Here are Iguodala's All-Star teammates on the Eastern squad (*denotes starter):

Dwyane Wade, Heat*
LeBron James, Heat*
Derrick Rose, Bulls*
Dwight Howard, Magic*
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks*
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Deron Williams, Nets
Roy Hibbert, Pacers
Chris Bosh, Heat
Luol Deng, Bulls

Here's the Western All-Star roster (*denotes starter):

Kobe Bryant, Lakers*
Chris Paul, Clippers*
Blake Griffin, Clippers*
Kevin Durant, Thunder*
Andrew Bynum, Lakers*
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Steve Nash, Suns
LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Tony Parker, Spurs
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more coverage of NBA All-Star events, stay tuned to our storystream.

2012 NBA All-Star Rosters: Andre Iguodala Could Be Named Reserve On Thursday Night

The NBA is set to announce the reserves for the 2012 NBA All-Star game at 7 p.m. tonight on TNT. The 2012 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 26 at the Amway Center in Orlando.

Although Philadelphia guard Evan Turner was selected for the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge, there were no Sixers named as starters for the Eastern Conference for the All-Star game. Philadelphia forward Andre Iguodala could be named as one of the seven Eastern Conference reserve players tonight. So far this season, Iguodala has averaged 13 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game.

Here's the Eastern Conference starters:

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Here's the Western Conference starters:

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers
Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers

For more 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers. For more coverage of the All-Star roster release, stay tuned to our storystream.

NBA Rising Stars Challenge Roster Pool Announced: Evan Turner Among 18 Rookies, Sophomores Selected

Evan Turner has been chosen to participate in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge.