2016 NBA ALL-STAR

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Dr. James Naismith Basketball’s Founding Father

Northern Roots O Canada

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Kobe Bryant’s All-Star Excellence

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COMMISSIONER’S LETTER Dear Fans, On behalf of the Toronto Raptors and the NBA, welcome to NBA All-Star 2016. This year marks the first NBA All-Star to be held outside the United States, a milestone for our game and league. This season’s opening night rosters featured 100 international players, including a record-tying 12 Canadians. Our match-ups are seen in 215 countries and territories, and our social media community of nearly one billion fans is immersed in every facet of the NBA. With basketball’s popularity growing all over the world, NBA All-Star 2016 represents a truly global celebration of a game created 125 years ago by a Canadian, Dr. James Naismith. As always, our marquee midseason event will include traditional fan favorites like the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Verizon Slam Dunk and the All-Star Game itself, as well as our first ever NBA Centre Court at Enercare Centre. NBA Centre Court is the week’s central fan event, connecting visitors to their favorite teams and players through authentic NBA experiences, activities on more than 40 courts and baskets and appearances by NBA Legends. The league once again hosted our annual NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service on Friday. Thanks to the support of SAP and State Farm, this year’s Day of Service saw almost 1,000 members of the NBA family and All-Star guests rolling up their sleeves to sort and repack more than 110,000 pounds of food to benefit 30,000 Canadians in need. Also on Friday was our first-ever Jr. NBA Day presented by Under Armour, where more than 2,500 kids participated in clinics with current and former NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League players. Thank you to the Raptors and the people of Toronto for welcoming NBA All-Star to The North. We’re thrilled to be here, and we hope you enjoy the show.

JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Sincerely,

Adam Silver NBA Commissioner

NBA All-Star 2016 |

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CONTENTS NBA All-Star 2016 Commemorative Program February 12-14, 2016

Features 16 Toronto Basketball Timeline Editor in Chief Ming Wong Design Director Kengyong Shao Associate Editors Dan Holzhauer, John Martin Assistant Editors Phil D’Apolito, Adam Kaufman Copy Editor Trevor Kearney Contributing Writers Seth Berkman, Michael Bradley, Jon Cooper, John Fawaz, Holly MacKenzie, Jeramie McPeek, ML Zeysing

Professional Sports Publications 519 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212) 697-1460 Fax: (646) 753-9480 Executive VP Operations Jeff Botwinick Executive VP, Business Development Martin Lewis Executive VP, Sales Steve Farkas Executive VP, Sales Mitch Gibbs Executive VP, Team Relations Dave Gerschwer Executive Vice President Julie Wong Manager, Marketing Services Aron Sawyer Production Manager Jaime Ziegler

National Basketball Association President and Executive Producer, Content Danny Meiseles Senior Vice President, Corporate and Special Services Jarad Franzreb Senior VP, Content Production Paul Hirschheimer Senior VP, Entertainment & Player Marketing Charlie Rosenzweig Executive Vice President, Communications Mike Bass Vice President, Editorial and Daily Content John Hareas President, Global Operations and Merchandising Sal LaRocca Vice President, Global Merchandising Group Matt Holt Manager, Global Merchandising Group Wonnie Song Associate Coordinator, Global Merchandising Group Harley Opolinsky Vice President, NBA Photos Joe Amati Director, NBA Photos Imaging David Bonilla Senior Specialist, NBA Photos Brian Choi Specialist, NBA Photos Kevin Wright

All NBA photos appearing in the 2016 Official NBA All-Star Commemorative Program, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBA Entertainment. All WNBA photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of WNBA Enterprises. All NBDL photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBDL Enterprises. © 2016 Professional Sports Publications. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of publisher is prohibited. PRINTED IN THE USA

The NBA’s first game (as the Basketball Association of America) tipped off in Toronto, but it would be 50 years later that the city would have its first NBA franchise. The 6 has more than made up for the late start, amassing plenty of history in its relatively short but impactful 21 years in the NBA.

26 More Than a Game

Dr. James Naismith never sought out to make history. What started out as an improvisational indoor activity that featured some peach baskets and a ball to quell restless students in the New England winter has morphed into a game that is arguably the world’s most popular sport.

34 Northern Roots

Canada is known as a hockey-centric country, but thanks to the two decades-plus of the Toronto Raptors, two-time MVP and native son Steve Nash, and high flying Raptor Vince Carter, kids have been dropping their hockey skates for basketball sneakers, making Canada a new pipeline of NBA talent.

43 The Jump-Off

As rich in basketball tradition as cities like New York, Boston and Los Angeles might be, none of those can lay claim to having hosted the first NBA game. That distinction would go to Toronto, where the NBA (then known as the Basketball Association of America) tipped off the first game on Nov. 1, 1946 between the Knicks and the Toronto Huskies.

50 Undiscovered Star

Relative to fellow All-Star MVPs, Adrian Smith’s career might pale in comparison. He didn’t go on to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, win multiple championships or earn other vaunted accolades. In fact, Smith didn’t even go on to play in another All-Star Game. But in 1966, Smith outshined every other star in the League.

55 All-Star Supernova

This will be Kobe Bryant’s 18th All-Star, giving him the second-most selections (behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19). Through the years, Bryant has given NBA fans plenty of February memories—a Slam Dunk title, four All-Star MVPs and countless highlights. In his final All-Star, it’s only fitting that we go through all the indelible moments in Kobe’s All-Star career.

65 Navid Fan

As ride-or-die superfans go, no one—sorry, Jack—can hold a candle to Nav Bhatia. The Toronto Raptors fanatic has not missed a game in more than two decades, is on a first-name basis with Raptors players from Damon Stoudamire to DeMar DeRozan, is the official South Asian Community Ambassador for the team and can claim Drake as a “a dear friend,” making him as much of the Raptors’ DNA as the dinosaur.

Rules & Rosters

70 East All-Stars 94 East Coaches 96 West All-Stars 120 West Coaches 124 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge 140 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest 142 Verizon Slam Dunk 144 Taco Bell Skills Challenge 146 Rules and Referees 156 All-Time All-Star Results and Roster

Departments

3 Commissioner’s Letter 8 NBA Digital 10 D-Velopments 12 NBA Cares 14 Jr. NBA 152 NBA Centre Court 154 All-Star Goods

NBA All-Star 2016 |

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This gam e is about consistency, ded icatio n and a des ire to be the absolute best. Pretty much the sam e thi ngs that hav e mad e us the number one nam e in sausage since 1945.


By Jeramie McPeek

NBA Digital SAGACIOUS RETURN

Craig Sager is feeling the love as he makes his return to All-Star.

