The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is well behind Hawks guard Trae Young and forward Zaccharie Risacher, and they made sure to get the rest they needed to finish the remainder of the season.
“I mean, it wasn’t my first time going,” Young said. “So I kind of knew how to take advantage of the weekend, a little bit more rest, during breaks and appearances and things like that. So, I was able to get some catnaps in there, and then after that, after Sunday, after the game, I was able to get out of there and get some rest and spend some family time those last two days. And I’m ready to go.”
“I went to spa hotel right after the All-Star game, in Georgia, a couple hours away from Atlanta,” Risacher said. “It was really peaceful, and yeah, in two days I was able to recover, and it was nice. Now I’m ready to get back to work.”
Though their attention has shifted to making the team’s push toward the postseason, Young and Risacher shared some of their takeaways and memories from the weekend.
“It’s always great when you get to go out there and play with some of the best players in our league,” Young said. “And I was a part of (Chuck’s Global Stars) team, so it was kind of weird. They were all in the locker room, sometimes they were talking their languages and some French, and so I’m used to it a little bit. ... But it was great. Like getting to meet everybody and see everybody again on the court, it’s always fun with those guys. So it was fun. And, that’s part of being an All-Star, is you get to experience cool things like that.”
“Yeah, actually, I talked to Victor (Wembanyama) the All-Star weekend,” Risacher said. “He was telling me that it was important to see other stuff as much as possible during the break, so getting away was a good way to do it
Risacher competed against Wembanyama on Saturday night, alongside Wizards center Alex Sarr in the Skills Challenge. The three French stars were among the players who could be seen courtside watching some of the other events that take place on the second night of All-Star action.
So, the Hawks rookie got a front-row seat to the craziness that unfolded during the dunk contest, when Magic guard Mac McClung became a three-time winner.
“It was crazy,” Risacher, who also played in Friday night’s Rising Stars showcase, said. “It was crazy. I feel like it was a great dunk contest. They did some crazy, crazy things, and I was courtside to be a witness of it. So it was really nice. And I feel like everybody in the gym, the arena, really enjoyed this, this part of the weekend, because it was amazing.”
Young played two games in Sunday’s new format of the All-Star game after advancing past the first semifinal. He finished with four points, two rebounds and seven assists in 11 minutes of play between two games, though his team ultimately lost to Team Shaq’s OGs in the championship game.
But like many nights during the NBA’s regular season, Young reminded the people watching why he not only leads the league in assists, but also why he is one of its most gifted passers.
In the championship game Sunday night, between Team Chuck and Team Shaq OGs, Young grabbed the ball after a dunk from Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. Young immediately bounced the ball off Irving’s back before passing between Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s legs. That led to a loose ball that Young quickly corralled before finding Wembanyama for a dunk with a behind-the-back lob.
“I really don’t understand what goes on until after the play, or really after the game,” Young said. “It’s really just all the reaction and a natural feel. I still remember it now. Like, I remember the ball going through, or I think Kyrie threw it off the glass to himself and got a dunk, and I knew the crowd was going to be excited, and I knew he was going to kind of jog back. So, I wanted to get the ball out quick. And I don’t usually take the ball out, but I’ve thrown it off people’s backs before, and I just wanted to get the ball in quick and kind of toss off his back.
“And if you look at it, I was really, I kind of lost it for a second, not lost it but just trying to find it. And as soon as I looked up, Steph (Curry) was trying to pick me up at half court. And I mean, that’s just a natural reaction, not just, I mean, their legs are open and they’re trying to stop me. I just throw it between their legs. And I just, yeah, I just chased the ball, and I kind of threw it far.
“So, if you look at I was running fast as hell to go get the ball, and I took a peek, and I saw a 7-5 guy by the rim, and so I just threw it up there behind my back. So that’s kind of how it happened.”
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