A yearly event since 1951 (with Saturday Night element added in 1986), the mid-season exhibitions highlight the league’s best and brightest, with varying degrees of interest and effort but always some level of intrigue
FEATURED LISTS
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
Many of the greatest players of all time have added All-Star MVP to their list of accomplishments but these 12 legends, many of whom earned league MVP and/or Finals MVP never added the ultimate All-Star honor to their trophy case.
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Off the mark: Eight legendary players who struggled in the Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point Contest has easily overtaken the Slam Dunk Contest as the biggest star power draw of All-Star Saturday Night but occasionally those superstars fall flat on their face in the unique competition.
Unexcused absence: Nine players who missed the All-Star Game for reasons other than injury
Joel Embiid and Julius Randle are joining a long list of players who have sat out the All-Star Game due to injury but here are the more rare examples where other life events and factors got in the way.
All-Star Saturday to Sunday pipeline: Ranking the careers of the 31 Slam Dunk Contest winners
In the 38th edition of the Slam Dunk Contest, Mac McClung became the 31st player to take home the crown and the first to do so without appearing in an NBA game during the regular season (thus far). For those previous 30 winners, how did the rest of their career go?
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
Many of the greatest players of all time have added All-Star MVP to their list of accomplishments but these 12 legends, many of whom earned league MVP and/or Finals MVP never added the ultimate All-Star honor to their trophy case.
A supposedly fun thing I’ll never do again: 28 notable players with just one NBA All-Star appearance
Almost 3,000 NBA players have had their careers come and go without an All-Star appearance. That’s some solace for these 28 who were named to the yearly roster only once, for reasons ranging from injuries to unlucky trades to suspensions to even untimely death.
Bombs away: 22 all-time greatest NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest competitors
With the NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Contest surprisingly happening again in 2021, we take a look back at the all-time greats in the event, ranking them based on the criteria of number of times competing, number of times reaching the semifinals/finals, number of titles, highest score, and average score.
Flying high: Ranking the 34 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contests
From Jordan and ‘Nique to Zach LaVine, Vinsanity, and everybody in between, it’s the best and worst of the NBA’s All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.
Haven’t had the honor: 19 most deserving players never named to an All-Star team
As the NBA once again preps to honor its best and brightest in the yearly All-Star Game, here’s the greatest players in league history that never quite reached that summit of recognition.
Back to the drawing board: Six defunct NBA All-Star Weekend events
Though the All-Star Game itself has been a constant since its debut at Boston Garden in 1951, and the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest have become institutions, there are plenty of other All-Star Weekend events that have come and gone, leaving their own set of (often hilarious) memories.
Who invited that guy?: 13 worst players with a post-merger NBA All-Star appearance
Though All-Star Games are typically an accurate indicator of who were the best (or, in some cases, most popular) players in a given year, sometimes players just sneak in, maybe in an off-year for talent or maybe for other reasons.