The Best and Worst NBA All Star Game Performances
Contents
- The best All-Star game performances in NBA history
- The worst All-Star Game performances in NBA history
- The best All-Star Game performances by active NBA players
- The worst All-Star game performances by active NBA players
- The best All-Star game performances by retired NBA players
- The worst All-Star game performances by retired NBA players
- The best All-Star Game performances by international NBA players
- The worst All-Star game performances by international NBA players
- The best All-Star Game performances by Female NBA players
- The worst All-Star Game performances by female NBA players
Looking back at the history of the NBA All Star Game there have been some truly amazing performances. But there have also been some real duds. Here’s a look at the best and worst of the bunch.
The best All-Star game performances in NBA history
Since the first NBA All-Star Game was played in 1951, there have been some truly remarkable performances. From Wilt Chamberlain’s record-setting 42 points in 1962 to Michael Jordan’s 63-point explosion in 1998, the All-Star Game has seen some of the greatest players in history put on a show.
But not every All-Star Game performance is a masterpiece. In fact, there have been some downright awful performances over the years. From Kobe Bryant’s airball-filled showing in 1997 to Shaquille O’Neal’s 0-for-11 dud in 2003, the All-Star game has also seen its fair share of stinkers.
So which All-Star Game performances stand out above the rest? Here are the five best and five worst All-Star Game performances in NBA history
The Best:
1. Wilt Chamberlain 1962: 42 points, 24 rebounds
2. Bob Pettit, 1962: 41 points, 23 rebounds
3. Oscar Robertson 1961: 30 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds
4. Michael Jordan 1998: 23 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds
5. Julius Erving 1977: 30 points
The worst All-Star Game performances in NBA history
In an otherwise light-hearted event meant to celebrate the NBA’s best players, some individuals have stood out – but not always in a good way. Here are some of the worst All-Star Game performances in NBA history
Gheorghe Muresan – 1997
The 7-foot-7 Romanian center put up a historically bad line in the 1997 All-Star Game going scoreless in 11 minutes while shooting 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-2 from the Free Throw Line To add insult to injury, Muresan also committed four fouls and turned the ball over three times.
Kobe Bryant – 2003
In his first All-Star Game appearance, a 20-year-old Kobe Bryant shot an abysmal 1-for-12 from the field and 0-for-6 from three-point range finishing with just four points in 22 minutes. It was easily the worst shooting performance among all players who saw significant minutes in that game.
LeBron James – 2011
Despite putting up a triple double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Lebron James will likely want to forget his 2011 All-Star Game performance. James shot just 9-for-26 from the field – missing 14 of his 20 shots outside the paint – and he also turned the ball over eight times, more than any other player in that game.
The best All-Star Game performances by active NBA players
In the history of the NBA All-Star Game, there have been some truly amazing individual performances. From Wilt Chamberlain’s record-setting 42 points in 1962 to Michael Jordan’s unforgettable 30-point comeback in 2003, the best players in the league have often saved their best for the midseason exhibition.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best All-Star Game performances by active NBA players To qualify for this list, a player must have been named to an All-Star team at least once in his career.
1. Lebron James 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists per game
2. Kevin Durant 30.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game
3. Kawhi Leonard 27.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game
4. Anthony Davis 26.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots per game
5.. Russell Westbrook 24.0 points, 8..4 assists, 7..3 rebounds per game
The worst All-Star game performances by active NBA players
Since the 1950s, the NBA All-Star Game has been a time for the league’s best players to show off their skills in front of a global audience. But not every player who’s suited up for the game has lived up to the hype.
In fact, some of the worst All-Star Game performances have come from active NBA players Here’s a look at 10 of the most disappointing showings by current NBA Stars
10. Kobe Bryant 2013
Kobe Bryant had a chance to redeem himself in 2013 after a lackluster showing in 2012, but he fell short again. The Lakers star scored just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, and he looked visibly tired throughout the game.
9. Carmelo Anthony 2014
Carmelo Anthony had one of the worst statistical games ever by an All-Star starter in 2014. The Knicks forward scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting, and he committed four turnovers in 26 minutes of play.
8. Dwyane Wade 2015
Dwyane Wade followed up his poor performance in 2014 with an even worse showing in 2015. The Miami Heat star scored just five points on 2-of-9 shooting, and he was a -24 during his 19 minutes on the court.
7. Russell Westbrook 2016
Russell Westbrook had a chance to redeem himself after a poor showing in 2015, but he failed again in 2016. The Thunder guard scored just 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting, and he looked out of sync with his All-Star teammates all night long.
6. Lebron James 2017
Lebron James had one of the worst statistical games of his career in 2017. The Cavaliers forward scored just 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting, and he also turned the ball over seven times in 31 minutes of play
The best All-Star game performances by retired NBA players
In the history of the NBA, there have been some truly great All-Star game performances by retired players. From Wilt Chamberlain to Magic Johnson these legends brought their best to the court and left us with some unforgettable memories.
On the other hand, there have also been some real duds. We’re talking about players who simply didn’t show up on All-Star Sunday. Maybe they were nervous, maybe they were just having an off day. Whatever the reason, they just couldn’t get it going.
So which retired players had the best and worst All-Star game performances? Let’s take a look.
Wilt Chamberlain is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history and he did not disappoint in the All-Star game In 1962, Chamberlain set an All-Star Game record with 42 points and 24 rebounds. He followed that up with another record-setting performance in 1963, this time putting up 41 points and 26 rebounds. Chamberlain was simply dominant in the All-Star game and his performances are still considered among the best in history.