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over the next year. “Basketball was definitely a diversion,” he explains. “It gave me something to keep track of, to keep going, to keep my mind off what I was going through.” The broadcaster’s trials continued when he was medically cleared to return to work in March 2015, but lasted just one game before relapsing. A series of “about 14 different types of chemo,” and two weeks of 24-hour-a-day treatment was followed by a stem cell transplant from his son, Craig Jr., who was discovered to be a rare 100-percent match for his father. “He’s been my inspiration and my hero, obviously,” says the elder Sager of his son, who even subbed in for him for a game, interviewing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who had developed a must-watch coach-reporter rivalry with the elder Sager at the start of every third quarter over the years. “But because of him, my body is adapting and developing his stem cells. So I’m becoming him.” Having his children and his wife, Stacy, by his side was not unexpected, of course, but the outpouring of prayers and encouragement from his extended family caught Craig Sr. by surprise. “The support I got from the NBA, the coaches and the players was phenomenal,” he says by phone from his room at MD Anderson Hospital,

where he spends five days each month undergoing maintenance chemotherapy. “Virtually every team reached out, whether it was players sending wishes, general managers sending cards, or personal visits from coaches and referees. Even Commissioner Adam Silver was calling, asking how I was doing and telling me the game wasn’t the same without me. “The studio, obviously, with Ernie [Johnson], Kenny [Smith], Charles [Barkley] and Shaq, keeping me updated and calling me. They even dressed up in Sager wardrobe at times. It was just a very therapeutic message that I was getting from people throughout the League.” After spending this past summer in the hospital, Sager was released once again, and returned to the NBA on opening night, wearing an orange suit coat, the color of leukemia awareness. He is feeling great and cannot wait to show everyone the suit he had custom made for the 2016 All-Star Game, which fittingly will be held on February 14. “It may be a little over the top, but it’s a special day for me coming back,” he said, promising lots of hearts. “And it’s a special day being Valentine’s Day. There is going to be a lot of love in that stadium.”

NOAH GRAHAM; SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

BA All-Star has always been a special time for Craig Sager. “It’s the showcase, our biggest event at Turner,” says the NBA on TNT and NBA TV reporter, perhaps best known for his often loud, always colorful sideline style. “We’ve never broadcast the Finals, but All-Star Weekend is our weekend. It’s our weekend to shine and it’s a celebration of the greatest athletes in the greatest sport all coming together at once. For me, it’s my highlight for the whole year.” This year’s celebration will be even bigger for Sager than most, however, and not just because a couple of his personal highlights, 9-year-old son Ryan and 11-year-old daughter Riley, will be ball kids on All-Star Saturday Night. No, the 64-year-old, who covered every AllStar Game from 1988-2014, will be making a triumphant return to the midseason extravaganza after missing last year’s game and most of last season battling acute myeloid leukemia. “I’ve always been positive and thought that I would get through this,” says Sager, who was first diagnosed with the disease in April of 2014. “Maybe I was naive or ignoring facts, but I always thought that I could beat this.” A postseason fixture, Sager sat out the 2014 NBA Playoffs, but watched each game intently and kept close tabs on the entire League | NBA All-Star 2016

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By Jon Cooper

D-Velopments GIVE AND GO

More prized prospects than ever are going back and forth to the NBA D-League to keep their tools sharp.

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L.A. Clippers’ C.J. Wilcox (left) and Atlanta Hawks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. have used the NBA D-League to hone their games.

had used the NBA D-League—Toronto and Boston each sending players on a League-high 16 trips, with the Raptors sending five players (forwards Bruno Caboclo and Anthony Bennett, center Luis Nogueira, and guards Delon Wright and Norman Powell), and the Celtics sending four (forward Jordan Mickey, guard/ forward James Young, and guards Terry Rozier, and R.J. Hunter). Amongst those getting NBA D-League attention are 2015 first-round picks Cameron Payne (No. 14, OKC), Rozier (No. 16), Wright (No. 20), Tyus Jones (No. 24, Cleveland, traded to Minnesota), Hunter (No. 28) and Kevon Looney (No. 30, Golden State) and second-rounders Montrezl Harrell (No. 32, Houston), Mickey (No. 33), Anthony Brown (No. 33, Lakers), Rakeem Christmas (No. 36, Minnesota, then traded to Indiana), Darrun Hilliard (No. 38, Detroit), Joseph Young (No. 43, Indiana), Powell (No. 46, Milwaukee, traded to Toronto), and Branden Dawson (No. 56, New Orleans, traded to Clippers). NBA D-League assignments have a positive physical effect, allowing these young NBA players to work on deficiencies in their games, as well as mentally, reminding them who they are and why they are part of the future of their NBA teams. “It’s extremely important,” says 6-5 shooting guard C.J. Wilcox, the 28th overall pick of the L.A. Clippers in 2014, who last year saw time with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (now the Indiana Pacers’ affiliate), and this season has

played with the Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Bakersfield Jam (Phoenix Suns). “That’s what got me here so I have to make sure that I’m at my best all times. That’s a big part of the D-League. It allows you to get into your rhythm. It makes a huge difference.” It’s a difference NBA teams are taking more advantage of than ever. Last season, NBA teams assigned 56 players—14 of them 2014 firstround picks—to the NBA D-League, making a total of 195 transactions. By January those numbers had nearly been matched as 55 players made 187 call-ups. The players feel it’s paying off. “It’s been very valuable because I get to play and work on things, be aggressive and build my confidence so when I come back up I’m ready to play,” says Orlando Magic guard Devyn Marble, a second-round pick of Denver in 2014 playing on assignment with the Erie BayHawks. “It’s just trying to find a steady diet of sending me down there to play and then also being around the team so I don’t feel alienated or not a part of the team. For me, it’s valuable.” Seeing how many NBA players are NBA D-League alumni—30 percent and rising— makes a couple of extra rides back and forth to the airport well worth the trip. “You see lots of players do it every year. Lots of big names in the NBA have been in the D-League so that’s just motivation to keep working and not give up,” says Wilcox, adding with a laugh, “I think you naturally become a better traveler. That’s what I’ve become.”

JACK ARENT; CHRIS COVATTA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

here’s a classic conundrum facing NBA teams who don’t have the luxury of giving their young players court time – how to keep these prized prospects learning within their system while keeping their skills sharp. These teams are finding an answer in the NBA Development League, where players in the first three years of their NBA careers can be assigned an unlimited number of times. It’s a commute of sorts for these up-and-comers, who are either assigned to their team’s single-affiliate minor league club, or to another NBA D-League team in need of help at their position. It’s win-win for all. “We’re big believers in using the D-League as a developmental tool,” says Atlanta Hawks Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Mike Budenholzer, whose team has had three players—guard Tim Hardaway Jr., guard/forward Lamar Patterson and center Walter “Edy” Tavares—make a combined 10 trips to the Austin Spurs (Atlanta does not have its own affiliate). “I think all the work that they put in before and after practice is very important but then it’s also important to get game reps and get game opportunities. The D-League sometimes is the best way to get those. We feel like Tim [Hardaway, Jr.] benefitted from it greatly, Mike Muscala a year or two ago used it. We’ve used it as aggressively as possible and we will continue to do so.” An assignment is often as little as one or two games, but those minutes can be a differencemaker for these minute-starved up-and-comers. “You go down there for what you were sent for, that’s to get playing time, work on your game, stay sharp in everything you do,” says Patterson, the 48th overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014. “It’s flexible. They give us a time frame where they expect to have us back but you never know. I don’t really focus on that. I focus on one game at a time. At the end of the day, it’s basketball and that’s what we love to do. As long as I can do that, I can pretty much handle everything else.” It’s not just the Hawks. Around the League, through Martin Luther King Day, 23 teams | NBA All-Star 2016

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NBA CARES A Decade of Caring This season, NBA Cares is celebrating 10 years of addressing important social issues and giving back to communities around the world. • With more than 995 Live, Learn and Play places in

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continents, the NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League’s collective efforts have allowed NBA Cares to provide safe spaces for children and families to live, learn and play. • NBA Cares at NBA All-Star 2016: Throughout the weekend, more than 35 community events will take place over 4 days, impacting tens of thousands of local youth from more than 250 schools and community based organizations.

