This year’s All-Star weekend is being held in San Francisco. The home of the Warriors and Stephen Curry. With the All-Star game returning to the Bay Area after 2000, you’d expect Steph to be participating in the three-point competition. He revolutionized the game with his shooting. Nothing was out of range for him. The NBA could have used this opportunity to give the fans a rematch between Sabrina Ionescu and Curry.

Plenty of fans grabbed tickets to Chase Center or planned to tune in, not just for the usual All-Star festivities, but hoping to relive the magic of last year’s NBA vs. WNBA shootout. Let’s be real—the actual game hasn’t had as much hype in years as that moment did. Indy’s All-Star Saturday last year gave fans something special—a never-before-seen three-point showdown between Curry and Ionescu. The back-and-forth battle kept everyone on edge, but in the end, Curry walked away with the win.

So why is the NBA not giving the fans what they want? Surprising right. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the decision not to bring back the highly anticipated rematch between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, admitting that the magic from last year’s showdown simply wasn’t there.

“Last year was so magical that competition. That it started to feel forced,” Silver said before Saturday night’s All-Star festivities at Chase Center. “And I think there was concern from all of us that we just weren’t feeling it.” By we, Silver means Steph here, he had talked to the 2x MVP about the rematch.

Despite publicly expressing hope that the event would happen again, Silver admitted that attempts to recreate the moment didn’t feel right.

“I don’t know how to say it, other than we just weren’t collectively feeling it,” he explained. “It was such a unique moment last year… they both shot the lights out in that moment. It just seemed like coming back here, as exciting as it might have been, this just wasn’t the right time to do it.”

Silver’s decision left us disappointed. But his next announcement was something which would impress you. Shifting the focus from the highly anticipated shootout, Silver introduced a new initiative aimed at making a lasting impact beyond the game. He announced the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award—a new annual honor recognizing individuals or organizations advancing health, education, or economic opportunities in Africa. Named after Mutombo, the NBA’s first global ambassador, this award celebrates impactful work that creates lasting change on the continent.

Dikembe Mutombo left a lasting impact on basketball, especially in Africa. The NBA’s first global ambassador, he championed the sport’s growth on his home continent. After his passing in September at 58, Silver also announced a tribute—55 new courts across Africa, starting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Speaking of players having a lasting impact on basketball, lets see what Steph had to say about the All-Star weekend.

Stephen Curry explains what the All-Star weekend means to him

Whenever All-Star Weekend comes up, Stephen Curry can’t help but reflect on his 16 years with the Warriors. With the event back in the Bay Area for the first time since 2000, it’s a moment to celebrate. But don’t think for a second that Curry is letting nostalgia slow him down.

Speaking after practice at Oakland Arena, the 11-time All-Star made it clear: “This is a cool celebration… but you can’t let it take your foot off the gas.” With multiple championships, MVPs, and records to his name, Curry’s legacy is cemented. But he’s not done yet.

Balancing appreciation with ambition is tricky, and Curry joked that he didn’t want All-Star Weekend to feel like the Coming to America 2 scene where people celebrate you while you’re still alive. “You do want to celebrate it to some extent,” he admitted.

Saturday’s festivities took him back to Oakland Arena, where teams led by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith entertained the crowd. Fans erupted as Curry hit his classic tunnel shot, dancing to Lean Back.

It’s all fun, but for Curry, the real goal remains the same—winning another championship.