George in 3-point shootout, Green in dunk contest at All-Star Weekend
From the Indiana Pacers:
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers forward/guard Paul George was named Thursday as a participant in the 2013 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Pacers guard/forward Gerald Green was named as a participant in the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest as part of NBA All-Star Weekend 2013.
George is excited to be in the 3-point shootout.
I think it will be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it, he said. Unlike the dunk contest, this is all on you. No judges, just make shots.
George will also participate in his first All-Star Game, having been voted a reserve on the East team by the Eastern Conference Coaches. He becomes only the third player in Pacers history to participate in the Three-Point Shootout, joining Danny Granger and five-time Three-Point Shootout contestant Reggie Miller.
Rounding out the field are Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Hornets, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Steve Novak of the New York Knicks.
For the first time, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature a new format that pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in a night of competition that will raise money for charity. As part of the new format, points earned by each conference throughout the four All-Star Skills Competitions will determine the conference that earns the title of 2013 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night Champion.
Three players representing the Western Conference and three players representing the Eastern Conference will compete in the two-round competition. The highest scoring East and highest scoring West competitors from the Team Round will advance to the Championship Round.
Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star 2013 commemorative money ball worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. The competitor with the lower individual score from the Team Round will go first in the Championship Round.
The 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk will feature six dunkers competing in a two-round competition as part of State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. The new format will pit the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in an exciting night of competition that will also raise money for charity.
It’s an honor to represent the Pacers and Indiana and it’s also great to be trying to win it not only again, but this time in my hometown of Houston, said Green. I think it’s exciting for the Pacers that this is another way to recognize our team and the year we’re having.
Green, the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest winner, becomes the seventh Pacers player to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. Previous Pacers contestants include: Terrence Stansbury, Kenny Williams, Antonio Davis, Jonathan Bender, Paul George and 2004 Slam Dunk Contest Winner Fred Jones.
Along with Green, the Eastern Conference lineup will include the Toronto Raptors’ Terrence Ross and New York Knicks’ James White. The Western Conference will be represented by the 2012 Sprite Slam Dunk champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz along with the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe and Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried.
The 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk contest will consist of the three Eastern Conference players competing against the three from the Western Conference in a two-round competition. The highest scoring East competitor and the highest scoring West competitor will compete head-to-head to determine the champion. Fan voting will open at the beginning of the Championship Round and the player with the highest percentage of combined votes from all platforms will be champion.