Looking Ahead to the Next 10 Years NBA Cares is renewing its commitment to communities around the world through 2025: • Inspire play for more than 15 million youth through basketball fundamentals and values • Provide another hands-on service

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Jr. NBA COME PLAY WITH THE NBA

The NBA launches expanded youth basketball program with Jr. NBA

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his season, the NBA expanded its youth basketball efforts with the launch of the Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour, the league’s official youth basketball participation program for boys and girls ages 6-14. The Jr. NBA teaches the fundamental skills and core values of the game at the grassroots level while helping grow and improve the youth basketball experience for all.

To tip off the program in October 2015, all 30 NBA teams as well as NBA and WNBA legends participated in the inaugural Jr. NBA Week, hosting more than 100 youth basketball events and clinics. The League also announced the establishment of the Jr. NBA Leadership Council, led by the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey, who will help lead the development and growth of the program.

Canada The Jr. NBA “Rookie Division” launched for boys and girls ages 5 to 7 at 125 Jr. NBA clubs across Canada in October 2015. The Jr. NBA in Canada, founded by BMO Financial Group, incorporates age-appropriate equipment and curriculum to ensure proper development of the game at the youth level.

For more information about Jr. NBA, including registration details, log on to www.jrnba.com!

Twitter: @jrnba |

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facebook.com/jrnba |

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Come play with the NBA Boys and girls ages 6-14 can be a part of the NBA’s official youth basketball program. The Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour in the U.S. and founded by BMO in Canada provides valuable benefits to youth basketball organizations.

Jr. NBA affiliated organizations will receive: • Access to national network of Jr. NBA events • Discount uniform offers • Coaching education and professional development opportunities • Opportunities for appearances from NBA & WNBA players and legends • Access to grant funding

Go to www.JrNBA.com

to register your youth organization today!

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Nov. 4, May 15,

1993:

The NBA awards Toronto the League’s 28th franchise for an expansion fee of $125 million. A group of Toronto businessmen led by John Bitove were granted ownership of the franchise.

1994:

The franchise’s name and mascot is announced on Canadian national television after a nationwide contest to help choose the name yields the Raptors over the Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs, Scorpions, T-Rex, Tarantulas and Terriers.

May 24,

1994:

The Raptors’ logo, colors (bright red, purple, black and silver) and first general manager, Isiah Thomas, are introduced at a press conference.

JunE 2,

1995:

Brendan Malone is named as the first head coach of the Raptors. Previously, Malone had been an assistant with the Detroit Pistons.

1995:

An expansion draft is held for the League’s two new teams, the Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. With the first pick, the Raptors select B.J. Armstrong, who is subsequently traded to the Warriors for Carlos Rogers and Victor Alexander. Other picks for the Raptors include veterans Jerome Kersey, John Salley and Ed Pinckney and younger players like Tony Massenburg, Dontonio Wingfield and Acie Earl.

JunE 28,

1995:

With the seventh pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, the Raptors select Arizona point guard Damon Stoudamire. “Mighty Mouse” had led the Wildcats to the Final Four and was an All-American his senior year.

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| NBA All-Star 2016

Harry How; jonathan daniel/Getty Images; Steve Freeman; nba photos/NBAE/Getty Images

JunE 24,


By Adam Kaufman

Nov. 3,

1995:

The Raptors play their first game in history, beating the New Jersey Nets 94-79 at Toronto’s SkyDome (now known as the Rogers Centre). Alvin Robertson scores the first two points for the Raptors and finishes with 30 for the game.

Mar. 24,

1996:

The Raptors beat the Bulls at home, 109-108, handing Chicago one of only 10 losses during its recordsetting 72-win regular season. Stoudamire tallies 30 points and 11 assists in the game.

May 15,

1996:

Jonathan Daniel (2)/Getty Images; Ron Turenne; Andrew D. Bernstein; Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images

Stoudamire is named the NBA Rookie of the Year with 76 out of 113 votes, after averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 assists per game.

JunE 25,

1997:

The Raptors draft Mt. Zion High School (Durham, N.C.) phenom Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick, making the 18-year-old the youngest player in the NBA.

June 24,

1998:

With the fourth pick of the Draft, the Raptors select Antawn Jamison from the University of North Carolina. Toronto immediately trades Jamison to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the fifth pick, Vince Carter, who would be named the Rookie of the Year that season.

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Feb. 21,

1999:

The Raptors play their first game inside the new Air Canada Centre, beating the Vancouver Grizzlies 102-87 before a sellout crowd.

Feb. 12,

2000:

Vince Carter wins the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, revitalizing the event with what many consider the greatest performance throughout its history. Carter faces off against his cousin and teammate, Tracy McGrady, and the Rockets’ Steve Francis in the contest, and wins after delivering awe-inspiring dunks that included a reverse 360, an elbow hang on the rim, and a between-the-legs dunk off a bounce pass from McGrady.

Apr. 23,

2000:

The Raptors play in their first-ever playoff game, going as the sixth seed into a series against the thirdseeded Knicks. The Raptors lose that first game 92-88 and go on to get swept in three games.

2001:

The Raptors win their first-ever playoff series in a rematch against the New York Knicks. They defeat the Knicks in the fifth of a five-game series, taking a 93-89 win at Madison Square Garden, with Alvin Williams hitting the most important shot in the team’s history up to that point, to give them the lead in the final minute. In the conference semifinals, the Raptors lose to Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. The series concludes the team’s most successful season at that point, with 47 regular-season wins.

JunE 26,

2003:

The Raptors take Georgia Tech big man Chris Bosh with the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. Bosh would make the AllRookie Team and average 20.2 points and 9.4 rebounds over the next seven seasons in Toronto.

JunE 29,

2004:

Sam Mitchell is named head coach of the Raptors. Mitchell, a former player and assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, replaces Kevin O’Neill.

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ROBERT SKEOCH; JED JACOBSOHN; HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES; NATHANIEL S. BUTLER (2); JENNIFER POTTHEISER; RON TURENNE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

May 4,

| NBA All-Star 2016

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From Rookie to Pro.

After years of intense training, practical real-world experience and skills development, a few exceptional rookies rise to be professionals. Welcome to IBEW Local 353. ibew353.org


Dec. 17,

2004:

The Raptors trade Carter to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and two future first-round draft picks.

Apr. 15,

2005:

Carter returns to the Air Canada Centre for the first time since being traded, scoring 39 points on the way to a 101-90 Nets win against the Raptors.

Jan. 25,

2007:

Bosh is voted by fans as an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference, alongside Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. Bosh is the first Raptor to start the game since Carter.

Apr. 6, Apr. 24,

2007:

The Raptors clinch the Atlantic Division title with a 94-85 win over the 76ers, ensuring them homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They end the regular season as the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record.

May 14,

2007:

Bryan Colangelo is named NBA Executive of the Year after his first season as general manager of the Raptors. Colangelo oversaw a revamping of the roster that included trading for T.J. Ford, Kris Humphries and Rasho Nesterovic, signing free agents Jorge Garbajosa and Anthony Parker, drafting Andrea Bargnani and signing Bosh to a long-term deal.

