Shaq Mourns 27-Year-Old's Tragic Death

👋 {{readername | Hey NBA Fans}}

The past 24 hours have brought a wave of headlines across the NBA. From Chris Paul announcing his retirement to the All-Star Weekend officially tipping off in Los Angeles, the spotlight has been firmly on the league. But while the basketball world celebrates, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal faced something far more personal.

Let’s tip things off…

O’Neal mourns the 27-year-old’s sudden demise.

As promised yesterday, the Essentially Dunk All-Star Pick’Em Challenge is here: your chance to put those NBA instincts to the test. Go head-to-head with fellow readers, call your shots, and prove who really knows their All-Star hoops.

Pick the winners of every different category. Scoring is simple:

Tiebreaker: If scores are tied, it all comes down to your prediction for the final score of the USA Stripes vs Team World game. The entry closest to the combined total points scored wins the edge.

Check out full team details here.

The winner will get a gift card from the Essentially Dunk team.

It's free and absolutely fun! Go make your picks...

Please note that the form will be closed before the All-Star game tips off at 5 PM ET on Sunday.

The spotlight now shifts to Saturday night, with the action tipping off at 8 PM ET. Here’s what’s on deck:

3-Point Contest: Predictions, Breakdown and Details

Shooting Stars Contest will be next.

Team All-Star - Scottie Barnes, Rip Hamilton, Chet Holmgren

Team Cameron - Kon Knueppel, Corey Maggette, Jalen Johnson

Team Harper - Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Sr., Ron Harper Jr.

Team Knicks - Jalen Brunson, Allan Houston, Karl-Anthony Towns

And then the big one.

Dunk Contest: Predictions, Breakdown and Details

Last Poll’s Result: 34% of you believe Allen Iverson is the greatest point guard without a championship. The remaining votes were split equally among Chris Paul, Steve Nash and John Stockton.