INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — For the first time since 2015, the NBA's Shooting Stars event is returning to All-Star weekend.
The league made that announcement Saturday, revealing the lineups for two of the three events that'll take place at next weekend's All-Star Saturday Night at the Los Angeles Clippers' home in Inglewood, California.
Shooting Stars — an event with three players per team — is taking the place of the skills competition, which is being tabled for at least this year.
Allan Houston — a past Shooting Stars champion — will return to the event this year for Team Knicks, with current New York players Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns joining him on that team. Also in the shooting event: Team Harper (Ron Harper Sr. and his sons, San Antonio's Dylan Harper and Boston's Ron Harper Jr.), Team All-Star (Richard Hamilton, Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren) and Team Cameron (a nod to Duke, with Corey Maggette, Charlotte's Kon Knueppel and Atlanta's Jalen Johnson on that squad).
The last three Shooting Stars events were all won by the same trio — Chris Bosh, Swin Cash and Dominique Wilkins.
The Shooting Stars event has a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round. Teams have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order.
There will be a new dunk champion this year, with three-time winner Mac McClung not in this year’s field. McClung said going into last year’s dunk event that he expected it to be his last.
This year’s dunk participants: Miami's Keshad Johnson, San Antonio's Carter Bryant, Orlando's Jase Richardson and the Los Angeles Lakers' Jaxson Hayes.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) handles the ball between Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (23) and guard Cam Spencer (24) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
NÜRBURG, Germany (AP) — Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen's chances of victory in his 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track have been ended by an apparent mechanical issue with his car.
Verstappen had been leading Sunday morning by over half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with experienced sportscar racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.
Juncadella had just taken over from Verstappen when he had to slow down with an issue affecting the rear-right of the car and lost the lead before pulling into the pit lane. The car had not returned from the garage after an hour.
Coming a week before F1 returns at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Nürburgring race was a “bucket list” project for Verstappen. He's a keen racing fan and has questioned his future in F1 this year because he's unhappy with the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power.
Verstappen made an immediate impact in his first stint Saturday evening with a fast, aggressive style typical of his driving in F1, going from 10th to the lead with a series of overtakes. At one point, he lost grip over a bump and ran wide onto the grass, narrowly missing the barrier and he was later in a close battle for the lead overnight.
Verstappen was familiar with the Nürburgring after taking part in a series of shorter races in recent months to add to his years of virtual experience from realistic online simulator races.
It was still a challenge unlike anything in F1.
With 161 cars spread out along a 15.8-mile circuit, Verstappen had to weave past much slower cars and deal with constantly changing weather conditions on a hilly track where it can be raining hard at one point and dry at another.
It was also his first real test of night-time endurance racing without the huge floodlights that F1 uses to light up the track.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Max Verstappen stands in his pit before the start of a pit stop and observes the work during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
The pit crew works on Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Daniel Juncadella, right, helps his teammate Max Verstappen to get into the car during a pit stop the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
Max Verstappen, driving the Red Bull Mercedes AMG GT3, flashes his his headlights as he demands a clear path from a slower vehicle during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
The pit crew works on the leading Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car, right, as it completes a pit stop at the same time as the second-placed Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL with Germany's Maro Engel, Germany's Luca Stolz, Germany's Fabian Schiller and Germany's Maxime Martin, during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)