JunE 27,

2009:

With the ninth pick in the NBA Draft, the Raptors select USC swingman DeMar DeRozan, a virtuosic scorer who promises to become a key part of the team for years to come.

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NATHANIEL S. BUTLER; RON TURENNE (2); JENNIFER POTTHEISER (2)/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; DAVE ABEL/GETTY IMAGES

2007:

Mitchell is named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Raptors to a franchise-record-tying 47-35 record, a 20-win increase over the previous year, and the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Mitchell is the first Raptor coach to receive the honor.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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JulY 10, JunE 21, 2010:

The Raptors complete a sign-and-trade deal sending free agent Bosh to the Miami Heat, receiving two first-round draft picks and a $16 million trade exception. The departure of Bosh leads to a period of rebuilding for the team.

2011:

Dwane Casey is hired as the new head coach of the Raptors. Casey had been an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks before the signing.

JunE 23, JulY 5, May 31, 2011:

The Raptors take Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. Valanciunas joins DeRozan as centerpieces in the rebuilding of the team’s roster.

2012:

The team acquires point guard Kyle Lowry from the Houston Rockets, giving up Gary Forbes and a protected future first-round draft pick.

2013:

Masai Ujiri signs a five-year deal to become the Raptors’ new general manager. After the previous season, Ujiri had won the NBA Executive of the Year Award as the executive vice president in charge of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets. Born in Nigeria, Ujiri is the first non-American to win the award.

2013:

Ahead of the 2013-2014 season, Toronto is revealed as the host of All-Star 2016. It is also announced that Toronto-born rapper Drake is the Raptors’ new global ambassador and a member of the franchise’s executive committee.

Jan. 30, Mar. 28,

2014:

DeMar DeRozan is named an Eastern Conference All-Star, becoming only the fourth Raptor (after Carter, Antonio Davis and Bosh) to receive the honor.

2014:

The Raptors clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2008 by beating the Boston Celtics 105-103. Toronto takes the lead as Amir Johnson tipped in a missed Lowry layup with seven seconds left. DeRozan scores 30 in the game. 22

RON TURENNE (3); DAVID SANDFORD; BILL BAPTIST/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; MIKE STOBE/GETTY IMAGES

Sept. 30,

| NBA All-Star 2016

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Apr. 14, May 5,

2014:

With a 110-100 win at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors get their 48th win of the season, setting a franchise record for wins in a regular season as they clinch the Atlantic Division for the second time.

2014:

To conclude one of the most exciting first-round playoff series in years, the Raptors fall to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 of their series, as Brooklyn’s Paul Pierce blocked Lowry’s shot on the last play of the game, giving the Nets a 104-103 win. The series also marks the creation of one of the most exciting out-of-stadium viewing experiences in the NBA, as fans in Toronto packs Maple Leaf Square, aka “Raptors Square” or “Jurassic Park,” during the series’ games.

Jan. 22, Mar. 27, Apr. 15,

2015:

Lowry becomes the third Raptor ever voted as an All-Star starter when he’s named one of the starting guards for the Eastern Conference. Lowry also participates in the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend.

2015:

Toronto clinches the Atlantic Division title for the second year in a row, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 94-83. Valanciunas leads the way with 19 points, while Lowry sits out with a back injury.

2015:

Almost a year to the day after setting a franchise record with 48 wins, the Raptors break that record by ending the 2014-2105 regular season with a 49th win, a 92-87 home victory against the Charlotte Hornets. Lowry has 26 points and seven assists, and the team finishes with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Apr. 20, JulY 9, Aug. 3,

2015:

The Raptors’ Lou Williams wins the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Williams averaged 15.5 points per game during the season and led all bench players in 25-plus-point games, with 11 of them.

2015:

The team unveils new uniforms that focus on paying tribute to Toronto and Canada, with the chevrons on the side of the uniforms now pointing up alluding to the “We the North” slogan, the slogan itself printed inside the hem of the jerseys and a maple leaf logo on the front of the waistband.

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RON TURENNE (4); ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

2015:

The Raptors sign hometown product Cory Joseph as a free agent. Joseph was born in Toronto and helped lead Pickering High School to back-to-back Ontario provincial championships in 2007 and ’08.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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More Than a Game

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| NBA All-Star 2016

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By ML Zeysing

Dr. James Naismith never thought about changing the world. But what started out as a humble game to placate some energetic students during the winter turned into a global sport.

T

his weekend the NBA celebrates the 65th annual All-Star Game in Toronto, Canada. For the first time the midseason classic is being played outside the United States. Basketball, an American sport invented by a Canadian citizen of Scottish ancestry, returns to the city where the first NBA (then known as the Basketball Association of America) game was played on November 1, 1946. The Toronto Huskies, playing in the historic Maple Leaf Gardens, hosted the New York Knickerbockers. The Knicks won a close game, 68-66, and went on to post a 33-27 record that season. The Huskies managed only a 22-38 record that inaugural season, and folded before the following season. Nearly 50 years would pass before Canada would re-enter the NBA with expansion franchises in Toronto and Vancouver. Basketball, brought forth by the inspiration and dedication of one man, the Canadian-born theologian James Naismith, is a game played all over the world. But like so many inventions we take for granted today, basketball was formed through humble beginnings, trial and error, and finally that “a-ha” moment. James Naismith was a product of his time, a God-fearing young man who was deeply influenced by the spiritual and physical ideals of the “muscular Christianity” movement that was sweeping a nation still recovering from Civil War. Muscular Christianity stressed physical activity and a competitive disposition, emphasizing traits that evoked manliness, toughness, and physical strength. Naismith, a native of Almonte, Ontario, learned the value of hard work at an early age, and respected the men in his life who worked vigorously to make ends meet. An orphan by the age of 9, he was independent, strong, and resilient. He soon discovered that these attributes might complement, rather than detract from, his intellectual and spiritual pursuits. Naismith dropped out of high school and worked for five years before returning to finish his education. He began his athletic career relatively late in life as a 21-year-old freshman at Montreal’s McGill University. But despite his late start, Naismith caught on quickly, excelling in lacrosse, gymnastics, and rugby before testing his mettle in the game of American football. Naismith, who initially shrugged off any notion that he might engage in collegiate athletics—found that competing against his fellow man stirred the soul. By his senior year he was awarded the prestigious Wicksteed gold medal as the university’s top all-around athlete. Soon Naismith would finish his studies at McGill and leave his native Canada to pursue a new course of study.

