The NBA All-Star Game has always delivered one thing: offense.

Players don’t play defense as hard as in a regular season game and the All-Star Game has always been filled with lots and lots of baskets and points. The game has become a showcase for offensive wizardry, a product of putting the best players in the league on the court at the same time.

With all that scoring and all that star power, it takes an extraordinary effort to stand out from the crowded constellation. Here are five performances for the ages and the greatest we’ve ever seen in an NBA All-Star Game.

5. 2003: Garnett Overshadows Jordan

All you need to know about this one was it was Michael Jordan’s last appearance in an All-Star Game. As a member of the Washington Wizards. Indeed, this was the end of the line for the iconic Air Jordan, a player who was rarely upstaged at any point in his legendary career. But on Feb. 9, 2003 in Atlanta, Kevin Garnett dumped 37 points on Jordan’s East squad and went home with the MVP award. KG, 26 years old at the time and in his eighth NBA season, added nine boards and five steals in one of the most dominant All-Star Game performances in history. Adding insult to injury, Jordan cried at halftime.

4. 2001: Allen Iverson and the Comeback

Allen Iverson is a cult hero in Philadelphia for being a scrappy, win-at-all-costs guard who attacked opposing defenses with a certain fearlessness. So it made perfect sense that when the East trailed the West by 21 points in the fourth quarter, AI took over. Iverson scored 15 of his 25 points during an incredible run that gave the Eastern Conference a memorable come-from-behind, 125-124 win.

3. 1962: Wilt Sets the Record

Through the years, the NBA All-Star Game’s produced some incredible individual performances. None have ever eclipsed the gaudy 42 points Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored in the 1962 game. It remains an All-Star Game record. Quite possibly more impressive than the 43 he scored was who he scored it against. The West’s starting lineup that day incuded some of the best of all-time: Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Bob Petit and Walt Bellamy.

1998: Be Like Mike

Michael Jordan had a superhuman ability to get himself in “the zone” in big moments, which is to say he made big shots when they mattered most. He was unconscious in those crucial times and once said “the basket is like a big old bucket.” During All-Star Weekend in 1988 in Chicago, the greatest Bulls player of them all was clicking on all cylinders. He won his second consecutive Slam Dunk Contest the night before and in the All-Star Game itself, Jordan scored 40 points, two shy of the record.

1992: Magic’s Magical Return

Truthfully, if Magic Johnson hadn’t scored a single point, just him playing in the 1992 All-Star Game would have placed him at the top of this list. The context: Before the start of the 1991-92 season, Johnson shocked the world when he announced he was retiring from the NBA after contracting HIV. Against some of the best players of all-time, Johnson dominated just as he did throughout his career in an inspirational display of human spirit. Johnson scored 25 points and recorded nine assists in a 153-113 West win.

Tags
Best