1992 NBA All-Star Game
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| Date | February 9, 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Arena | Orlando Arena | ||||||||||||||||||
| City | Orlando, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Magic Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Michael Bolton | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | |||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Vanilla Ice | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 14,272 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Network |
NBC TNT (All-Star Saturday) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers |
Dick Enberg and Mike Fratello Bob Neal, Doug Collins and Hubie Brown (All-Star Saturday) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NBA All-Star Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was the 42nd edition of the All-Star Game. The event took place at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. The West defeated the East, 153–113. The game is most remembered for the return of Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who retired before the 1991–92 NBA season after contracting HIV. Johnson won the MVP award after winning memorable one-on-one showdowns with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan and then sinking a long three pointer to close the game, as the final 14½ seconds that remained on the clock were not played.
The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was broadcast by NBC for the second consecutive year.
Introduction
The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was played amongst some of the best players of the East and West conference teams. Several of the players in the All-Star Game were members from the historical Olympic basketball team known as the "Dream Team". Amongst these elite players, was one athlete who stood out from everyone else, Earvin Johnson, also known as Magic Johnson, who just came out of retirement. Also among the NBA All-Star Game, were the famed players Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, and James Worthy, who helped to prove that the 1992 All-Star teams were statistically the best teams to have played.
Teams
The players on the East Conference were Michael Jordan from the Chicago Bulls, Isiah Thomas from the Detroit Pistons, Patrick Ewing from the New York Knicks, Scottie Pippen from the Chicago Bulls, Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers, Mark Price from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brad Daugherty from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe Dumars from the Detroit Pistons, Reggie Lewis from the Boston Celtics, Dennis Rodman from the Detroit Pistons, Michael Adams from the Washington Bullets, Kevin Willis from the Atlanta Hawks, Dominique Wilkins from the Atlanta Hawks, and Larry Bird from the Boston Celtics. Together they scored a total of 113 points. On the West there was Magic Johnson from the L.A. Lakers, Clyde Drexler from the Portland Trail Blazers, David Robinson from the San Antonio Spurs, Karl Malone from the Utah Jazz, Chris Mullin from the Golden State Warriors, Tim Hardaway from the Golden State Warriors, Jeff Hornacek from the Phoenix Suns, Dan Majerle from the Phoenix Suns, Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets, Otis Thorpe from the Houston Rockets, Dikembe Mutombo from the Denver Nuggets, John Stockton from the Utah Jazz, and James Worthy from the L.A. Lakers. They scored 153 points for their team.
Magic Johnson
The 1992 All-Star Game was a game that most basketball fans will never forget. It was a game that went down in history as having some of the best players ever to play. One of the most well-known players was Magic Johnson, who as stated above was infected with HIV and decided that this game would be his last. He put up an incredible performance, and scored a three pointer in the final seconds of the game. After coming out of retirement, Magic Johnson performed his very best after retirement in the 1992 All-Star Game. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe stated, "It was supposed to be a swan song, one of professional sport's most emotional and riveting moments: the farewell of Magic Johnson from the NBA and perhaps mainstream society after announcing that he had contracted HIV." He also went on to say that Johnson's appearance was inspirational. Not only did the 1992 All-Star Game have some of the best players ever played, it was also probably one of the most emotional games ever played.
Conclusion
The NBA's 1992 All-Star Game was the 42nd edition of the All-Star Game. The game took place in the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida in 1992. The game is most memorable thanks to the return of Magic Johnson, who had retired before the 1991–1992 season. Johnson went on to win MVP of the game and beat one-on-one showdowns against Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. Many big name players and later NBA Hall of Famers such as James Worthy and Michael Jordan also competed in this game. The game ended with the West defeating the East 153–113.
Rosters
| Pos. | Player | Team | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | |||
| HC | Phil Jackson | Chicago Bulls | 1st |
| Starters | |||
| PG | Isiah Thomas | Detroit Pistons | 11th |
| SG | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 8th |
| SF | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | 12th (DNP) |
| PF | Charles Barkley | Philadelphia 76ers | 6th |
| C | Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks | 6th |
| Reserves | |||
| PG | Michael Adams | Washington Bullets | 1st |
| C | Brad Daugherty | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4th |
| SG/PG | Joe Dumars | Detroit Pistons | 3rd |
| SG/SF | Reggie Lewis | Boston Celtics | 1st |
| SF | Scottie Pippen | Chicago Bulls | 2nd |
| PG | Mark Price | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2nd |
| PF | Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons | 2nd |
| SF | Dominique Wilkins | Atlanta Hawks | 7th (DNP) |
| PF/C | Kevin Willis | Atlanta Hawks | 1st |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | |||
| HC | Don Nelson | Golden State Warriors | 1st |
| Starters | |||
| PG | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 12th |
| SG | Clyde Drexler | Portland Trail Blazers | 6th |
| SF | Chris Mullin | Golden State Warriors | 4th |
| PF | Karl Malone | Utah Jazz | 5th |
| C | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | 3rd |
| Reserves | |||
| PG | Tim Hardaway | Golden State Warriors | 2nd |
| SG | Jeff Hornacek | Phoenix Suns | 1st |
| SF/SG | Dan Majerle | Phoenix Suns | 1st |
| C | Dikembe Mutombo | Denver Nuggets | 1st |
| C | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 7th |
| PG | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 4th |
| PF/C | Otis Thorpe | Houston Rockets | 1st |
| SF | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers | 7th |
- Both Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins were selected but did not play due to injury. Kevin Willis replaced Wilkins. Michael Adams replaced Bird on the roster with Scottie Pippen starting in Bird's place.
- The rosters included 11 of the 12 players who would be part of the Dream Team, which won gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Boxscore
Western All-Stars
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Eastern All-Stars
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Game data
- Attendance: 14,272
- Officials: Darell Garretson, Joe Crawford, Tommy Nuñez
- Broadcast Network: NBC
- Announce Team: Dick Enberg and Mike Fratello