Springfield, Mass., a bustling New England mill town brimming with all the optimism and ingenuity of a Yankee fur trapper, was experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the latter half of the 19th century. Like so many cities jumpstarted by the Industrial Revolution, Springfield was teeming with visionary young men hoping to leave their mark on the world. The railroad had brought industry, investment and innovation to the region. Milton Bradley, a board game tycoon and Springfield transplant, introduced his classic The Checkered Game of Life in 1860. In 1873, the penny postcard was issued by the United States Post Office Department and first sold in Springfield. Twenty years later, the Duryea brothers, Frank and Charles, debuted the first gasoline-powered automobile to be manufactured in the United States. And up at the newly-founded International YMCA Training School—today’s NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Naismith’s original 13 rules of basketball

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Courtesy of Naismith Memorial Hall of FamE

Springfield College—Yale alumnus and football All-American Amos Alonzo Stagg was devising new plays for the gridiron, such as the Statue of Liberty, end-around, and double-reverse. Naismith arrived in Springfield in the fall of 1890 and soon, he, too, would add his name to the registry of the world’s great inventors. An accomplished athlete and a devout Presbyterian, he would seemingly fit right in at the YMCA Training School, where the triumvirate of “mind, body, and spirit” was adopted the following year. Naismith had struggled during his days at McGill to resolve his interest in athletics and his desire for religious study. The two endeavors seemed at odds until the YMCA’s ideology helped affirm a Naismith’s athletic background led him to develop basketball as a way to give his students an indoor activity during the harsh Springfield winters, when it was too cold to pursue outdoor endeavors. notion that had been coursing through his veins for quite some time. Naismith reasoned that a Christian man might and practices that would profoundly impact physical education in Amerimpact the lives of young people equally well from the playing field or the ica for the next 100 years. pulpit—that a sound body intersected nicely with a sound mind to form Naismith and Stagg, along with Gulick, became fast friends and respectthe ideal man. By divine intervention or pure luck, Naismith’s future ed colleagues. Stagg kept his football teams in tiptop shape during the fall would be positively, and permanently, settled upon when he determined as Naismith instructed students in such indoor activities as calisthenics, that his path in life must marry his two loves. gymnastics, bodybuilding, and other drills. Stagg enjoyed tremendous Naismith earnestly set about the business of learning the foundations success thanks in part to the contributions of his friend “Jim” Naismith, of his newly chosen field of study. He had come to the right place, as the the center on his undersized football teams. Naismith performed ably on faculty at the YMCA Training School included Luther Halsey Gulick, Jr., the field, but as winter approached, he was failing miserably in an attempt a renaissance man serving as the director of physical education programs to convince his students that a daily regimen of stretching and marching at the school. Dr. Gulick was scientific and systematic in his approach to might be as fun as football, baseball, or track and field. learning, but he left plenty of room for a creative mind to experiment. While Naismith was teaching classes in physical education, he was Physical education was still looked down upon in higher learning circles simultaneously enrolled in a new course being offered at the Springfield in those days, but Gulick rejected that notion. He introduced new ideas Training School. Dr. Gulick introduced his seminar in the psychology of | NBA All-Star 2016

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The TTC welcomes the biggest stars of the game to Toronto.

ttc.ca


Now: Modern players such as Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook have changed the way the game is played.

play during the fall of 1891, setting his sights squarely on finding a solution to the mounting headache of boredom brought on by the long New England winters. Gulick offered up an important assignment: Devise a new game that could be played indoors under artificial light. The new game was to be “...interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play…” Gulick and Naismith met often during their years at the YMCA Training School. Naismith later recalled that Gulick “was one of the few men whose teachings have remained with me and have been a help not only in my profession but in my life as well.” Gulick was a mentor to Naismith despite being four years younger in age. That fall, one particular group of men in the Secretarial Department was wreaking havoc in class. Already two instructors had tried and failed to reel in the troublemakers. Gulick knew that a new game must come, and that it must come fast. Naismith knew of the events unfolding on the small campus. His pragmatic side told him that the trouble with the class was not the men, but with a structure that had so narrowly defined physical recreation. Seeing something in his young protégé, Gulick turned to Naismith one day and asked that he assume responsibility for the unruly class. Naismith reluctantly agreed, and for the next two weeks, he kept the boys busy playing leapfrog, three deep, prisoner’s base, and sailor’s tag. These diversions only served to demonstrate how badly a new game was needed. Naismith began to agonize over his situation. Trying to distract the men with games played during their childhoods proved disastrous, but Naismith found no better fortune in modifying outdoor games for indoor play. In rapid succession, football, lacrosse, and soccer missed the mark. Discouraged by his lack of progress, Naismith retreated to the privacy

of his office where he fretted over his predicament. Two days remained until he was to report back to Gulick and the other faculty members. He so dreaded the thought of detailing his failed attempts to colleagues. There was nothing left to do but dig in once more to meet the impending deadline. All at once Naismith renewed his never-say-die attitude. He began looking at the popular games of the day from a systematic point of view. He noted that most of the games required some sort of ball. He knew that games such as soccer, rugby, and lacrosse shared the common objective of scoring a goal. He reasoned that any indoor game must be free of the roughness of football for most assuredly tackling on the hardwood would result in untold injuries. Right away Naismith realized that running with the ball gave rise to tackling, and thus running must be limited or completely eliminated from his new game. The elimination of running proved difficult as players soon experimented with bouncing the ball against the floor—an early attempt at the modern dribble—or sometimes hurried down the court “juggling” the ball overhead. But the question that confounded the architect of the new game most of all was the matter of goal-scoring. In the eleventh hour, Naismith stumbled upon a potential answer born of a game played when he was a child in Almonte. Little Jimmy Naismith often gathered with friends at Bennie’s Corners to play a game called “Duck on the Rock.” The object of the game was simple: Throw your stone at the “duck” sitting atop a large rock to knock the duck from its perch. Naismith recalled that success depended largely on the thrower’s ability to arc his stone. In this manner, accuracy more than speed or force would dictate the outcome. Naismith discerned that a horizontal goal, rather than a vertical one, would compel the players to lob

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Courtesy of Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame; Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Then: The first basketball players shot the ball in a standing position.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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Eventually the original peach baskets were replaced by backboards and rims with nets.

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featured nine players on a side, no dribbling, peach baskets for hoops, and an old soccer ball. The players were the 18 “incorrigibles” enrolled in Naismith’s physical education class. The peach baskets, offered up by the school’s superintendent of buildings Pop Stebbins, were nailed to the balcony above the gymnasium floor on either end. The soccer ball was selected after Naismith reasoned that a football would be too tempting to tuck under the arm and barrel down the court. There was no shot clock or three-point line, no fancy uniforms, no high-tech footwear. The game ended with the low, low score of 1-0, the lone basket being a 25-foot heave by William R. Chase. The foundation for a new athletic endeavor had been laid, and while the boys in Naismith’s class may have bent the rules a little, by all accounts the game was an overwhelming success. The following month, in January of 1892, the YMCA publication The Triangle published the original rules in a short four-page article. The article included an early illustration of the game and presented a basic strategy for playing the game with “a goal keeper, two guards, three center men, two wings, and a home man.” Almost immediately, thanks to the appearance of the 13 rules in the newsletter, basketball spread across New England and the entire country. The students in Naismith’s class then spread the gospel of basketball on missionary trips to Europe, South America, Africa, and Australia. Very soon, the game would be introduced to Canada, most likely the first country outside of the United States to adopt its native son’s gift to the world. Now the game is played by 450 million across the planet. How appropriate then that basketball, nearing its 125th birthday, returns to the setting that helped inspire a movement.

