It’s that time of year again and the NBA All Star Weekend is fast approaching. This year, we will see many familiar faces as well as some new ones. The dunk contest will premiere the young Greek native Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. The 6’11 small forward is known for his high vertical leap. With a 7’4 wingspan he can easily dunk, while barely jumping. We will also see the Indiana alum Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic. Oladipo is known throughout the league for his defense and crazy athletic ability. Oladipo has an astonishing 44 inch vertical jump.

The main event, the 2015 NBA All Star Game, will take place in the famous Madison Square Garden. The Eastern Conference All-Stars starting lineup will consist of: John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls, and Carmelo Anthony of the hometown New York Knicks. The Western Conference All-Stars will be lead by: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant won’t be able to play in the all star game or the rest of the season after having surgery to repair his right torn rotator cuff. Steve Kerr, coach of the West All Stars is deciding whether to start Klay Thompson who plays for his team, or James Harden of the Houston Rockets. Stephen Curry was the overall vote leader edging LeBron James, last year’s vote leader. On February 15th, we will see Villanova alum, Kyle Lowry, make his first all star appearance and possibly many more in his promising future. This year will be the first all star game in NBA history where two brothers will start, Pau and Marc Gasol, the big men from Spain. Furthermore, Kobe Bryant will earn his 17th all star appearance ranking him 2nd in most all star appearances in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar.