Devin Booker
1 out of 7 This Halloween, there are no tricks here – just treats. We asked Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale and Emily McCarthy to name some NBA stars as Halloween candy, and in the spirit of the season, they came in clutch. Read on to find an MVPeanut Butter M&M, a sweet-and-sour star duo, a legend as polarizing as Halloween’s most talked-about candy…then hit the comments to share your own ideas.
Damian Lillard
2 out of 7 Twix is an underrated candy that never gets enough recognition for its completeness. Could there be a better parallel for Devin Booker’s game? Silky Smooth Chocolate is Book’s mid-range J. Delightfully hard candy is gear shifting attacks and the toughest one-on-one defense. The vanilla cookie is the complex simplicity with which it departs from the ball. His flawless penalty is his lively dribbling passing. The fact that Twix tends to come in twos highlights Booker’s sophisticated double-team decision-making process. Twix is Devin Booker and Devin Booker is Twix. —Dan Favale
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
3 out of 7 Damian Lillard is far from ordinary — built different, one might say. So does Ferrero Rochers. The experience of layers of whole crunchy hazelnut covering a thin wafer shell with creamy hazelnut, all hidden in a separate golden wrapper, is unparalleled. It’s a candy of culture, offering an exuberant sight and taste while also acting as an adult in the room. This is Dhamma with a, ahem, hazelnuts. – Favale
Kawhi Leonard
4 out of 7 First they are sour, then they are sweet. That’s especially fitting for the 2021-22 version of Tatum and Brown, who, along with the rest of the Celtics, struggled to a very poor 18-21 start before turning things around for a (mostly) sweet finish. The Jays are fan favorites who pack a punch without doing much. They are different flavors that coexist perfectly in the same bag. They are great on their own and even better together. — Emily McCarthy
Nikola Jokic
5 out of 7 This candy is everything—deliberately filling on its own and versatile in flavor (cream, chocolate cream, caramel, etc.). It can be your sweet treat anytime. Like Kawhi Leonard, though, Cadbury Creme Eggs are best enjoyed in the spring. – Favale
Jimmy Butler
6 out of 7 Peanut butter is the M&M’s most suitable flavor to fill you up on its own, but it’s also so much more—it’s not like some Serbian superstructure. The experience is equal parts physical (hard shell chocolate) and smooth (peanut butter!) and comes in heaps (you never get just one M&M). Its versatility also knows few limits. Do you need it to be everything? Without sweat. But it plays well with others too. We bake it into cookies. Stir it into ice cream. Combine in a large bowl with other M&M’s to lift or fill in the rest. In any given season, unlike any delectably worthy rival, Peanut Butter M&Ms may be the MVC (Most Valuable Candy). – Favale
LeBron James
7 out of 7 Scones come in a rainbow of flavors. So did Jimmy Butler. Key playmaker. Go to the defender. Score life preserver. Free throw-parade. Overrated cafe owner. Part-time personal trainer, early morning. The list goes on. And it’s an experience that runs the gamut of outcomes. Are Skittles satisfying and fully equipped to be the best candy in your arsenal of Halloween goodies? Absolutely. Can their blend of a hard sugar shell and hydrogenated oil-wrapped interior be shrapnel for the roof of your mouth and teeth when consumed in large quantities and without the proper sugar pairings to offset the self-scratching? Also yes. Building around Jimmy Butler is not for the faint of heart. It’s a commitment to the gladiators and to adapting the culture and the roster around not only his style of play but also his mentality. So in a way, the Miami Heat are the bag of Skittles, and Jimmy is the most prevalent flavor in it. – Favale Candy Corn is the undisputed GOAT of Halloween candy – depending on who you ask. With staunch defenders and vocal haters, no candy is more polarizing than candy corn. But even those who refuse to eat corn can appreciate it as a Halloween icon. It is timeless, consistent and nostalgic. He’s the kind of candy that could average 30 points per game even as new candies go up on the top shelf. It may not be a universal favorite, but year after year, it’s still one of the best. —McCarthy