Courtesy of Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame

the ball to score a goal. The final hurdle was conquered when Naismith elected to post the goals above the heads of the players to erase the potential of an entire team effectively standing around the basket to prevent a score by the opponent. Later that evening Naismith retired to his room. He felt confident that he had assembled the proper framework for a new game. The following day he would learn if his intuition was correct. Naismith arrived at the gym anxious and excited to present his new idea. His initial instructions to the boys were simple: Throw the ball into the opposing team’s peach basket. Years later, in an interview on the public radio program “We the People” broadcast from New York City, Naismith recalled how the first game was marred by rough play and a few black eyes. Despite the physicality of what we now call a “non-contact” sport, Naismith knew he was on to something. With a little more time and some proper seasoning, the new game might just be the answer to all his problems. Naismith realized that if his experiment was going to be a success, he was going to need some rules. The “free-for-all” that had broken out that day would surely be the end of his new game. Soon Naismith sat down and came up with a document of handwritten rules, 13 in all. The game with no name was taking shape, and soon proved to be an instant hit. A few weeks later, Frank Mahan, an on-again-off-again troublemaker in Naismith’s class, gave the game a proper name, one that the whole world would soon know: basket ball, two words for the next 30 years. Now in those early days basketball looked very little like the game played today. The first game, played on December 21, 1891, at the Armory Hill YMCA building at the corner of State and Sherman in Springfield, | NBA All-Star 2016

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n Feb. 12, 2000, 8-year-old Cory Joseph sat with his family in Pickering, Ontario, glued to the television. The Josephs are a basketball family. Cory’s older brother Devoe plays professionally overseas, as does cousin Kris. His parents, David and Connie, both played in university with his father coaching afterward. Joseph had already fallen in love with the game, watching the Toronto Raptors religiously. There was a Damon Stoudamire doll in his bedroom. There were dreams of one day suiting up in a Raptors uniform, but on that Saturday night, the focus was on the Slam Dunk Contest. Joseph, along with the rest of the basketball world, watched in awe as Vince Carter pulled off the greatest dunk contest performance in history, elevating Toronto basketball to a place it hadn’t been as he rose above the rim and stayed suspended above it, hanging on by his elbow. “It was epic,” says Joseph. “Absolutely epic. Definitely one of the best dunk contests to ever go down. I was born in ‘91, I was young, but it was amazing. Arm in the rim, behind the backboard 360 windmill, T-Mac live and through the legs, [Vince telling the crowd] ‘It’s over.’ It was epic. I remember all of it. Can never forget that. It was inspiring to all the kids. Even if you can’t dunk. I can’t dunk like Vince Carter, but I was inspired by it for sure.” Not far from the Joseph household, the Wiggins family were also watching. A few weeks shy of 5 years old, Andrew Wiggins was too young to fully take things in, but years later, the first Canadian to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award still mentions it. “I think Vince Carter really put Canada on the map as far as basketball [goes],” says Wiggins said. “With Vince in the Slam Dunk Contest, that was just exciting. He put on a show for all the fans and kids like me.” There is much more to basketball than dunking, but Carter’s exhibition—and his nightly highlights—brought the Raptors more attention than ever before. Fans across Canada were busy falling in love with the team while those in the United States were getting a near-daily dose of Carter on ESPN. Jay Triano, head coach of the Canadian men’s national team and assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, credits the Raptors with introducing many Canadian youths to the sport. “The more you see, the better it is,” says Triano. “I remember as a kid getting excited about basketball because of the Harlem Globetrotters. Whether it was real or not, the tricks they could do, the things they could do was great. The dunk contest that happened [with Carter] brought awareness to the sport of basketball. Not only the great things he could do, but it brings an awareness to the sport. Vince certainly did that. He did it with the dunk contest, but he also did it by being a great player that kids could see on a nightly basis. At that time, kids were trying to identify who they were trying to be and if basketball was a fun game to play. They would watch Vince every night and watch to see what he had done, whether it was slam dunks or jump shots or acrobatic drives to the basket and the next day at school they are 7, 8, 9 years old trying to do those things. I think that’s the way an excitement for a sport starts with young players.” While Carter and the Raptors were introducing basketball to a new generation of fans, a Canadian was starting to have a breakout season with the Dallas Mavericks. Steve Nash, traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Mavericks in 1998, averaged 15.6 points and 7.3 assists per game during the 2000-01 season. For Canadians enthralled with the Raptors, Nash was another reason to pay attention. After six years with the Mavericks, Nash returned to Phoenix, his game meshing beautifully with coach Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less” offense, and made history when he won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and ’06. For young Canadians, as much as Nash’s success made them dare to dream of a similar fate for their own basketball ambitions, his dedication to providing outlets for them to play and learn the game was equally important. “Steve Nash has been the role model, the icon of basketball in Canada,” says Joseph. “We all know what he did as a player and he has been a very special player, but besides that, off the court he does so much. My first camp was a Steve Nash Skills Academy. He had Jay Triano coaching the camp and he was there showing us the drills and whatnot. He had a lot of those camps. He was one of the first ones

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r o N o o R

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By Holly MacKenzie

h t ern r s t o

The origin place of the NBA is also birthing top talent into the League.

NBA All-Star 2016 |

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“I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A YOUNG KID AND WE HAD GUYS LIKE STEVE [NASH] AND VINCE [CARTER]. TO BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS NOW, IT MEANS A LOT.” —ANDREW WIGGINS

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ry in 2011 when they became the first pair of Canadians to be drafted in the first round, with Joseph being selected 29th by the San Antonio Spurs, and Thompson going fourth to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Three Canadians were selected the following year, including Andrew Nicholson with the 19th pick in the first round, Kris Joseph (51) and Robert Sacre (60th), but it was 2013 where the buzz surrounding basketball in Canada turned into a roar. While people were already looking ahead to the next year, when University of Kansas phenom Andrew Wiggins would be draft-eligible, Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to be selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. A year later, Wiggins became the second. It was also the first time the same region had back-to-back first overall picks since 1995 and 1996, with Joe Smith (Norfolk, VA) and Allen Iverson (Hampton, VA). Canada was no longer simply on the map. It had become a basketball country and pipeline of NBA talent. “The draft is a big thing,” Triano said. “To have the No. 1 pick two years in a row? One year you can say, ‘Okay, yeah he’s a great player and he’s from Canada. Cool.’ But when it happens two years in a row, people start saying, ‘Okay, wow. What’s going on in Canada?’ It raises awareness around the world because everyone watches the NBA Draft. The fact that we have talented players in the lottery and now being selected first overall says a lot about what we’ve done with basketball in our country.” Three other Canadians joined Wiggins in 2014: Nik Stauskas selected eighth, Tyler Ennis 18th, and Dwight Powell 45th. Kelly Olynyk joined Bennett the year before, heading to Boston with the 13th pick. In 2015, the Utah Jazz selected Canadians Trey Lyles and

Steve Nash

Jay Triano

Olivier Hanlan. Although the majority of Canadians in the NBA hail from the Greater Toronto area, talent pools are expanding as coaching opportunities increase and basketball programs improve across the country. “I’ve seen a huge growth of basketball,” says Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. “The interest in basketball, the perception of basketball with young kids, watching young coaches, talking to young coaches, speaking at clinics, the enthusiasm across the country has grown over the past 10 years, and the last five years, it’s probably tripled.” The NBA has never been more accessible in Canada. Canadian networks, NBA League Pass and social media have sped that process along. “That’s huge,” Triano said. “One of the reasons our young players are so good, a lot of them come from the Toronto area, they grew up being able to watch the Toronto Raptors. Now people can watch games in any market, on any night, to follow your favorite Canadian players

