Where is the NBA All-Star game headed?

Today, sports fans are going to get an overdose of basketball with the NBA All-Star Game. The annual phenomenon of the National Basketball Association has literally turned Los Angeles upside-down in an attempt to top all the previous editions of the week-long party.

But in the beginning, the All-Star game was actually a measure of the league’s survival. A trio of men conjured up the idea of having the league’s best players come together in a game for the fans back in 1951: NBA Public Relations Director Haskell Cohen, NBA President Maurice Podoloff, and Boston Celtics President Walter Brown. Cohen liked the idea of Major League Baseball’s mid-season celebration, and proposed it to the NBA’s leadership. Brown supplied the Boston Garden, and they then worked furiously to trumpet the new event. If they could pack 10,000 into the venue, then the game (and perhaps, the league itself) were assured of survival. They pulled in 10,094 ticket-paying spectators.

Until 1984, it remained just that, a game. But, again inspired by what they saw elsewhere, league executives added the most popular wrinkle, the slam dunk contest. Last seen during the American Basketball Association’s (ABA) final season in 1976, the event was a memorable spectacle, with Julius Erving stunning the crowd by leaping from the free throw line on his way to the skies, and the title. After that, the ABA folded, with the NBA absorbing its remaining four liquid members: Denver, Indiana, San Antonio, and Erving’s own New York Nets. But, thanks to Erving’s exploits, the slam dunk contest (held the Saturday before the All-Star Game itself) stretched the happening into All-Star Weekend.

Ironically, it was also Erving’s farewell performance in 1986, when he was defeeated by the elongated 6-10 Phoenix Sun Larry Nance. From then on, the sideshow just grew bigger and bigger. In 1998, the NBA tried to devise a replacement for it, though, as people perceived that it had gone stale. They created the NBA 2Ball, which would feature pairs from NBA and WNBA teams in one-minute shootouts. Though the event had its own charm, it was too earthbound for the true NBA viewers, who wanted to see the athleticisim of their favorite players.

In Dallas in 1986, the league introduced the three-point shootout. Again, the three-point shot was one of the innovations of the ABA back in the late 1960’s, but had become popular because of the tight interior defense and sagging scores. Larry Bird, who had hit the first-ever three-point shot in All-Star Game history six years before, was unstoppable in the contest, winning its first three editions.

In 1994, the league decided to replace the Legends Classic — which showcased retired players — with the Rookie Game, electing to focus on tomorrow instead of yesterday.

By NBA All-Star 2000, there was a full week’s worth of activities, a big rebound from 1999, when there was no game. That year, Jeff Hronacek of the Utah Jazz registered another first, winning both the three-point shootout and the 2Ball contest with Natalie Williams of the Utah Starzz. The NBA has since added NBA Jam Session, a portable theme park for basketball fans of every description, and the All-Star TeamUp celebration, which fetes youth who are involved in community service.

Today, the rookies play against the sophomores, and they’ve added a skills challenge, which tests the precision of the players in particular talents of the game aside from shooting.

There have been several emotional moments for the players and fans alike. Going back through All-Star history, in 1959, Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor shared the Most Valuable Player award when the West beat the East. It was Pettit’s fourth and last All-Star Game MVP trophy, but the first time the award had ever been shared. This was mirrored by Joh Stockton and Karl Malone, who were co-MVP’s in 1993 on their home floor at Salt Lake City in Utah. Stockton’s first All-Star Game appearance in 1989 was his most memorable, though. He subbed for Magic Johnson, who couldn’t play because of illness, played almost the whole game, and helped Malone win his first MVP trophy. Stockton couldn’t get over being able to set up greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Alex English at the same time.

Of course, many remember Magic Johnson’s return to the game via the All-Stars three months after retiring due to the HIV virus in 1992. Magic had announced his retirement after the balloting had begun, and was thus named to the game. He had a spectacular exclamation point to his career with 25 points and nine assists in a 40-point West win.

For me, the most memorable All-Star Game was 1987. It was Julius Erving’s last, and he was honored at halftime with a beautiful montage of career highlights edited to the tune of "The Greatest Love of All." (With apologies to Whitney Houston, I was always partial to George Benson’s version of the song.)

What can the NBA do to top it all? Well, I’d suggest having more fans participation. Why not let fans enter 2Ball contests with their favorite players in their home towns, then let the finalists play during All-Star week? Or have an exhibition game for kids, to involve players who weren’t chosen for the All-Star Game? Instead of creating more contrived permutations of the game itself, why not make more opportunities for international fans to see the game live? Though many corporate sponsors do so, they’re for individual countries. The NBA could select from international fans who vote over the Internet, or have a contest testing their skill in drafting letters explaining why their favorite players should be in the All-Stars. The contest could include countries which don’t have NBA players yet like the Philippines), so as to further promote the league in new markets.

What do you think?

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