Chris Paul believed he found a clever way to bypass the rules during the NBA All-Star 2025 Skills Challenge, but he and his San Antonio Spurs teammate Victor Wembanyama ended up disqualified due to their antics.

The concluding phase of the three-part Skills Challenge involves shooting, yet Wembanyama and Paul opted not to shoot the basketballs from the designated rack. Instead, they quickly tossed the balls towards the hoop, bypassing any traditional shooting form.

TNT announcers Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller quickly pointed to Paul as the mastermind behind the strategy, which isn’t surprising given his extensive 20-year NBA experience. However, Wembanyama later clarified that the unconventional approach of not shooting was actually his suggestion, as reported by Draymond Green. He also claimed to have presented his tactic to several NBA executives, who gave it their approval.

The first two segments of the Skills Challenge cover dribbling and passing skills, with a half-court shootout serving as the tiebreaker. What was on the minds of Paul and Wembanyama for that part?

The fans at the Chase Center expressed their disapproval of Team Spurs, booing them for attempting to exploit the rules to finish their relay swiftly. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was spotted giving the Spurs duo a thumbs-down—actually, two thumbs down—over their loophole attempt.

The other teams participating in the Challenge included Team Cavs (Mitchell paired with Evan Mobley), Team Warriors (Green alongside Moses Moody), and Team Rooks (Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher). Given the scandal impacting the competition, many might wonder if Green should have been considered a possible instigator in this situation.

Paul attempted to argue his case to overturn the disqualification but was unsuccessful. Will his actions tarnish the All-Star Skills Challenge for good? If that’s the case, perhaps it’s time to rethink the idea of a classic H-O-R-S-E competition where actual shots would inevitably need to make it in.