Chapter 413: Sentiment.
Not long after the Christmas Day showdown, the voting for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game officially began.
Back in the day, the Charlotte All-Star Weekend was canceled due to LGBTQ-related issues. This year, the league finally made good on its promise and brought the event back to Charlotte.
On the Kings’ side, aside from Han Sen, both Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were included on the nominee list.
The Kings’ official accounts campaigned for all three.
Well—more accurately, they campaigned for Mitchell and Tatum. Han Sen? If he didn’t get the most votes in the league, it would be like him going a whole season without dropping 40. Bundling all three together was just a marketing tactic.
It was around this time that Han noticed Mitchell seemed a little distracted.
"What’s up? Worried you won’t make the All-Star team?" Han had always respected Mitchell, and took the opportunity to check in.
But to his surprise, Mitchell shook his head. "Nah, I know I’m not there yet. I’ve been thinking about whether I should do the dunk contest again."
Mitchell had last participated in the Dunk Contest the year prior—at the Cleveland All-Star Weekend.
Han had been one of the judges that year, and the eventual champion was Aaron Gordon.
Mitchell had done well in the prelims, scoring a 48 on his first dunk. But unfortunately, he ran into Gordon and Derrick Jones Jr., and didn’t make it to the finals.