1) H-O-R-S-E, 2009-2010

A longtime staple of backyards, blacktops, and NBA practice courts everywhere, H-O-R-S-E was broadcast on CBS during the ’77-’78 season, in year long tournament featuring various NBA stars. It aired for only one season but left a lasting impression on a certain generation of fans, who were especially excited when a revival was announced for the 2009 All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. But this version of H-O-R-S-E was doomed from the start. Three players competed instead of the traditional one-on-one format, which necessitated convoluted formatting and rules. The event was staged independently, aside from the usual Saturday Night events, and on an outdoor half court in front of just a smattering of seemingly disinterested fans. The players approached it conservatively, avoiding more entertaining but also potentially embarrassing attempts like back-to-the-basket heaves. But possibly the biggest sin of all was selling sponsorship rights to GEICO, who changed the competition from H-O-R-S-E to G-E-I-C-O. Like Star Wars or punk rock, it was obvious that something fun, offbeat, and vital in the ’70s could only be revived in the ’00s as a bland, corporate slog. As dull as the 2009 contest was, the 2010 competition topped it by devolving into a three-point shooting contest because the broadcast ran out of time. After Kevin Durant won both editions (and for his efforts received one of the oddest trophies in sports history, resembling a diorama built by a third grader), the NBA rightfully pulled the plug.

2) 2Ball Contest, 1998-2001

With the Slam Dunk Contest becoming increasingly stale in the ’90s, the NBA opted to scrap it altogether for the 1998 All-Star Weekend in New York. It wasn’t clear at the time whether the dunking exhibition would ever return, but the derided contest got a boost when the NBA replaced it with a dull variation of around-the-world called 2Ball. It involved a team of two players attempting to score from various locations on the court during a 60-second period. Basically a more convoluted, less exciting version of the Three-Point Contest. At least it marked the beginning of the NBA incorporating women into All-Star Saturday Night, with WNBA All-Stars like Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and others joining forces with NBA superstars like Clyde Drexler, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone. Even though the Slam Dunk Contest came back in 2000 (the 1999 All-Star Game was cancelled due to the lockout), the NBA kept 2Ball active for three years before scrapping it for the Hoop-It-Up Tournament. Almost two decades later, the ultimately legacy of 2Ball is a video game. A limited edition PlayStation version of the event was given away as a promotional item during the 1998 All-Star Weekend and is now considered one of the rarest video games ever developed.

3) Hoop-It-Up Tournament, 2002-2003

Maybe the NBA was just ahead of its time with this one, as 3×3 basketball has increased exponentially in popularity recently and will soon be an Olympic sport. But in 2002, a half-hearted, abbreviated three-on-three tournament didn’t exactly thrill fans. There were four teams which each featured four competitors: One current NBA player, one NBA legend (though I was prepared to put “legend” in quotation marks, to be fair this competition did draw Magic Johnson and Moses Malone), one current WNBA player, and one celebrity (including Jamie Foxx and Justin Timberlake). In 2002 there were four teams, and while some players like Johnson didn’t even care enough to take off their warm-up pants, others like Sarunas Marciulionis put in a cursory enough effort to keep the fans mildly interested. Marciulionis led Sacramento to the inaugural victory, teaming up with Hedo Turkoglu, Ticha Penichiero, and Tom Cavanaugh (who played the titular character in the TV show Ed). Hoop-It-Up returned in 2003 in Atlanta with just two teams and then was unceremoniously dumped by 2004. Probably the two most memorable lasting images of Hoop-It-Up were Malone posting up the much smaller Tina Thompson in 2002, and Dominique Wilkins proving in 2003 that he could still throw down powerful dunks.

4) Legends Classic, 1957, 1964, 1984-1993

The concept of an NBA old-timer’s game goes all the way back to 1957. Staged before the All-Star Game in Boston in honor of the league’s 10th anniversary, it featured some of the NBA’s earliest stars like Connie Simmons and Max Zaslofsky. When the All-Star Game returned to Boston Garden in 1964, the old-timer’s game was revived and this time coincidentally well timed. As the legends were out on the court playing, headlined by the recently retired former players association president Bob Cousy, the current All-Stars were in the locker room threatening a strike, mainly in demand of a pension plan for retired players. That 1964 NBA old-timer’s game was mostly forgotten but not by NBA marketing director Rick Welts, who was inspired by memories of the event to develop the concept of All-Star Saturday Night. Alongside the inaugural Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest in 1984, there was the Legends Classic, which remained a staple for 10 years. The games themselves could hardly be called “classics” but they did attract a host of legends over the years, including Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Earl Monroe, and Cousy, who participated for the last time at age 58 in 1987. Just as you would expect from a basketball game with aging former players, injuries were rampant. In the 1992 edition, David Thompson and Norm Nixon both tore their knees, impelling the NBA to shut down the event.

5) Rookies Game, 1994-1998
6) Rookie Challenge, 2000-2011

In 1994 the NBA replaced the Legends Classic with its polar opposite, a Rookies Game. It lasted for five editions, initially pitting two randomly selected teams against each other but eventually adopting an East vs. West format. Over the years, it featured burgeoning superstars like Chris Webber, Allen Iverson, and Kobe Bryant, but maybe the most notable moment was in 1997, when the NBA brought in Red Auerbach and Red Holzman as coaches in honor of the league’s 50th anniversary. When the 1999 All-Star Game was cancelled due to the lockout, the NBA came back with a new format in 2000 that allowed two rookie classes to participate. The new Rookies Challenge featured a team of rookies taking on a team of “sophomores,” i.e., second year players. Originally conceived as a one-off event, the configuration was retained when the first edition was an upset win for the rookies, led by MVP Elton Brand. The Rookies Game continued on for over a decade, with the rosters reading as a who’s who of future legends (Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul) and draft busts (Adam Morrison, Greg Oden, Johnny Flynn). In 2012, the NBA scrapped it again and rebuilt it as the Rising Stars Challenge, with the same basic concept but ever changing formats and bells and whistles. While some form of a rookie game will likely remain a staple of the All-Star Weekend for years to come, perhaps it’s time for a Legends Classic to return to take advantage of recently retired superstars like Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, and more.