The new generation led by Edwards calls for a revitalized All-Star team

Is the All-Star back? The NBA once again enjoyed one of its most iconic events on Sunday, ending with a victory for the young squad led by Anthony Edwards over the veterans of LeBron James and the international team headed by Victor Wembanyama.

Edwards, leader of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) after the Stars team crushed LeBron's Bars squad by 47-21 in the finals. The World team, the first team made up of international players in an All Star event, lost both games of this mini-tournament at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood (south of Los Angeles).

The international squad paid for the absences of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo, in addition to a short-lived participation by Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

An intense and competitive All-Star event

The big news, however, may be the resurrection of a competitive All-Star event after nearly a decade of experimenting with different and convoluted formats that led to a collapse in audiences. The proposal to pit Americans against foreigners, and youngsters against veterans, awakened the stars' motivation to compete against each other.

The short 12-minute games also sparked exciting finishes, with the top three being defined by winning three-pointers. "Thank you for competing hard tonight, we appreciate it," NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged them on the Los Angeles Clippers court.

Edwards himself, collecting his first MVP award of the event, credited Frenchman Wembanyama with lighting the fuse at the start of the game. "Wemby set the tone, started off playing hard and we knew we had to follow his lead and give it our all, and that's what we did," Edwards, who scored 13, 11 and eight points in the three mini-games played, told AFP.

"It's been a lot more enjoyable than last year," Wembanyama expressed from his side. "I thought the basketball that was on display was pretty good." Edwards and Wembanyama fought their personal battle in the first game, which ended in a 37-35 overtime win for the Stars over the World team.

An undermanned Wemby couldn't get the Worlds on his back

The Frenchman, who warned that the format would make him play with more "pride," scored his team's first seven points. The 2.24-meter-tall San Antonio Spurs unicorn left the crowd open-mouthed with several actions such as an intimidating block on a counter-attacking layup by Cade Cunningham.

Slovenian Luka Doncic was only on the court for the first 5 minutes, in which he scored 2 points, to prevent problems with his muscle injury. A three-pointer by Scottie Barnes gave the win to the young locals in overtime in the face of Wembanyama's visible discomfort.

The youngsters kept up their dizzying pace against Team Barnes' veterans. LeBron James, in his 22nd straight All Star appearance, scored 8 points with a long-range three-pointer and played the assist that setup De'Aaron Fox for the buzzer-beating shot that sealed the veterans’ 42-40 win.

Kawhi Leonard explodes: 31 points in 12 minutes

The World team needed a win in the final game to advance to the finals, but the American legends were determined to teach them a lesson. Kawhi Leonard, the local idol, was in charge of vindicating American basketball with a 31-point explosion in just 12 minutes. In a flawless display, Leonard converted 6 three-pointers, including the game-winner in the veterans’ 48-45 victory.

Leonard's display had billionaire Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers and architect of the futuristic Intuit Dome, opening in 2024 with a $2 billion budget, vibrating in his seat.

All the equality of the previous games vanished in the final. The energy of the youngsters found no opposition from the group of Leonard and LeBron. After the first six minutes, the All-Star team already dominated 26-9, with the veterans showing no energy in reserve for a comeback.