When Did The Nba All Star Game Start?

The NBA All Star Game is one of the most highly anticipated events of the basketball season. Fans from all over the world tune in to watch the best players in the league go head-to-head in a showcase of their skills. But when did this annual event first start?

The Early Days

The first NBA All-Star Game was played on March 2, 1951, at Boston Garden. The game was originally created to be a one-time event to raise money for the players’ pension fund. The Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated the Western Conference All-Stars, 111-94. George Mikan was named the first NBA All-Star Game MVP.

The First Game

The first National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on March 2, 1951, at Boston Garden. The game featured the Eastern Division All-Stars against the Western Division All-Stars.
The Eastern Division team was led by Boston Celtics player and future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, who scored 10 points and had nine assists. The West was led by Minneapolis Lakers player George Mikan, who scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The game was played in front of a then-record crowd of 10,094 fans and ended with the East defeating the West 74–60.

The First Few Years

The first few All-Star games were nothing like the high-flying, slam dunk extravaganza that fans know and love today. In fact, the game was quite slow and methodical, with players sticking to set plays and little defense being played. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that things started to change, as players began to experiment with more creative moves on the court.

This new style of play reached its peak in the 1950s, when players like Bob Cousy and Bill Russell pioneered a fast-paced, exciting brand of basketball that is still prevalent in the modern game. From there, the All-Star game continued to evolve, with new rules and format changes being introduced over time. Today, it stands as one of the most popular events in all of professional sports.

The Modern Era

The first All-Star Game was played on this day in 1951. It was a game to showcase the talents of the best players in the National Basketball Association. Oscar Robertson was the leading vote-getter and was selected as the captain of the team. The game was so successful that it has been held every year since.

The Current Format

The current format of the NBA All-Star Game was introduced in 1951. Prior to that, the All-Star Game was played between teams representing the Eastern and Western divisions of the NBA. The current format pits an All-Star team from the Eastern Conference against an All-Star team from the Western Conference.

The game is played in a regulation four quarter format, with each quarter being twelve minutes long. However, in the event that the score is tied at the end of regulation time, two additional five-minute overtimes are played. If the score is still tied after those two overtimes, the game ends in a tie.

Points are awarded for baskets made, with three points awarded for baskets made from beyond the three point line. Free throws are worth one point each. There are no defensive players in the game, so points can be scored quite easily. As a result, scores in the NBA All-Star Game are often quite high.

In recent years, some changes have been made to the format of the game in order to make it more competitive. For example, each team is now allowed to choose which player they want to take a shot whenever they score 24 points or more in any one quarter. In addition, both teams are given an additional point whenever they win one of the four quarters. These changes help to create a more evenly matched contest and prevent one team from running away with an easy victory.

The Most Recent Game

The 67th NBA All-Star Game was played on February 18, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The Western Conference won the game 148–145. LeBron James was named the All-Star MVP for a record third time.