OAKLAND — NBA All-Star Weekend is about giving the people what they want (unless they want LaMelo Ball).
In the Bay Area, they want more Stephen Curry doing Stephen Curry things. He obliged at the NBA All-Star 2025 practice Saturday at his former stomping grounds, Oracle Arena in Oakland
Here are some other highlights and notes from Saturday afternoon in Oakland.
• Kyrie Irving spoke about dealing with the drama in Dallas around the Luka Doncic trade and the fan backlash that followed.
“I mean, it’s part of our business. I wouldn’t necessarily call it noise. You know, this is what drives the engine of our business,” Irving said. “And you know, it’s the other side of our responsibility as artists or as athletes is being engaging. Sometimes when you’re dealing with things in the public eye, it’s not always going to be received the right way, or positively, by everybody, which is perfectly healthy and normal. But for me, it’s just maintaining my focus on the main task at hand, my missions, my goals.”
Kyrie has been around long enough to get it — fans care way more about the transaction game than they do the actual games. That’s reality, but it hits differently with players, who sometimes feel like pawns.
• LeBron James did not attend All-Star practice, which he did last year in Indiana as well. A year ago he flew in on Sunday, did pregame media obligations, played in the game, and got out of town — expect the same in the Bay Area.
• Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. talked about being an All-Star and playing with/against people he grew up idolizing.
• You want more Curry? Give the people what they want. Here, he talks about how Monta Ellis inspired his pregame warmup routine.
• The Clippers’ Norman Powell — in his 10th season at age 31 — currently sits as the second favorite to win the Most Improved Player award (trailing only Cade Cunningham, using the odds at BetMGM). He spoke about how this is as much or more about opportunity than him just improving his game.
“I think the most improved comes from just like the stats output, but I think opportunity has really allowed me to showcase my full game,” Powell said, saying this part of his game isn’t new. “And obviously the role is a lot bigger than last year and previous years, and I’ve been able to step into it, but I don’t know. I think I’ll probably be the oldest player to win most improved in the NBA since the award. So it’ll be interesting.”
