NBA All-Star Saturday: '97 and Today

I first watched NBA All-Star Saturday at my aunt’s house eleven years ago as a boy of eight. The festivities that year were being held in Cleveland, and I was really excited about it since this was my first year following basketball for a full year.

As a Bulls fan, I was excited to know Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen would be playing the game the following night, but I wanted to see what was going on the night before.

First up was the Rookie Game sponsored by Schick.  Unlike the rookie-sophomore matchup they have now, this game matched up the best rookies from the East and West.  The East won and a young 76ers guard named Allen Iverson was named MVP of the game.

After that game, a contest winner had a shot at winning $1 million by taking a shot behind the three-point line.  After concentrating for a few moments, the man took his shot, and the ball hit the right side of the backboard without even hitting the rim.

I got excited for the AT&T 3-Point Shootout because Bull Steve Kerr was in it.  He did especially well in the final two rounds and won the contest.  Scottie Pippen was sitting courtside getting all excited for his teammate.  He and Michael wouldn’t be the only Bulls making All-Star headlines this year.

The last event of the evening was the Slam Dunk Contest sponsored by Nestle Crunch.  Who would have thought of a candy bar sponsoring a contest like this?  19-year-old Kobe Bryant won the competition, but my favorite part of the entire thing may have been Michael Finley’s attempted cartwheel and dunk, which was not successful.  I remember the camera drawing a line for a second as it was following him.My first All-Star Saturday was over.

The weekend has changed since then.  The Rookie Game, now the Rookie Challenge, is held on Friday night.  The Shooting Stars Competition has replaced the short-lived 2Ball Contest. Personally, I think the Skills Challenge should be a regular drill for NBA players.  Then again, many players probably do similar drills when they work out.

The 3-Point Shootout, now sponsored by Foot Locker, has six competitors instead of eight.  The Slam Dunk Contest, now sponsored by Sprite, was put on hiatus after the ’97 competition due to lack of interest.  It has since been revived and now features four dunkers instead of six.

My final assessment:  as much as I loved my first Saturday, it’s much better now.  Even watching Charles Barkley race Dick Bavetta is entertaining.

Also, my NBA Live game says Peja Stojakovic will win the 3-Point Shootout again this year and Gerald Green will defend his dunk crown.

Everyone have fun watching it this year.