NBA All-Star Game
The NBA All-Star Game is the highlight of the NBA All-Star Weekend, which since 1951 has usually taken place in the middle of the season in February in a previously selected, always changing city. The most recent All-Star Game to date was held on March 8, 2021, in Atlanta at State Farm Arena. The next All-Star Game is scheduled to be held in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on February 20, 2022.
The game pits the league's best players - the All-Stars - against each other. For the 2018 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, a new voting process went into effect that decided the makeup of the two teams. For the first time, it was no longer two pure conference selection teams playing against each other. The new mode allows for a blending of players from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference when forming teams. The National Basketball Association (NBA) hopes this move will increase the competitive nature of the event.
First, as in the past, the ten starters (five per conference) will be voted on by fans (50% of the vote), the players and media representatives (25% of the vote each). Two guards and three frontcourt players will be selected for each conference. After the voting, the 30 head coaches of the NBA clubs select an additional seven players from each conference (five of them at the five positions, two others independent of position), so that a total of 24 players participate in this event. This avoids allowing only popular players to participate and excluding less popular, but potentially better, players. The two players who receive the most votes in their respective conferences via fan voting will be seeded as captains of the two all-star teams. In an alternating voting process, these captains are then free to assemble a team from the entire pool of players, regardless of position or conference.
The head coaches of the two All-Star teams are the coaches whose team leads the respective conference two weeks before the game. Since neither team is supposed to be coached by the same coach in two consecutive All-Star Games, the coach of the second-best team in the conference moves up in that case. This rule was introduced in the 1980s when the Los Angeles Lakers were in first place in the Western Conference almost every year, and is therefore also called the "Riley Rule" after then-Lakers coach Pat Riley. If two NBA teams are tied atop the conference, the coach who last played in the All-Star Game is allowed to coach the All-Star team.
Another innovation concerns the financial proceeds generated by the All-Star Game. For the first time, the proceeds will be donated to charitable organizations. Each team will select an organization to receive the donation. In 2018, the teams will each choose organizations from the greater Los Angeles area.
From 1951 to 2017, 66 All-Star Games were held under the old system. The record shows 37 wins for the Eastern Conference and 29 wins for the Western Conference.
Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, and Oklahoma City are the current "NBA cities" that have not yet hosted an All-Star Game. The Canadian city of Toronto was selected as the site for the 2016 All-Star Game. This marked the first time the All-Star Game was held outside of the United States. In 2007, Las Vegas was the first venue selected that was not home to an NBA team in its city.
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was held on February 14, 2010 in Arlington (in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area) at Cowboys Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team. A new attendance record of 108,713 was set for the game.
One of the things that happened in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game was a new record for total points scored. East and West scored a combined 374 points (182:192) in the game. This surpassed the previous year's record of 369 points (196:173).
The record for points scored by a player in an NBA All-Star Game was set by Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans). He scored a total of 52 points in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. The previous record holder was Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors), who scored 42 points in the 1962 NBA All-Star Game.
Legend
- Eastern Conference All-Stars win
- Western Conference All-Stars win
- MVP = NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award
- OT = Overtime
- Pkt. = Points
- Rbs. = Rebounds
- Ast. = Assists
1951–2017
Year | Date | City | Venue | Team A | Team B | Result | MVP | Viewers |
1951 | 2 March 1951 | Boston, | Boston Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 111:94 | Ed Macauley (Boston Celtics), | 010.094 |
1952 | 11 Feb. 1952 | Boston, | Boston Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 108:91 | Paul Arizin (Philadelphia Warriors), | 010.211 |
1953 | 13 Jan. 1953 | Fort Wayne, | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 079:75 | George Mikan (Minneapolis Lakers), | 010.322 |
1954 | Jan. 21, 1954 | New York City, | Madison Square Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 098:93 (OT) | Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics), | 016.487 |
1955 | 18 Jan. 1955 | New York City, | Madison Square Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 100:91 | Bill Sharman (Boston Celtics), | 015.564 |
1956 | 24 Jan. 1956 | Rochester, | Rochester War Memorial Coliseum | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 108:94 | Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks), | 008.517 |
1957 | 15 Jan. 1957 | Boston, | Boston Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 108:97 | Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics), | 011.178 |
1958 | Jan. 21, 1958 | St. Louis, | Kiel Auditorium | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 130:118 | Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks), | 012.854 |
1959 | 23 Jan. 1959 | Detroit, | Detroit Olympia Stadium | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 124:108 | Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks), | 010.541 |
