The men’s and women’s British Basketball League All-Star Game was back with a bang at London’s Copper Box Arena.
The inaugural women’s All-Star Game saw the South team beat the North 99-81 in a hotly contested game.
London Lions' Temi Fagbenle stole the show, winning the Most Valuable Player award after scoring 20 points, eight rebounds and one assist.
The GB Olympian said: “It’s great, it’s a fun game, I had much more fun than I anticipated and to be honest it was more competitive than I anticipated.
"That’s good for the game in general, for the growth of the game and it’s great to see the kids here and they made a lot of noise.
“It was fun, very quick, fitting everybody's styles of basketball together. Honestly I didn’t know what to expect but it was fun.”
The men’s All-Star Game was an epic contest, with incredible dunks, three-point shots and unbelievable plays, exciting the energetic crowd as the South won 149-116.
Ex-NBA star Sam Dekker and his teammates ensured it was a double triumph for the South with a shooting masterclass.
Every player on the court contributed to the thrilling showcase as the men’s All-Star Game returned for the first time in 13 years.
South captain Teddy “Buckets” Allen led by example with over 30 points, six rebounds and five assists as he demonstrated why he’s considered one of the BBL’s best and was named the MVP.
“It feels good to be MVP. It was a good time, everybody out there was having fun," he said.
"Everybody has their own personality and it was cool getting to know everyone and figure out the guys who you compete against all the time.
“The atmosphere was good. The fans came out and I feel like they made it fun for us.”
In true All-Star spirit, there was also the traditional three-point and slam dunk contest featuring some of the League’s top ballers.
London Lions’ Matt Morgan saw off competition from ex-WNBA star and Lions Women counterpart Megan Gustafson, trophy semi-final MVP Aaryn Rai and GB star Georgia Gayle to take the three-point crown.
And fellow London Lions star Josh Sharma took the slam dunk bragging rights as the best high flyer with an incredible dunk to fight off stiff competition in a high-class competition.
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