BRIAN BABINEAU/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES

to bring camps [to Canada], start teaching players, young kids. Even though he didn’t know me, he was extending a hand to help kids get better at basketball.” Joseph added that he’s thrilled that Nash became the general manager of Canada’s senior men’s national team. Rather than retire quietly after a 19-year career in the NBA, Nash is now overseeing and instructing some of the same players who attended his skills camps before following his footsteps into the NBA themselves. For a player whose career was defined by the assist, continuing to grow the sport in his own country only makes sense. “I think it’s interesting because when Steve made it and became an MVP in the NBA, it proved to Canadians that anything can be done,” says Triano. “Whatever your dream is, it can be done. There were players before Steve that were Canadian who played in the NBA, but no one had been MVP. I think that formed a chance for players to be very good and excel. To have someone like that work with you on the court in the summer time every day is a huge thing. Guys get good because they’re working. They want an edge. Steve helps them with that. Steve’s personality, he’s a giving individual. Cory’s right. Steve has time for everyone. He will give you advice and help you get better than you are now.” The 2015-16 NBA season began with 12 Canadians on opening night rosters, the most of any nation outside of the U.S. Nine Canadians in the League were born in the Greater Toronto area. The Toronto Raptors roster led the League with seven international players, including two Canadians. The impact of Nash and Carter is undeniable. Joseph and Tristan Thompson made histo-

Vince Carter

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REA DY TO CELEBRATE

BA SKET BALL’S BE S T

Whether you’re coming in for a cocktail or one of our signature mouthwatering steaks, The Keg is all about celebrating special moments. As a proud partner of the Toronto Raptors, we’re thrilled to celebrate world-class basketball with our fellow fans. Here’s to great moments on the court and off.

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EARLY SETTLERS With Canadians being the first player to shake the Commissioner’s hand in both the 2013 and 2014 NBA Drafts, Canada officially became a pipeline for NBA talent. But before Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins made their high-profile arrivals, there were Canadians that paved the way for them. Here are a few notables:

Steve Nash

Cory Joseph

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Rick Fox 1991-2004 Fox might not have been the star Nash was in the NBA, but he did win three NBA championships. As a role player on the 2000-02 threepeating Los Angeles Lakers, the Toronto-born Fox provided tough defense and timely shooting to the team.

Ernie Vandeweghe 1949-1956 One of the earliest Canadians to take the NBA floor, Vandeweghe was a sweet-shooting guard for the New York Knicks in the 1950s. Born in Montreal, Vandeweghe’s NBA career only ran six seasons as he retired early to pursue a career in medicine as a doctor. His athletic prowess was certainly passed on to his future generations, as son Kiki went on to score more than 15,000 points in the NBA (and is now executive vice president of basketball operations in the NBA) and granddaughter Coco Vandeweghe is a tennis pro.

Jamaal Magloire 2000-2012 The first Canadian-born player to be selected as an All-Star, Magloire represented the New Orleans Hornets on the 2004 East squad. While that was the highlight of Magloire’s 12-year NBA career, the Toronto native did have a productive pro career, averaging 7.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg.

Bill Wennington 1985-2000 Hailing from Montreal, Wennington wasn’t a name synonymous with championship Bulls teams, but he played a part in three title teams (1996, ’97 and ’98). Wennington was a McDonald’s All-American in 1981 and, after a four-year career at St. John’s, went on to a 13-year NBA career.

RON TURENNE; JESSE D. GARRABRANT; NOAH GRAHAM; NBA PHOTOS; ROCKY WIDNER; SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

or basketball in general on a nightly basis. The more you watch the game, the more you try to emulate players. The more you go out there and play, the better you’re going to be.” Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri has long preached that Toronto is a prime NBA destination since his first stint with the team as assistant general manager in 2008 and isn’t surprised with how the game has spread because fans have been waiting for it. “You can tell that there’s a hunger with the fans [in Canada],” says Ujiri. “They’re loyal and they’re knowledgable. They’re contagious. Our players, our coaches, our front office, we acknowledge that. Our organization acknowledges that and we want to continue to grow. That’s why we’re in London [for the NBA Global Games], that’s why we’re having the All-Star Game here. It’s for our fans, to really engage in the NBA game. The NBA has done an unbelievable job for us, giving us that platform to show our fans.” “It’s big [to have All-Star in Toronto],” Ujiri continues. “Not only does it bring [All-Star] outside the United States for the first time, but also for our city to see other NBA people. Just experiencing what All-Star Weekend is like, interacting, showing off our city because it’s great. The people are so friendly, there are great places to go, so many activities. We feel that the time had come here, it’s always talked about, that Toronto is a great city, but now is the best time to show it off. We’re so proud of it. We’re really humbled and thankful that the NBA would give us this opportunity.” As the current crop of Canadian players in the League continue to develop and excel, the path for young Canadians gets easier. From Nash struggling to get colleges to watch his game film, to Thompson and Joseph having success starring for American prep schools

1996-2014 As many aspiring Canadian ballers can attest, Nash was their “Michael Jordan.” The two-time MVP from British Columbia (by way of Johannesburg, South Africa) inspired more than a few Canadian kids to trade in their hockey skates for basketball sneakers with his infectious passing game and accurate shooting. He also went back to rep Team Canada in international competition, including a quarterfinals finish in the 2000 Olympic Games. Now in retirement, Nash continues to be a beacon for Canada basketball as the general manager of the national team.

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Kyle Lowry

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Andrew Wiggins

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zy his talent and potential created. “I think now the perception [of Canada] has changed,” says Casey. “Television has [helped to] change it. Most of all, winning trumps a lot of that. Consistent winning, consistent relevance in the League has added to it.” As Canadians around the League continue to add to the legacy that was left for them, Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors also hope to add to the history of Canadian basketball. With the Raptors aiming to reach new heights, the team continues to inspire youth across the country, just as the electric point guard in Phoenix and the highest-flying Raptors player did during their respective peaks. “They started all of this,” Ujiri says of Nash and Carter. “This movement started from them. For Steve Nash to be the kind of player he became, and for Vince Carter to carry this city and the team on his wings, because he did fly, he’s [been] flying for a long time, and Steve Nash has carried us for a long time, we love that history. We have to figure out the history of winning, but other than that I always say we have everything here. We have great ownership, a great organization, we have great fans and an unbelievable city and those guys started it for us.” With Toronto hosting the NBA’s biggest weekend, there’s plenty of reason to look back and reflect, but even more to look forward in anticipation of the talent to come. “We are thankful for that,” says Ujiri. “We live in those great memories and now we have to build off of that so it doesn’t fade away.”

Kelly Olynyk

Anthony Bennett

JORDAN JOHNSON; ISSAC BALDIZON; BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

before college, to talk of teams trying to position themselves in the draft to nab Wiggins, the bulk of the heavy lifting is done. All eyes are on Canada and Canadian players, seeking out the next Nash, Thompson or Wiggins. “Steve Nash, he worked for every little scrap that he had,” says Joseph. “We still had to work for a lot, but he made it a little bit [easier for us] when he did it. Then it just keeps on going down the line. After Nash we had guys like Denham Brown, older players that went to college and did well for themselves, then came myself and Tristan and we tried to strengthen the Canadian basketball name even more. Now we have Wiggins and [Kentucky freshman] Jamal Murray doing all sorts of craziness. It makes you feel happy, it makes you feel proud to be a Canadian. Whenever you feel like you helped, or you see them doing well, you get excited.” Wiggins is asked about his journey to the NBA constantly. Although it can be tiring to answer the same question over and over, he doesn’t lose sight of what his own success in the League can do for basketball in Canada. As one of the brightest young stars in the League, he remains appreciative of those who have come before him. “It means a lot,” says Wiggins. “To be someone that young kids look up to…I remember when I was a young kid and we had guys like Steve and Vince. To be one of those guys now, it means a lot.” Casey agrees with Joseph that the path will only continue to get easier for those following in the footsteps of Wiggins and the media fren-