1960 | Jan. 22, 1960 | Philadelphia, | Philadelphia Civic Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 125:115 | Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors), | 010.421 |
1961 | 17 Jan. 1961 | Syracuse, | War Memorial at Oncenter | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 153:131 | Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals), | 008.016 |
1962 | 16 Jan. 1962 | St. Louis, | Kiel Auditorium | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 150:130 | Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks), | 015.112 |
1963 | 16 Jan. 1963 | Los Angeles, | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 115:108 | Bill Russell (Boston Celtics), | 014.838 |
1964 | 14 Jan. 1964 | Boston, | Boston Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 111:107 | Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals), | 013.464 |
1965 | 13 Jan. 1965 | St. Louis, | Kiel Auditorium | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 124:123 | Jerry Lucas (Cincinnati Royals), | 016.713 |
1966 | Jan. 11, 1966 | Cincinnati, | Cincinnati Gardens | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 137:94 | Adrian Smith (Cincinnati Royals), | 013.653 |
1967 | Jan. 10, 1967 | Daly City, | Cow Palace | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 135:120 | Rick Barry (San Francisco Warriors), | 013.972 |
1968 | 23 Jan. 1968 | New York City, | Madison Square Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 144:124 | Hal Greer (Philadelphia 76ers), | 018.422 |
1969 | 14 Jan. 1969 | Baltimore, | Baltimore Civic Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 123:112 | Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals), | 012.348 |
1970 | 20 Jan. 1970 | Philadelphia, | Philadelphia Spectrum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 142:135 | Willis Reed (New York Knicks), | 015.244 |
1971 | Jan. 12, 1971 | San Diego, | San Diego Sports Arena | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 108:107 | Lenny Wilkens (Seattle SuperSonics), | 014.378 |
1972 | 18 Jan. 1972 | Inglewood, | The Forum | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 112:110 | Jerry West, (Los Angeles Lakers), | 017.214 |
1973 | Jan. 23, 1973 | Chicago, | Chicago Stadium | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 104:84 | Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics), | 017.527 |
1974 | 15 Jan. 1974 | Seattle, | Seattle Center Coliseum | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 134:123 | Bob Lanier (Detroit Pistons), | 014.360 |
1975 | Jan 14, 1975 | Phoenix, | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 108:102 | Walt Frazier (New York Knicks), | 012.885 |
1976 | 3 Feb. 1976 | Philadelphia, | Philadelphia Spectrum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 123:109 | Dave Bing (Washington Bullets), | 017.511 |
1977 | 13 Feb. 1977 | Milwaukee, | MECCA Arena | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 125:124 | Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers), | 010.938 |
1978 | Feb. 5, 1978 | Atlanta, | Omni Coliseum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 133:125 | Randy Smith (Buffalo Braves), | 015.491 |
1979 | 4 Feb. 1979 | Pontiac, | Pontiac Silverdome | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 134:129 | David Thompson (Denver Nuggets), | 031.745 |
1980 | 3 Feb. 1980 | Landover, | Capital Centre | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 144:136 (OT) | George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs), | 019.035 |
1981 | 1 Feb. 1981 | Richfield, | Coliseum at Richfield | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 123:120 | Nate Archibald (Boston Celtics), | 020.239 |
1982 | 31 Jan. 1982 | East Rutherford, | Brendan Byrne Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 120:118 | Larry Bird (Boston Celtics), | 020.149 |
1983 | 13 Feb. 1983 | Inglewood, | The Forum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 132:123 | Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers), | 017.505 |
1984 | Jan. 29, 1984 | Denver, | McNichols Sports Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 154:145 (OT) | Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons), | 017.500 |
1985 | Feb. 10, 1985 | Indianapolis, | Hoosier Dome | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 140:129 | Ralph Sampson (Houston Rockets), | 043.146 |
1986 | 9 Feb. 1986 | Dallas, | Reunion Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 139:132 | Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons), | 016.573 |
1987 | Feb. 8, 1987 | Seattle, | Kingdome | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 154:149 (OT) | Tom Chambers (Seattle SuperSonics), | 034.275 |
1988 | 7 Feb. 1988 | Chicago, | Chicago Stadium | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 138:133 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), | 018.403 |
1989 | 12 Feb. 1989 | Houston, | Houston Astrodome | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 143:134 | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz), | 044.735 |
1990 | 11 Feb. 1990 | Miami, | Miami Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 130:113 | Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers), | 014.810 |
1991 | 10 Feb. 1991 | Charlotte, | Charlotte Coliseum | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 116:114 | Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers), | 023.530 |
1992 | 9 Feb. 1992 | Orlando, | Orlando Arena | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 153:113 | Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers), | 014.272 |
1993 | 21 Feb. 1993 | Salt Lake City, | Delta Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 135:132 (OT) | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz), | 019.459 |
1994 | 13 Feb. 1994 | Minneapolis, | Target Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 127:118 | Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls), | 017.096 |
