CLEVELAND — DeMar DeRozan was more than just surprised that Michael Jordan showed up Sunday.
And he wasn’t alone.
DeRozan said most of the players were surprised.
The NBA put on quite an extravaganza the entire All-Star Weekend, but the highlight was the introduction of the 75 greatest players of all time to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary. The guards were introduced last, with the late Kobe Bryant drawing a huge ovation when his highlights were flashed on the giant scoreboard.
And then came Jordan.
“It’s just crazy to see Mike out there; he surprised us all,’’ DeRozan said.
“It’s was just great to see all those legends.’’
Unfortunately for Zach LaVine, he not only got to see a legend, but he got beaten by one.
With Team LeBron needing a basket to win the All-Star Game under the Elam Ending, James took LaVine in the post and made the game-ending fadeaway to clinch the 163-160 victory.
“He hit a heck of a shot, man; I did the best I could,’’ LaVine said. “He made a great shot. LeBron trying to post you up, I’m not thinking about a lot except trying to get him off his spot.’’
James may have won the game, but his teammate Stephen Curry stole the show, breaking the All-Star Game record for three-pointers by hitting 16 and finishing with 50 points to win the MVP award.
LaVine and DeRozan weren’t bad at all. Both of them were on the floor to finish the game. LaVine played for Team Durant and had 12 points, and DeRozan was on Team LeBron and chipped in 10 points.
“It means a lot,’’ LaVine said of both closing out the game. “I think it shows what types of players we are, and we’re big-time competitors. I wanted to be out there at the end, and I know he did, too.’’
And the good news for Bulls fans is LaVine’s sore left knee felt great. He even had a 360 dunk.
Sound familiar?
Just before tipoff, the Suns received some bad news.
All-Star point guard Chris Paul was diagnosed with a fractured right thumb and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks. The Bulls’ Lonzo Ball (knee surgery) and Alex Caruso (wrist surgery) had that same timetable when they were injured last month.
The Bulls play the Suns in Phoenix on March 18.
