NBA All-Star weekend

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant hoist the Most Valuable Player trophy overhead after leading the Western Conference All-Stars to a 146-119 victory on Sunday.  (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

West guard Kobe Bryant of the Lakers hangs in the air to get a shot over East forward Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers during the NBA All-Star game on Sunday.  (Matt York / Associated Press)

West center Shaquille O’Neal of the Phoenix Suns dunks in the second half for two of his 17 points in the NBA All-Star game Sunday.   (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

East forward LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers winds up for a dunk in the second half Sunday.  (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

East forward Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics goes for a left-handed reverse layup against West forward David West of the New Orleans Hornets in the first half Sunday.   (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

West power forward Pau Gasol of the Lakers gets past East forward Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic for an easy two points in the first half Sunday.   (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

East guard Dwyane Wade splits the defense of West power forward Tim Duncan of the Spurs and guard Kobe Bryant of the Lakers for a layup in the first half Sunday.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

West guard Kobe Bryant of the Lakers puts away a dunk during the first half Sunday.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

East forward LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers begins a fast break during the first half Sunday.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

East forward Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics tries to protect his shot from the block attempt by West forward Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half Sunday.  (Roy Dabner / EPA)

East center Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic attempts a reverse layup against West center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets during the first half Sunday.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

West point guard Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets works his way around East guard Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half Sunday.   (Matt York / Associated Press)

Suns center and 14-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal dances with the group Jabbawockeez before the introduction of the game’s starters on Sunday.   (Paul Buck / EPA)

Actress Eva Longoria-Parker chats with her husband, All-Star guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, before the start of the All-Star game Sunday.   (Matt York / Associated Press)

Rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce Knowles sit courtside for the NBA All-Star game Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.   (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

East All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics present Hall of Famer Bill Russell with a birthday cake before the start of the game Sunday.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

West guard Kobe Bryant of the Lakers greets actor Zac Levi before the start of the All-Star game on Sunday.   (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson finishes off a double-pumping reverse dunk in the Slam Dunk contest finals on Saturday. Robinson would defeat defending champion Dwight Howard to earn his second All-Star dunk title.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard towers over New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson as they wait to hear the results after the final round of the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson shows the crowd his high-flying shoes after competing in the final round of the NBA Slam Dunk contest on Saturday.   (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Knicks guard Nate Robinson leaps over Magic center Dwight Howard to put away an attempt during the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard emerges from a phone booth wearing a Superman cape in preparation for the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Defending Slam Dunk contest champion Dwight Howard works the crowd as he prepares for a dunk Saturday.  (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson uses teammate Wilson Chandler’s back as a launching pad for an attempt in the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday.   (Matt York / Associated Press)

Magic center Dwight Howard takes aim at the rim after tossing the ball off the side of the backboard and catching it in mid-air. The defending champion would make it to the final round before losing to Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith rises high during an attempt in the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday. He would be eliminated in the first round.   (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez, who was voted into the competition by fans, puts away an attempt during the Slam Dunk competition on Saturday.   (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook watches his previous shot head into the basket as he prepares for his next attempt during the Three-Point Shootout on Saturday.   (Nick Oza / Associated Press)

Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook lines up a shot Saturday during the Three-Point Shootout, which he won by cruising past Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis in the final round. Cook’s victory ended Jason Kapono’s two-year run as champion.   (Matt York / Associated Press)

Chicago Bulls rookie guard Derrick Rose ends his run in the Skills Challenge with a dunk on Saturday. Rose edged New Jersey guard Devin Harris in the final round, navigating the obstacle course in 35.3 seconds, 4.4 seconds faster than Harris.   (Roy Dabner / EPA)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker shares a laugh with director Spike Lee during the Skills Challenge on Saturday. Parker was eliminated in the first round.   (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Oklahoma City guard Kevin Durant, going for a between-the-legs transfer before a dunk, competes during the H-O-R-S-E game, which was held outdoors Saturday. He rallied to defeat Memphis guard O.J. Mayo, who had earlier eliminated Atlanta guard Joe Johnson.   (Nick Oza / Associated Press)

Former Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer launches a half-court shot during the Shooting Stars event on Saturday. Team Detroit, which included Arron Afflalo and Katie Smith, won the competition.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

Katie Smith, Bill Laimbeer and Arron Afflalo pose with their trophy after winning the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Team Detroit finished second last year.  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James talks to director Spike Lee during the NBA All-Star weekend activities at US Airways Center in Phoenix on Saturday.  (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Suns center Shaquille O’Neal clowns around while shooting free throws Saturday during the Western Conference All-Stars practice.   (Roy Dabner / EPA)

Eastern Conference All-Stars Kevin Garnett, pointing, and Chris Bosh get ready to shoot around during practice Saturday.   (Paul Buck / EPA)

Centers Pau Gasol of the Lakers and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies chat Saturday before the West All-Star team began practice. Pau is a reserve for the West while his brother played for the rookie team in the NBA Rookie Challenge on Friday.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

Western Conference All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal, left, and Tim Duncan have a laugh during practice Saturday.   (Paul Buck / EPA)

Shaquille O’Neal with his son Shareef during NBA All-Star weekend in 2009.   (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

NBA Commissioner David Stern gives his state-of-the-game address to members of the media on Saturday in Phoenix.  (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

Thunder guard Kevin Durant scores two of his game-record 46 points for the sophomore team on Friday in the NBA Rookie Challenge. Durant led the sophomores to a 122-116 victory.   (Larry W. Smith / EPA)

Oklahoma City rookie guard Russell Westbrook works his way inside Atlanta forward Al Horford of the sophomore team for a layup during the NBA Rookie Challenge on Friday.   (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)