1995 | 12 Feb. 1995 | Phoenix, | America West Arena | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 139:112 | Mitch Richmond (Sacramento Kings), | 018.755 |
1996 | 11 Feb. 1996 | San Antonio, | Alamodome | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 129:118 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), | 036.037 |
1997 | 9 Feb. 1997 | Cleveland, | Gund Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 132:120 | Glen Rice (Charlotte Hornets), | 020.562 |
1998 | 8 Feb. 1998 | New York City, | Madison Square Garden | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 135:114 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), | 018.323 |
1999 | 14 Feb. 1999 | Philadelphia, | First Union Center | Due to a lockout, the game did not take place | ||||
2000 | 13 Feb. 2000 | Oakland, | The Arena in Oakland | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 137:126 | Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers), | 018.325 |
2001 | 11 Feb. 2001 | Washington, D.C. | MCI Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 111:110 | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), | 020.674 |
2002 | 10 Feb. 2002 | Philadelphia, | First Union Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 135:120 | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), | 019.581 |
2003 | 9 Feb. 2003 | Atlanta, | Philips Arena | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 155:145 (2OT) | Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), | 020.325 |
2004 | 15 Feb. 2004 | Los Angeles, | Staples Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 136:132 | Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers), | 019.662 |
2005 | 20 Feb. 2005 | Denver, | Pepsi Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 125:115 | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), | 018.227 |
2006 | 19 Feb. 2006 | Houston, | Toyota Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 122:120 | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), | 018.652 |
2007 | 18 Feb. 2007 | Las Vegas, | Thomas & Mack Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 153:132 | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), | 015.694 |
2008 | 17 Feb. 2008 | New Orleans, | New Orleans Arena | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 134:128 | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), | 016.271 |
2009 | 15 Feb. 2009 | Phoenix, | US Airways Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 146:119 | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), | 016.382 |
2010 | 14 Feb. 2010 | Arlington, | Cowboys Stadium | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 141:139 | Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat), | 108.713 |
2011 | 20 Feb. 2011 | Los Angeles, | Staples Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 148:143 | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), | 017.163 |
2012 | 26 Feb. 2012 | Orlando, | Amway Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 152:149 | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), | 017.125 |
2013 | 17 Feb. 2013 | Houston, | Toyota Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 143:138 | Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), | 016.101 |
2014 | 16 Feb. 2014 | New Orleans, | Smoothie King Center | East All-Stars | West All-Stars | 163:155 | Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), | 014.727 |
2015 | 15 Feb. 2015 | New York City, | Madison Square Garden | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 163:158 | Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), | 017.198 |
2016 | 14 Feb. 2016 | Toronto, | Air Canada Centre | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 196:173 | Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), | 018.298 |
2017 | 19 Feb. 2017 | New Orleans, | Smoothie King Center | West All-Stars | East All-Stars | 192:182 | Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), | 015.701 |
Since 2018 (New mode)
For the 2018 All-Star Game, the league changed the mode of the game. It no longer pits the Western Conference against the Eastern Conference. In the new mode, fans choose two team captains who alternate players for two mixed teams in a pick-up game style.
For the 2020 All-Star Game, the NBA introduced a new game mode in late January of that year to increase the competitive nature of the game and keep the excitement throughout. The first three quarters of 12 minutes each start at 0-0 and are played one at a time. In the last quarter the game clock is switched off. A score is calculated from the points scored previously. To this number, in honor of Kobe Bryant, 24 (Bryant's jersey number) points are added. This gives the goal score. The team that reaches this score first wins the All-Star Game. The two teams play for charities in the venue. The winners of a quarter receive $100,000 for an organization of their choice. If a quarter ends in a tie, the amount is additionally distributed in the next quarter. The winning team receives 200,000 US dollars for the good cause.
Year | Date | City | Venue | Team A | Team B | Result | MVP | Viewers |
2018 | 18 Feb. 2018 | Los Angeles, | Staples Center | Team LeBron | Team Stephen | 148:145 | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), | 017.801 |
2019 | 17 Feb. 2019 | Charlotte, | Spectrum Center | Team LeBron | Team Giannis | 178:164 | Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), | 016.215 |
2020 | 16 Feb. 2020 | Chicago, | United Center | Team LeBron | Team Giannis | 157:155 | Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers) | 017.808 |
2021 | 8 March 2021 | Atlanta, | State Farm Arena | Team LeBron | Team Durant | 170:150 | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) | 00 |
2022 | 20 Feb. 2022 | Cleveland, | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse | -:- | ||||
2023 | 19 Feb. 2023 | Salt Lake City, | Vivint Arena | -:- | ||||
2024 | 18 Feb. 2024 | Indianapolis, | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | -:- |
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in front of 108,713 fans.