United Center, CHICAGO -
It's postgame. I'm in the press conference room, and Zion Williamson casually walks in with a bright smile on his face, as if he didn't just make the backboard cry after bending the rim in the most exciting Rising Stars game.
How do you think the Chicago crowd reacted to that play? Exactly.
That was obviously one of the crowds favorite moments of the game, but I had to ask Zion what his favorite moment of the game was. Beyond his nasty slams, his favorite moment was nostalgic.
As soon as I asked him that question, he smirked and told me, "I think you guys are going to like this one."
We all leaned forward a little during his pause.
"When Ja [Morant] threw me the lob from half court," Zion said. "I reminisced on that. Back in ninth grade, it was crazy honestly. 'Cause after I called it and we got a timeout, or we got subbed out, I was thinking about our Hornets days, and I keep thinking never in a million years have I ever thought we would've been in the situation we're in. So it was that moment."
Morant, another rising star and top candidate to win Rookie of the Year this season, played with Zion on an AAU team called the Hornets in South Carolina. Watching the dynamic duo's chemistry on the court in Chicago was electrifying to the fans.
Once Zion left, Team USA Captain, Trae Young, walked into the room in a fresh, gray suit and white-collared top. Trae had a precious moment with Team World's Captain Luka Doncic, after Doncic drained a half-court shot before the half-time buzzer.
After he sat down and gathered himself, I immediately asked him what his favorite moment of the night was, and he smiled as soon as he heard my question.
"I had a lot of favorite moments," Trae said. "Probably that was, that moment with Luka. I was the one who told him to shoot that half-courter. I think he was about to pass, and I was like, 'You better shoot this half-court shot. And he did, and it went in."
That's when they looked at each other and hugged in the middle of the game. The energy inside the United Center spiked to another level.
"It was just a crazy moment," said Trae. "So that was fun. But there were so many highlights from guys like Miles [Bridges]. If it was a real game, I would've gotten a tech for how far I ran out on the court to dab up Miles. But it was a lot of fun moments."
Chicago did Rising Stars right. This year is in the books as one of the most action-filled in the exhibition game's history.
Before the game, I kept asking different players what they wanted to get out of this weekend in Chicago, and they got exactly what they hoped for:
To have fun with each other as the league's future generation of stars.
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