On the other hand, we have All-Star dud Jerry West A 14-time All-Star and one of basketball’s all-time greats, West just couldn’t get it going in the 1968 All-Star Game He finished with just four points on 2-for-12 shooting from the field. It was easily the worst performance of his illustrious career.
The worst All-Star game performances by retired NBA players
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star game is a game that features some of the best players in the NBA. However, not all of the players who have participated in the All-Star Game have had great performances. In fact, some of them have had extremely poor performances. Here is a list of the worst All-Star Game performances by retired NBA players
Kobe Bryant: In his final All-Star Game in 2016, Kobe Bryant scored just 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field. It was a very disappointing end to his All-Star Game career.
Michael Jordan: In his final All-Star game in 2003, Michael Jordan scored just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field. It was a very disappointing end to his All-Star Game career.
Shaquille O’Neal: In his final All-Star Game in 2009, Shaquille O’Neal scored just eight points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field. It was a very disappointing end to his All-Star Game career.
The best All-Star Game performances by international NBA players
In the history of the NBA All-Star Game there have been some incredible performances by International Players Here are some of the best (and worst) All-Star Game performances by international NBA players
The best All-Star Game performances by international NBA players
1. Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) – 2011 All-Star Game
Stat line: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists
Dirk Nowitzki was named MVP of the 2011 All-Star Game after leading the Western Conference to a 148-143 victory over the Eastern Conference Nowitzki finished the game with 29 points and 12 rebounds and was one of only four players to score 20 or more points in the game.
2. Pau Gasol (Spain) – 2009 All-Star Game
Stat line: 18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists
Pau Gasol was named co-MVP of the 2009 All-Star Game alongside Shaquille O’Neal after leading the Western Conference to a 146-119 victory over the Eastern Conference Gasol finished the game with 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, becoming only the second player in All-Star Game history to record a double-double while also dishing out six or more assists.
3. Tony Parker (France) – 2006 All-Star Game
Stat line: 24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Tony Parker was named co-MVP of the 2006 All-Star game alongside Lebron James after leading the Western Conference to a 122-120 victory over the Eastern Conference Parker finished the game with 24 points and five assists, becoming only the third player in All-Star Game history to record 20 or more points and five or more assists while also shooting 60 percent or better from the field.
4. Steve Nash (Canada) – 2005 All-Star Game
Stat line: 15 points, 11 assists, 3 rebounds
Steve Nash was named MVP of the 2005 All-Star game after leading the Western Conference to a 133-132 overtime victory over the Eastern Conference Nash finished the game with 15 points and 11 assists, becoming only the second player in All Star Game history to record a double double while also shooting 50 percent or better from three point range.
5. Dikembe Mutombo (Congo) – 2001 All Star Game
Stat line: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks
Dikembe Mutombo was named co MVP ofthe 2001All Star Gamewith Allen Iverson after leadingthe Eastern Conferanceto a 111 1O9victory Western Conference He becameoneoftwoplayerstoeverbetthedouble digit reboundand block markin anAll Star Gamewhilealsobecomingthefirst player inthehistoryofthe eventtorecorda triple double
The worst All-Star game performances by international NBA players
The worst All-Star Game performances by international NBA players
In the 2015 All-Star Game the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 163-158. It was a close game but there were some poor individual performances.
Serbian center Vlade Divac had the worst statistics of any player in the game, going 0 for 4 from the field and finishing with zero points, two rebounds and two turnovers in 14 minutes of play.
Other international players who had poor showings included Croatian forward Mateen Cleaves (zero points, one rebound, one turnover in nine minutes), Argentine guard Emanuel Ginobili (two points, one rebound, four turnovers in 15 minutes) and Turkish center Mehmet Okur (two points, three rebounds, one turnover in 11 minutes).
The best All-Star Game performances by Female NBA players
The All-Star Game is the annual showcase of the best players in the NBA. But for female players it can be an opportunity to prove that they belong on the same court as the men.
In 2017, Brittney Griner became the first woman to dunk in an All-Star Game She was joined by Tina Charles and Nneka Ogwumike as the only women to ever score 10 or more points in an All-Star Game
But not all female All-Stars have had such success. In fact, some have struggled mightily against the men. Below is a list of the best and worst All-Star Game performances by female NBA players
The best:
Brittney Griner – 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Tina Charles – 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Nneka Ogwumike – 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
The worst:
Candace Parker – 2 points, 3 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Diana Taurasi – 3 points, 1 rebound, 4 turnovers
The worst All-Star Game performances by female NBA players
Since the inaugural NBA All-Star Game in 1951, there have been a number of memorable performances by both male and female players However, not all of these performances have been positive – some female NBA players have had particularly poor showings in the game. Here are some of the worst All-Star Game performances by female NBA players
Tina Thompson – In 1998, Thompson put up a measly two points in 14 minutes of play. This was one of the lowest scoring outputs in All-Star Game history, and it was particularly disappointing coming from a player like Thompson who was considered one of the best players in the league at the time.
Chamique Holdsclaw – In 1999, Holdsclaw had a chance to redeem herself after her poor showing the previous year, but she once again disappointed with a lackluster performance. She managed to score just four points in 13 minutes on the court.
Candace Parker – Parker had a chance to make history in 2009 when she became the first woman to ever start in an All-Star Game However, she didn’t make much of an impact on the game itself, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes of play.