Moreover, no one else from the team participated in the skills competitions this year; Hansen had to go alone.
The good news was, Little Gasol finally made his comeback after being sidelined for two months.
In the two months without him, even though Hansen pushed his scoring average to over 30 points a game, ranking first in the League, the Grizzlies’ record had still slipped significantly compared to the start of the season.
Although they were still in second place, they were now four wins behind the Spurs. The Rockets were hot on their heels, just one win away.
Little Gasol’s return had an immediate impact; in a crucial game against the Rockets, he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, thoroughly outplaying Vucevic and helping the Grizzlies to clinch the victory.
The Grizzlies took advantage of this momentum to go on a 6-1 run before the All-Star break.
However, the Spurs were really on top of their game this season, and in the end, the Grizzlies couldn’t surpass them.
On the day of the All-Star Game, Hansen and Rondo took a flight together to New Orleans.
This was the second time in seven years that the All-Star Game was held in New Orleans; the previous time was to promote the city’s reconstruction after the hurricane, and this time it was because of the franchise formerly known as the Hornets, now renamed to the Pelicans, a condition of the team’s sale plan at the start of the season.
After arriving in New Orleans, Hansen started attending numerous events.
The Grizzlies weren’t doing great this season, but his dominant offense and defense performances had only increased his popularity.
Not just UA, but other brands he endorsed also seized the opportunity to ramp up their marketing efforts during the All-Star festivities.
By the time the first Media Day of the All-Star events arrived, Hansen joined the other All-Stars in the activities.
"Melo is the kind of teammate everyone wants to play with. We’re playing in a simpler and more relaxed way compared to last season; that’s been key to improving our record."
Westbrook, who preceded Hansen, spent the season doing nothing more than dissing James in addition to playing basketball.
When it was Hansen’s turn, reporters from other areas suddenly flocked around, making for an impressive scene.
Although Hansen had led his team to back-to-back championships and consecutive fmvp awards, because of his stats, the media hadn’t paid that much attention to him.
But this season, his stats exploded, and he seemed poised to challenge for the title of the League’s best player, greatly increasing media interest.
Once Hansen sat down, the questions from reporters were endless.
Of course, they mainly focused on two topics. The first was the pursuit of the three-peat, especially since the Grizzlies seemed to be in precarious shape this season.
On this issue, Hansen’s response was exactly the same as before.
The second question was about the comparison between Hansen and Jordan.
The word ’three-peat’ was heavily associated with Jordan, especially since Hansen’s defensive performance this season made him the perimeter player closest to Jordan in many years.
"Since Michael retired, there have been many dubbed ’the next Jordan.’ You now seem to be the closest one, will you catch up to him?"
Hansen’s response surprised the journalists; after all, he was known for being outspoken.
However, his next statement sent the room into turmoil.
"I’ll surpass him and become the greatest player in history."
All-Star starters, The West: Hansen, Kobe⊕, Anthony, Griffin, Love Content orıginally comes from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
Reserves: Curry, Harden, Paul, Westbrook, Parker, Nowitzki, Alderich
The East starters: Irving, Wade, Durant, James, Howard
Reserves: Wall, Paul George, Joe Johnson, Derozan, Millsap, Bosh, Noah
Note: Kobe was absent due to injury, and his All-Star spot was taken by Anthony Davis, with Popovich choosing Curry to start in Kobe’s place.