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The world’s best basketball players are in the Los Angeles area this weekend for NBA All-Star weekend. It is first time the annual midseason festival is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the recently-opened home of the Clippers. Festivities started Friday and included the celebrity all-star game, during which one team of celebrities was coached by NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other was coached by actor Anthony Anderson. Team Giannis got the win 65-58, led by an MVP performance from “How to Get Away with Murder” star Rome Flynn. The dunk contest, three-point contest and skills challenge were showcased on Saturday. This year’s dunk contest participants included Carter Bryant of the Spurs, Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers, Keshad Johnson of the Heat and Jase Richardson of the Magic. The three-point contest featured eight players, including five All-Stars. The Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, who isn’t playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, managed to win the three-point contest.

Fans cheer are illuminated by Intuit Dome lights as they cheer during all-star festivities Saturday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

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1. The Spurs’ Carter Bryant moves the ball between his legs in midair before dunking during the all-star dunk contest on Saturday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 2. Dodgers star Mookie Betts is welcomed to the court during the celebrity all-star game by the Clippers cheerleaders at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 3. Celebrity Keegan-Michael Key laughs with teammates during the all-star celebrity game at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Team Vince Carter celebrates as Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe wins the Rising Stars game most valuable player honors Friday at the Intuit Dome.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

Smoke fills and lights are deployed during the NBA All-Star events Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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1. Magic guard Jase Richardson completes a reverse dunk during NBA All-Star dunk contest Saturday at the Intuit Dome. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 2. Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) rises up for a lay up while being guarded by Wizards guard Kyshawn George (18) during the final of the NBA rising stars game at Intuit Dome on Friday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 3. Lakers forward Jaxson Hayes throws up peace signs as he introduced before the NBA all-star dunk contest Saturday at the Intuit Dome. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

The Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard competes in the NBA All-Star three point contest on Saturday at the Intuit Dome.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Actor Rome Flynn holds up a trophy and smiles after winning NBA All-Star celebrity game MVP honors at the Kia Forum Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA.

That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off at Intuit Dome.

Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff — or, at least, play-in — contention after a dismal 6-21 start.

“He means a lot to our team and we’ve seen it the last three years,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday night when stories began breaking indicating such a move was close. “Who wouldn’t want to have James Harden?”

Cleveland will become Harden’s sixth team. He played for Oklahoma City, then Houston, then Brooklyn, then Philadelphia and, since 2023, the Clippers.

For the Cavaliers, it seems to be a move for right now — pairing the 36-year-old Harden with another star guard in Donovan Mitchell. For the Clippers, it seems to be a move with an eye on the future — the 26-year-old Garland is a two-time All-Star, averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists this season for Cleveland.

Harden opted out of the final year of his contract last summer with the Clippers to sign a new deal that would have been worth $81.5 million for this season and the 2026-27 campaign. Next year is at his option, which basically meant he was on a one-year contract.

He got that deal after averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists while returning to the All-NBA team for the first time since 2019-20.

Southern California will be well represented on the West team for the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 31 in Glendale, Ariz.

Selected to the boys team are Jason Crowe Jr. from Inglewood, Christian Collins from St. John Bosco, Brandon McCoy and Maximo Adams from Sierra Canyon. Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame player Tyran Stokes also made the team.

Crowe is committed to Missouri and Adams to North Carolina.

Jerzy Robinson from Sierra Canyon and Cydnee Bryant from Corona Centennial made the girls team.

Robinson is committed to South Carolina and Bryant is a Kansas commit.