Numbers Game (All-Star edition!)

Let's focus one of our weekly features exclusively on what's happening in Salt Lake City

I have a fresh batch of Power Rankings assembled by The Committee (of One) percolating for Tuesday, meaning that there will be no Numbers Game section in that extra-long post.

So …

I decided to assemble a quickie numerical preview of Sunday night’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City … with a couple nods to All-Star Saturday baked in.

Here’s hoping that the 72nd edition of the ASG proves as unexpectedly entertaining as The Mac McClung Show in Saturday night’s dunk contest.

🏀 19

The Lakers’ LeBron James is poised to appear in his record-setting 19th All-Star Game.

🏀 22

A single-season-record 22 teams have at least one All-Star in Sunday’s game.

🏀 28

Denver’s Nikola Jokić, in the midst of his bid for a third successive regular-season MVP award, celebrates his 28th birthday Sunday. He’ll be the first player in league history to start an All-Star Game on his birthday.

🏀 1993

In the last All-Star Game played in Utah, TNT’s Kenny Smith — then representing Houston — became the first player to compete in both the slam-dunk and 3-point contests in the same year.

🏀 73

Hat-tip to my Substacking colleague Tom Ziller for this one: Indiana’s Buddy Hield, who ranks eighth in 3-point percentage this season at 42.6%, was the highest-ranking shooter from deep (statistically speaking) entered in Saturday’s 3-point contest. The other seven contestants ranked from No. 22 Lauri Markkanen (41.2%) to No. 120 Julius Randle (33.8%) … with eventual winner Damian Lillard (37.2%) at No. 73.

🏀 6

Six of the 10 starters in Sunday’s game are foreign-born: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Slovenia), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Kyrie Irving (Australia), Jokić (Serbia) and Markkanen (Finland).

🏀 6

Six players will be making their All-Star debuts: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. and Markkanen.

🏀 450

Those six newcomers, according to research from my pal Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, take the league's all-time total to 450 All-Stars.

🏀 4,788

I checked with another pal (Basketball Reference’s Mike Lynch) to confirm that 4,788 players have been recorded as appearing in at least one NBA game across the league's 77 seasons … provided we include Luca Vildoza. That's the same Vildoza who appeared in seven games for Milwaukee in the 2022 playoffs despite not appearing in a regular-season game.

🏀 9.4

The simple math: Only 9.4% of NBA players have ever reached All-Star status.