Dončić appeared in the annual all-star match on Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' team against the Milwaukee Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo's team, but what people talked about most didn't happen during the game. Instead, they're talking about the half-court showdown that Dončić had with the Philadelphia 76ers' Franklin the Dog.
Franklin took to the half-court line and drained an impressive blind, behind-the-back shot that hit nothing but net before Sunday night's All-Star game at the Vivint Arena. Dončić stepped up to the mid-court line and attempted his own shot, which he matched with a total net drainer.
ESPN shared a video of the super short game of H-O-R-S-E (more like "H" or " " since they both made the shot) on TikTok, where it's racked up more than 3 million views.
The shot itself was probably the most talked-about event thanks to a lackluster All-Star Game that looked more like four quarters of warm-ups than a showdown of the NBA's greatest board runners. Team Giannis came out on top 184-175, with the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum taking home this year's MVP trophy after scoring a record 27 points in the third quarter alone that helped his team to the win.@espn Luka doing Luka things 👏 (via @sixersfranklin) #luka #lukadoncic #halfcourtshot #behindtheback #sixers ♬ THIS AINT WHAT YOU WANT - mcvertt
The game turned out to be the least-watched All-Star game in league history even though it was broadcast on two networks, TNT and TBS. This year, the NBA tried to spice things up with some pre-game high jinks to help build word of mouth with moments like the half-court shot showdown and the annual Slam Dunk Contest. The league even let LeBron and Giannis pick their teams on the court playground-style right before the game for the first time in the game's history. LeBron drafted Dončić as his second starter pick but the Mavs' superstar tallied only four points for the entire game, according to NBA stats.
Well, the grand experiment failed. Sports Media Watch reported that only 4.59 million viewers tuned into the game, earning a combined 2.2 rating. The ratings for the NBA's All-Star games have seen a deep dip over the last few years from its 3.1 rating in 2021 and 2022.
You know someone screwed up when the TikTok viewer numbers are close to the ratings of the game broadcast. Maybe next time, they should just skip the game and do an All-Star H-O-R-S-E game with the players and the mascots.
