Detroit, MI

Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons big, out of NBA All-Star dunk contest

Published

1 month ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons big, out of NBA All-Star dunk contest

The NBA announced its full Slam Dunk contest slate on Saturday, Feb. 7 — and it didn’t include Jalen Duren.

ESPN reported Monday that the Detroit Pistons’ big had accepted an invite to the dunk contest, but he will settle for the All-Star Game instead. Duren was named an All-Star for the first time last Sudnay, joining starter Cade Cunningham and coach J.B. Bickerstaff in the game scheduled for Feb. 15.

Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, Miami Heat wing Keshad Johnson and Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson (a Michigan State alumnus) are the dunk contest participants. Duren exited the Pistons’ game Thursday early with right knee soreness, then missed their win over the New York Knicks on Friday.

The Pistons did gain more All-Star representation, though, as ex-Pistons All-Star Richard Hamilton (2002-11) will participate in the “Shooting Stars” challenge with Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes on “Team All-Star,” former Piston Allan Houston (1993-96) will be part of “Team Knicks,” along with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and former Piston Corey Maggette (2012-13) will team up with Duke alumni in Atlanta Hawks star Jalen Johnson and Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel on “Team Cameron.”

The two other Shooting Stars lineups: Team Harper: five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. and sons Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs) and Ron Harper Jr. (Boston Celtics).

Duren has established himself as a rising star for a Pistons team sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings at 36-12, 5½ games ahead of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. The fourth-year center is averaging a career-high 18 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Duren’s and Cunningham’s All-Star nods mark the Pistons’ first time with multiple representatives in the game since 2008, when Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace all made the East team as reserves.

2026 NBA All-Star reserves

Eastern Conference

Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons.

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks.

Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks.

Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers

Norman Powell, Miami Heat

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors.

Western Conference

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets.

Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets.

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns.

Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James, LA Lakers.

2026 NBA All-Star Game format

The 2026 All-Star Game format will have two teams of U.S.-born players and one “World” team consisting of international players. The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.

The breakdown, per NBA.com: “In the round-robin tournament, Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winning team from Game 1 will take on Team C in Game 2, followed by the losing team of Game 1 meeting Team C in Game 3.

“After Game 3, the top two teams by record will advance to face each other in the championship game (Game 4). If all three teams have a 1-1 record after Game 3, the tiebreaker would be point differential in each team’s two round-robin games.”

Pistons in 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend

Cade Cunningham was named a starter in the All-Star Game on Jan. 19, becoming the first Piston picked to start since Allen Iverson in 2008-09. Cunningham, a reserve last season, is the first Piston to make consecutive All-Star games since Chauncey Billups from 2006-08.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was officially named a head coach for the 2026 All-Star game on Jan. 24. Bickerstaff is the first Pistons coach with an All-Star nod since Flip Saunders in 2006, and the fourth all-time, following Saunders, Doug Collins in 1997 and Chuck Daly in 1990.

Cunningham, Duren and Bickerstaff are all on the “Team USA Stars” team.

NBA All-Star starters 2026

Eastern Conference

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons.

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks.

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers.

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks.

Western Conference

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs.

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets.

MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

2026 NBA All-Star Weekend schedule

(All times Eastern)

Friday, Feb. 13

All-Star Celebrity Game: 7 p.m., ESPN, Kia Forum.

Rising Stars Game: 9 p.m., Peacock, Intuit Dome.

NBA HBCU Classic (Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T): 11 p.m., Peacock, Kia Forum.

Saturday, Feb. 14

All-Star Media Day: 1:30 p.m., NBA TV, Intuit Dome.

All-Star Saturday (3-point competition, dunk contest, skills competition): 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock, Intuit Dome.

Sunday, Feb. 15

75th NBA All-Star Game: 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock, Intuit Dome.

Want more Pistons updates? Download our free app for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

Source link

Click to comment

Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater To Backup Jared Goff in 2026

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater To Backup Jared Goff in 2026

The free agency tampering period has begun for the NFL, and the Detroit Lions are among the active teams acquiring players as they try to get back to the playoffs after they did not meet their own standard for last season.

