Rome Flynn, Tacko Fall shine as Team Giannis tops Team Anthony in All-Star Celebrity Game
INGLEWOOD, CA — The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game came to life Friday night (ET), with tall plays, theatrical coaching, and a late surge that gave Team Giannis a 65-58 victory over Team Anthony. Rome Flynn was named MVP for the second straight year, but it was Tacko Fall’s interior work and a vintage Jeremy Lin moment that proved decisive.
Flynn’s back-to-back MVP run and the big-man impact
Rome Flynn paced Team Giannis with 17 points and secured back-to-back Celebrity Game MVP honors. After the win he credited his teammates broadly and spotlighted Tacko Fall’s presence inside: "This was a team effort right here. Tacko (Fall), he's unstoppable, that off-the-glass just looked too good. Shout out to my teammates. " Flynn teased about the possibility of defending his crown next year in Phoenix.
Fall’s contributions were as much about effort and size as they were about highlight plays. Several possessions saw him convert off-the-glass buckets and alter shots in the paint, forcing the opposing team to adjust. When the teams flipped the scoring rules into "double time, " the value of interior conversions and free throws rose dramatically — and Fall’s rim-focused play became an even larger factor.
Double time, Linsanity and late-game swing
The contest featured a gimmick that proved game-changing: activation of a period when all field goals counted for double. Team Anthony used the rule to knot the score at 55, but Team Giannis seized control after flipping it on for themselves. Flynn’s free throw nudged the lead, and then Jeremy Lin produced a signature moment that swung momentum decisively.
In a callback to his peak-career theatrics, Lin buried a 4-pointer during double time that registered as an 8-point play, giving Team Giannis a 65-55 advantage and pushing the game out of reach. The final margin read 65-58 as Team Anthony mounted a late push but could not overcome the double-time deficit.
The atmosphere mixed playful antics with competitive edge: Anthony Anderson and Donald Faison briefly scooped up Flynn’s MVP trophy in good fun, and coaches worked the sidelines intensely. One coach, exhausted but pleased, quipped about the physical toll of managing rotations and substitutions in such a star-studded, stop-and-start setting: "This is exhausting, this is how coach Doc (Rivers) feels? I just enjoy winning. But it's definitely hard... Not everybody is going to play. But I think everyone did a good job just playing hard and playing to win. "
Celebrity flair, pro athletes and crowd moments
The game mixed actors, musicians and current professional athletes. Familiar faces who normally watch from the stands got a run on the hardwood: Keegan-Michael Key, Simu Liu and rapper GloRilla joined the entertainment contingent, while local stars and athletes such as Mustard and media personalities also checked in. NFL wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Keenan Allen were among the athletes who laced up alongside the celebrity coaches and guest sideline mentors. The Antetokounmpo brothers and a prominent baseball shortstop were spotted guiding their squads from the bench, adding competitive tempo and encouragement.
Ultimately, the Celebrity Game delivered a blend of theater and genuine athletic moments. Flynn’s repeat as MVP underscored his knack for the event, Jeremy Lin’s late heroics supplied the signature highlight, and Tacko Fall’s paint dominance created a matchup problem that Team Anthony struggled to counter. The result set a lively tone for the All-Star weekend as the main game approaches in the coming days.
