Shaq's OGs win the 1st NBA All-Star mini-tournament, topping Chuck's Global Stars 41-25 in the final

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The winning total last year: 211 points.

The winning total this year: 41 points.

An All-Star Game like none other — since it was three games, not one — still had plenty of flash and not a lot of fire. And in the end, Boston's Jayson Tatum had the dunk that decided a crown.

Shaq's OGs won the first All-Star mini-tournament in NBA history on Sunday night, getting 15 points from Tatum and 12 from Stephen Curry — three of them on a half-court shot, the sort of highlight the All-Star Game is known for — to beat Chuck's Global Stars 41-25 in the final.

Curry was the MVP on his home floor at Chase Center, where he and the Golden State Warriors play. He said the weekend was “a celebration of a lot of great things.”

“It’s obviously our responsibility to come out and put on a show,” Curry said, flanked by his fellow OGs. “And I thank them for helping me do that.”

The title game was basically over early, and the halftime show — an 18-minute tribute to TNT — lasted longer than the game did. The Global Stars started the title game 0 for 10 from the field, 0 for 6 from 3-point range and fell into a quick 11-0 hole.

In a regular NBA game, that's no big deal. In a first-to-40 game against some of the best players on the planet, that's a problem.

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama led the Global Stars with 11 points in the final. He was visibly frustrated when Tatum scored the title-clinching basket.

Wembanyama came into his All-Star debut saying he would play hard, like a real game. And he did.

“To me, that is the only way to play basketball,” Wembanyama said.

It was the debut of the All-Star mini-tournament format: four teams, three games, with only 40 points needed to end each contest.

The league opted for the untimed, short games with hopes that asking All-Stars to play fewer minutes would lead to better competition. Last year’s game in Indianapolis had a 211-186 final score, setting a slew of records but prompting the league to take action after years of urging players to take the exhibition a bit more seriously.

And no, there wasn't exactly a playoff-type intensity. Or at least, not much of it.

“I think they’re just looking for a more competitive game and trying to find ways to create that," said Milwaukee's Damian Lillard, who helped Shaq's OGs to the title. “I thought tonight was a little bit more competitive than it had been in past years.”

There were some less-than-serious efforts the likes of which have been seen in past years — underhand lobs from half-court, for example, and a whole lot of interjection from on-court emcee Kevin Hart — but there was at least some defense played. Phoenix's Kevin Durant argued for a foul late in his team's first semifinal win, and probably merited a call that would have sent him to the line for what could have been a game-winning free throw.

The first two-shot foul of the night came early in the title game. Denver's Nikola Jokic of the Global Stars missed both shots.

“I just wanted tonight to be fun,” Curry said. “I think it was fun.”

It was fun for the winners, for certain: Dallas' Kyrie Irving of the OGs carried the All-Star trophy into the Global Stars' locker room after the game.

“Y'all good?” Irving playfully asked the runners-up. They booed him.

The OGs were without LeBron James, who was ruled out earlier Sunday because of ongoing left foot and ankle discomfort. James was not replaced on the roster, meaning the OGs had seven players available.

Anthony Edwards didn’t play for Kenny’s Young Stars because of a groin issue.

The three teams of 24 NBA All-Stars were drafted by TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The fourth team — Candace’s Rising Stars, which earned its way into the All-Star tournament by winning the Rising Stars event Friday night — was named for another TNT analyst, Candace Parker.

The OGs got into the final with a win over Candace’s Rising Stars, while the Global Stars beat Kenny’s Young Stars in the first semifinal.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City scored 12 points, including the clinching basket, and Chuck's Global Stars advanced to the title game by beating Kenny's Young Stars.

Wembanyama and New York's Karl-Anthony Towns each had six points for the Global Stars. Cleveland teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, along with Miami's Tyler Herro, each had six points for the Young Stars. Edwards was a last-second scratch with a groin issue.

“My groin’s been messed up for a little minute,” said Edwards, who had been listed as a starter for the first semifinal. He added that with the short warmup before Game 1, he didn’t think there was time to test it out and see if he could go.

“You always want to play,” Edwards said. “But when they put two minutes on the clock for warmup, I didn’t get no time to warm up my groin and it was all bad.”

Lillard scored nine points, including the 3-pointer to push his team past the target score, and the OGs survived.

The Rising Stars — a team of first- and second-year players — weren’t an easy out against a roster with a combined 86 All-Star appearances and $2.7 billion in on-court earnings. There were nine lead changes and five ties.

Curry scored eight points for the OGs, while the Los Angeles Lakers' Dalton Knecht and Phoenix's Ryan Dunn each had eight for the Rising Stars.

Next season's All-Star weekend — Feb. 13-15, 2026 — will be headquartered at Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers' new home in Inglewood, California.

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Members of Shaq's OGs celebrates after winning the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Members of Shaq's OGs hold the winners' trophy after the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after scoring during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum celebrates during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scores past San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry talks to Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, right, gestures next to Los Angeles Clipper guard James Harden during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum reacts after scoring during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry makes a 3-point basket during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht shoots during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard shoots over Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is introduced during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Milwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo talks to Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is introduced during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is introduced during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is introduced during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry warms up before the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama dunks over Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. defends during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, celebrates with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.”

The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who's next?

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”

Trump, in his administration's National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary — a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. — as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president's foundational document as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”

Saturday's dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has "no right to annex" the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON."

“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Amb. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark's chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump's influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

Meanwhile, concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press,” said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of “internal intelligence” in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.”

Trump said that “a lot” of Cuban guards tasked with protecting Maduro were killed in the operation. The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. military operation.

Trump also said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

“It's going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It's going down for the count.”

Cuban authorities called a rally in support of Venezuela’s government and railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: “All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.”

Rubio, a former Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants, has long maintained Cuba is a dictatorship repressing its people.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live — and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States," Rubio said.

Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Bárbara Rodríguez were following developments in Venezuela. She said she worried about what she described as an “aggression against a sovereign state.”

“It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs,” Rodríguez said.

AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.

In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)