On Monday, it was revealed that 2025 Lions backup quarterback Kyle Allen was heading to Buffalo, leaving another hole in the roster to fill. Nearly 24 hours later, that hole has been filled, as veteran quarterbackTeddy Bridgewater is heading back to Motown.

Bridgewater spent the 2023 season with Detroit, in what initially was going to be his final season in the league.

However, after coaching Miami Northwestern Senior High School to a state championship in Florida during the 2024 season, he announced he was planning to unretire, and Detroit picked him up for their push towards the top seed in the NFC.

Bridgewater then resigned as head coach at Miami Northwestern and signed with Tampa Bay to backup Baker Mayfield last season.

He appeared in four games last season, throwing 15 passes for the Buccaneers, which were his first NFL pass attempts since 2022.

Bridgewater is a safe option at backup quarterback in Detroit, as the former Rookie of the Year has had a steady career since entering the league with Minnesota out of Louisville in 2014.

Bridgewater returns to back up Jared Goff under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, as this is a situation where Detroit stuck with a player they knew. For Petzing, this is not the first time coaching Teddy Bridgewater, as he was an offensive assistant with Minnesota when they drafted Bridgewater in 2014.

A leg injury derailed his career after a Pro Bowl season in 2015, but he has started 37 games since the injury as a journeyman. Bridgewater left Minnesota and Drew Petzing and would overlap with Dan Campbell when the quarterback played for New Orleans in 2018 and 2019. In addition to Minnesota, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Detroit, Bridgewater has also played for Carolina, Denver, and Miami.

Detroit stuck with a safe and familiar option in Bridgewater, as a majority of their offense, alongside most of their offensive staff, have worked with the quarterback before. If Bridgewater is turned to in any situation, there will be full confidence in the Louisville product to make the right play.

NFL Draft Implications

This puts Detroit in a unique position when looking ahead towards the NFL Draft, as a popular mock draft pick for Detroit was taking a quarterback, with Cole Payton, Luke Altmyer, and Taylen Green all being among the names mentioned.

Bridgewater is an excellent mentor alongside Goff, but having three quarterbacks on the Lions roster after injury-riddled campaigns in the last two seasons may not be the wisest allocation of a roster spot.

For the time being, Detroit has their backup quarterback for the season, and there is not a better option than Bridgewater when it comes to familiarity and adaptability. While the former Pro Bowl quarterback has yet to throw a pass in Detroit, he has the familiairity and trust of the coaching staff to be a backup entering a pivotal year.

Source link

Detroit, MI

Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know

Published

22 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

$Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know$

Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.

Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.

Here’s what to know:

Shooting outside cocktail bar

“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.

The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.

Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.

There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.

Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.

Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.

He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.

His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.

When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?

Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.

How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting

Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.

Source link

Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills

The Detroit Lions will need to find a new backup quarterback. Kyle Allen, the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran, will reportedly sign with the Buffalo Bills for two years and $4.1 millions, according to ESPN, reuniting him with his former coordinator Joe Brady.

Allen, who came to the Motor City a year ago after inking a one-year deal, appeared in just three games and attempted two passes this past season as starter Jared Goff logged 98.5% of the team’s offensive snaps at quarterback.

Allen’s greatest contribution came in the preseason, when he forced the organization to give up on its experiment with Hendon Hooker.

In the competition for the No. 2 job, Allen outperformed Hooker and made the former 2023 third-round pick expendable by bringing his stunted development into sharp relief. While Hooker struggled to move the offense when he was in command, Allen thrived in his four auditions, spearheading one productive drive after another for the Lions. He completed 79.5% of his attempts, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. All the while, he exhibited a good understanding of the Lions’ timing-based passing game, giving management the confidence he could – if needed – relieve Goff in a pinch.

“I feel very comfortable with him,” Campbell said last August.

But as it turned out, the Lions were never forced to call upon Allen. Goff, who hasn’t missed a start since Week 17 of the 2021 season, remained reliably present.

The Lions hope Goff’s iron-man streak will continue.

But if it for some reason ends, Allen is no longer there to replace him.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.

Source link