Tyler Herro's NBA All-Star recap: A 'great experience all weekend just to be here'

By / / Sports / 8 minutes of reading


Tyler Herro’s first career NBA All-Star appearance is officially in the books and proved to be a rousing success as he enjoyed being the 11th player in Miami Heat history to enjoy an All-Star nod. He’s the first Heat guard to do so since Dwyane Wade during the 2018-19 season.

The weekend-long celebration of the league’s brightest stars continued a breakout season for the 25-year-old Herro. Career-best statistics earned his spot in the game, but his playing style, scoring savvy and personal excitement made each moment special. He was able to autograph the first-ever editions of his All-Star jersey, be initiated with dap by his All-Star peers and, most importantly, enjoy nearly every moment of the week with his family by his side.

After years of productive seasons shortened because of injury and seeing his name in trade rumors, Herro basking in the light of All-Star recognition has been one of the season’s best stories. His teammates and coaches routinely praise how hard he’s worked on his game, durability and confidence as a leader, which has resulted into him growing as a voice for Heat basketball.

Nobody who has seen Herro’s game or is aware of his confidence is surprised by his new career arc, but it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable to witness. Before Herro officially made the All-Star cut as a coaches’ selection, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra considered that as one of the ultimate signs of respect. Opposing coaches like the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mike Daigenult, the Indiana Pacers’ Rick Carlisle and the Utah Jazz’s Will Hardy are a few examples of strategizing eyes who, throughout the season, have lauded how Herro has reached this point of his still-young career.

Ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Game Tournament, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns welcomed Herro as Miami’s leading scorer continued taking in more of the moment.

Let’s do a recap of the most notable moments from Herro’s first experience as an NBA All-Star.

Saturday afternoon: All-Star media availability and practice

One of the more underrated elements of NBA All-Star Weekend is when players sit down for their individual media availability. It’s a chance for some of the league’s first-time All-Stars to make themselves more visible by answering questions they’d normally not be asked. In Miami’s case, players are usually locked in on game preparation or postgame reaction, so it was refreshing to see Herro have fun with the national media.

A quick rundown of some of the topics he addressed:

  • Whether he would wear a chain during the NBA All-Star Game.
  • Thoughts on the Philippines, as Spoelstra is Filipino American.
  • If the NBA added a one-on-one tournament to All-Star Weekend, who would Herro pick to win?
  • Best lessons Herro has learned from playing basketball.
  • Addressing the inspiration behind his pregame fashion.
  • Which All-Star would Herro pick to enjoy a vacation with?

As Herro’s media session continued, he was asked how the Bay Area would enjoy Jimmy Butler, who was traded to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 5. Herro and Butler spent five-plus seasons together, which included two NBA Finals berths, three appearances in the Eastern Conference finals and some of the most electric on-court moments in Heat history.

Despite Butler’s dramatic departure from Miami, Herro expressed fond thoughts about his former teammate.

“Jimmy’s a great leader. He leads by example,” he told the media Saturday. “He puts his hard hat on and gets to work. He’s a winner. He wants to win, so I’m sure the fans out here in Oakland and San Francisco will definitely love him, and we’ll miss him down in Miami.”

Another bright spot to Herro’s Saturday afternoon was practicing with his All-Star teammates. Under the league’s new All-Star format, players were divided into three teams of eight, so Herro was placed on Kenny Smith’s Young Stars roster alongside Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Williams. Players got up some shots and handed shirts out to fans as they enjoyed the vibes.

Herro almost certainly used the practice session as a warmup for adding to his trophy case a few hours later.

Saturday night: The 3-point contest

With Herro’s NBA 3-Point Contest victory Saturday night, he became the fifth player in Heat history to win event, joining James Jones (2011), Daequan Cook (2009), Jason Kapono (2007) and Glen Rice (1995). Miami has the most 3-point contest winners in NBA All-Star history.

Herro finished with 19 points in the opening round, but that score almost was not enough to advance to the finals, as two-time defending champion Damian Lillard (18 points tied with Jalen Brunson) tried to make a late push. Buddy Hield, who faced Herro and Darius Garland in the finals, tallied 31 points to tie Steph Curry (2021) for the highest-scoring round in the contest’s history.

In the finals, Herro caught fire with 24 points, but Hield made his push for the 3-point crown. The latter needed a perfect final rack to win but missed his second-to-last attempt before finishing with 23.

Once Herro’s victory was in the books, Heat president Pat Riley, Miami teammate Bam Adebayo and Hall of Famers Wade and Shaquille O’Neal were very excited to celebrate Boy Wonder putting his shooting skills on display for the world to enjoy.

Sunday night: First career NBA All-Star Game

As Sunday’s All-Star Game Tournament got underway, Herro did everything he could to take in the moment — and with good reason. From Herro officially donning his All-Star jersey to realizing the company he was in, he — and Adebayo, of course — embraced every second of what marked arguably the most important individual celebration of his NBA career.

In a continuation from Saturday’s heater, Herro got the start for his All-Star squad and put his name in the scorebooks early, but his All-Star debut was short-lived because of the game’s new format. The new rules require teams to play until one team scores 40 points. Kenny Smith’s Young Stars lost to Charles Barkley’s Global Stars 41-32, so there were only so many buckets to go around.

Herro finished with six points on 2-of-4 shooting but was ready to contribute more under different circumstances.

For much of Sunday’s game, there were complaints about the new format, which greatly limited scoring opportunities. It also marked the first time players from the Rising Stars game played during All-Star Sunday as the league continues to seek ways to heighten competition. It remains to be seen if this format sticks or what the league might consider in the future, but Herro remained appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy simply being recognized as an All-Star.

He’ll take a few days to recharge before Miami (25-28) continues its season with the hopes of making a second-half push to the postseason.

“It was my first experience, so it is what it is. It was a short, quick burst,” Herro said after the game. “I feel like I still would like the East-West format better. I broke not even a half-sweat, but it was a great experience all weekend just to be here, from Friday to Sunday night. Just super grateful to be here.”

(Top photo: Jeff Haynes / Getty Images )





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About The Author

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Ronda Baker is a news writer who specializes in arts, automotive, travel, and fashion. She has been writing since she was a child, and her passion for the written word has only grown since then.

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