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The All-Star Game has been a tradition in the NBA since 1951. It was modeled after the MLB All-Star Game and instantly, it was a major success. Since then, we have seen some iconic moments and great games.
Of course, at the end of the day, it is an exhibition so the players do not worry much about the score. Yet, some of them ended in great fashion, with tight scores, great comebacks, and some amazing performances. Out of the 71 games held up until now, some stand out as historic in their greatness. Here are the four greatest NBA All-Star Games of all time, ranked.
Greatest NBA All-Star Games of all time
4) 1992 All-Star Game
In essence, the 1992 All-Star game was nothing too huge. The Western Conference team blew the Eastern Conference team out by 40 points. While there were some iconic players there, there were also guys that haven't really done much aside from that game. Famously, Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird were injured and could not feature, and they were replaced by Michael Adams and Kevin Willis, respectively, who both only played in one All-Star Game.
However, it will forever be known as the game when the great Magic Johnson returned to the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers legend and one of the greatest point guards of all time retired in 1991 due to him contracting HIV.
Still, fans massively voted for him and he was chosen as a starter in the game, despite objections by some of his peers. Johnson still took the field, turned back the clock, and had an iconic performance. He scored 25 points, had nine assists, caught five boards, and ended the game with a three-point make. While the score did not matter much, it was still an All-Star Game that will forever be remembered.
3) 2009 All-Star Game
The 2009 All-Star Game was held in Phoenix and it featured the first performance of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on the same team since the failed 2004 NBA title run. There was open animosity between the two and they were widely considered to be the biggest feud in the NBA at the time. Yet, the magic of the All-Star game took care of that and we were given a great performance by the duo which was incredibly entertaining.
As he was getting on in age, Shaq only played 11 minutes, but still put up 17 points, five boards, and three assists. His former co-star in the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, put up 27 points and recorded four steals. The duo led the Western Conference to a 146-119 blowout and they both earned All-Star Game MVP honors. Also, it is very important to mention the incredible way O'Neal entered into the game, with the famous dance crew Jabbawockeez, and that is a major part of the iconic 2009 All-Star Game.
2) 2003 All-Star Game
2003 ended up being one of the most important years in the history of the NBA. Not only was it the year when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh, among others, joined the NBA through the draft, it also marked the last season of Michael Jordan in the NBA. Air Jordan was playing for the Washington Wizards and, of course, made the All-Star Game starting lineup by taking Vince Carter's offer of a spot a few days before the game itself. While his last All-Star Game is iconic by itself, it was also made even more iconic by what happened in the game itself.
Jordan did his best to get the Eastern Conference the win. He scored 20 points and tried to win the game with about five seconds remaining, but missed a fadeaway jumper. He did score with about two minutes to go, getting the East to an eight-point lead, but it was erased by the West soon, partly due to Kobe Bryant hitting some key free-throws towards the end of regulation. Neither got the MVP in the end, as those honors were taken by Kevin Garnett, but the symbolic passing of the torch from Jordan to Bryant will always remain the best thing that NBA fans got out of this 2003 All-Star Game.
1) 2020 All-Star Game
All of these games are iconic and many more could have been on this list, but staying on the topic of the irreplaceable Kobe Bryant, the 2020 All-Star Game is simply on another level. This game had a different format, partly inspired by the status of Bryant, who passed away just a few weeks before the game. Rather than a straight-up game with normal scores, the first three quarters were scored separately. The fourth quarter was played without a shot clock, where the aim was to reach 24 points more than the cumulative score of the team that was ahead.
The format was a bit complex, but the fans really got a hang of it as soon as it started. Team Giannis won the first quarter, Team LeBron retaliated, and the third quarter ended in a tie. The target score was set at 157 and while Team Giannis had a better starting position, the fourth quarter turned into a real, competitive game of some of the best players that the NBA had to offer.
Team LeBron, led by All-Star Game MVP Kawhi Leonard, played some decisive defense and won by two points, 157-155. It was a game that truly honored both the flashy and competitive nature of the late, great Kobe Bryant, and it will forever remain as one of the most iconic All-Star Games in the history of the NBA.