Tristan Thompson

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Kyle Dubas

Brock graduate Bachelor of Sport Management (’07) Assistant General Manager, Toronto Maple Leafs

From campus to career path Kyle Dubas always wanted to know what makes hockey teams win. At age 11 he was helping with the Soo Greyhounds. By 14 he worked in their hockey operations. By 17 he was a scout. Then a Sport Management degree from Brock University took him to a new level. Today he’s assistant general manager of the NHL’s most valuable franchise, and made Forbes Magazine’s “30 under 30” list for The Sports World’s Brightest Young Stars. “Brock allowed me to expand my horizons,” says Kyle, “with the intellectual wherewithal to make an impact in a highly competitive business.” Brock offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees and — for valuable workplace experience — one of Canada’s largest university co-op programs. See what Kyle already knows. Visit discover.brocku.ca

For both sides of the brain. Brock University | Niagara | Canada


By Michael Bradley

THE JUMP-OFF

The first tip-off that started it all took place in The North.

NBA PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Promotional poster for the first NBA game.

I

t was a basketball game played in a hockey arena, part of a league started by hockey men, in front of a crowd of hockey fans who shouted, “Face off!” each time there was a jumpball. You want inauspicious beginnings? Consider the NBA’s first game, which was played 70 years ago in front of a curious crowd of 7,090 in Toronto and which was a prehistoric ancestor of the product that thrills the world today. Things were so different then that when the New York Knicks and Toronto Huskies met in Maple Leaf Gardens, the league they represented was called the Basketball Association of America, a fledgling consortium of arena owners looking to fill dates in their sheds with something other than hockey games and ice shows in the aftermath of World War II. NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Great things do grow from humble origins, and the NBA certainly did that. The Huskies and Knicks couldn’t have known what they were starting. They were just happy to be playing ball. in 1946-47 were clearly forging a new way for professional basketball. An underwhelming reception from a passport inspector was part of the price for that privilege. But great things do grow from humble origins, and the NBA certainly did that. The Huskies and Knicks couldn’t have known what they were starting. They were just happy to be playing ball. “Looking back, I’m still thrilled that I was at that first training camp and that I signed with the Knicks,” said set-shot specialist Sonny Hertzberg. “I wanted to play in New York. It was a new major league. It was a game of speed with no 24-second clock when we played. I didn’t know if it was going to be a full-time thing.”

Ossie Schectman scored the first NBA points with a layup.

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NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images

In basketball terms, it was an unremarkable performance. New York earned a 68-66 victory, thanks to some late production by Dick Murphy and Tommy Byrnes. From an historical point of view, it meant much more. Within three years, the BAA had merged with the rival National Basketball League to form the NBA and set professional basketball on a course that would eventually surpass its then-more popular collegiate rival and eventually blossom into a global sporting phenomenon. Not only has the sport’s reach grown substantially, but the game has also undergone substantial alterations, progressing from an earth-bound product to the high-flying spectacle it is today. No one could have imagined such a circumstance on Nov. 1, 1946. The fledgling league had attracted little attention in the months leading up to its tip-off, to the point that when the Knicks arrived in Canada, a customs official considered the group of tall men before him and asked who they were. Upon being informed of their identity, the man was unimpressed. He knew of the NHL’s New York Rangers but was entirely unaware of the city’s professional basketball counterpart. The Knicks’ less-than-triumphant border crossing was hardly anything new in the history of American professional sports. The NFL’s first several years were considered little more than Sunday meetings of roughnecks, whose brand of football paled in comparison to the marvel of the college game. It’s unlikely the Canton Bulldogs or Decatur Staleys were accorded much more respect than were the Knicks—or any other BAA outfit, for that matter—as they traversed the country in the early 1920s. Pioneers don’t have it easy, and the 11 squads comprising the BAA

It was exactly the kind of fastbreak one was to expect in 1946. The ball ricocheted between the three Knicks who had broken free to challenge a pair of Toronto defenders. The ball went from the middle, to the right and across the court before it returned to the center of the floor, to Ossie Schectman, who casually sank an underhand layup. New York 2, Toronto 0. A 1941 graduate of Long Island University and a member of the Blackbirds’ undefeated 1939 NIT championship team that was coached by the legendary Clair Bee, Schectman spent one season with the Knicks and averaged 8.1 ppg. He had played a couple seasons before that with the SPHAS, an American Basketball League team that was a famous pre-NBA outfit, as were the Pittsburgh Rens, Buffalo Germans and Original Celtics. And now, Schectman had the distinction of scoring the first basket in NBA history. “I’m just proud to have been one of the NBA’s pioneers,” Schectman said, long after the historic moment. The basketball world leading up to the New York-Toronto BAA debut featured a collection of teams and leagues, all of which claimed pro hoops primacy. The ABL was founded in 1925 and included among its owners Chicago Bears’ overlord George Halas and George Preston Marshall, who ran the Washington NFL franchise. It lasted 30 years and included an extremely fluid lineup comprised of teams largely in the Northeast, with some teams from the Midwest included, too. While the ABL was largely an Eastern concern, the National Basketball League, which began in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference but changed two years later, was comprised of teams primarily from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. The BAA quickly gained momentum after its 1946 inception, and it soon challenged the NBL for players. A bidding war began that irritated owners of both leagues. As Schectman was christening the BAA with his layup, one day ahead of the rest of the league, thanks to a hockey game scheduled the next night at Maple Leaf Gardens, movement toward the NBA’s formation had started. Some consider it strange that Toronto was included in that inaugural BAA configuration, since professional basketball wasn’t exactly a thriving concern in Canada before the Huskies’ debut. In fact, the only Canadian pro team of record from the time was the Vancouver Hornets of the

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DON’T WAIT. GET CURED. 1. “Canadian Liver Foundation “What Is Hepatitis C? http://www.liver.ca/liver-disease/types/viral_hepatitis/Hepatitis_C.aspx#treatment 2. “Burden of Disease and Cost of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Canada” Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol Vol 28 No 5, May 2014. Myers, et al. 3. “Burden of Disease and Cost of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Canada” Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol Vol 28 No 5, May 2014. Myers, et al. 4. CMAJ February 17, 2015 vol. 187 no. 3 First published January 12, 2015, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.140711 5. Canadian Liver Foundation “What Is Hepatitis C? http://www.liver.ca/liver-disease/types/viral_hepatitis/Hepatitis_C.aspx#treatment


New York Knicks (1-0) Player Leo Gottlieb Ossie Schectman Stan Stutz Ralph Kaplowitz Jake Weber Dick Murphy Hank Rosenstein Nat Militzok Tommy Byrnes Sonny Hertzberg Bob Mullens Team Totals

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Toronto Huskies (0-1) Player Ed Sadowski George Nostrand Charlie Hoefer Mike McCarron Ray Wertis Dick Fitzgerald Bob Fitzgerald Harry Miller Frank Fucarino Roy Hurley Hank Biasatti Team Totals

FG 8 7 2 1 3 3 1

25

Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League, led by Norm Baker, who was voted the best Canadian hoops player of the first half of the 20th century, and George “Porky” Andrews, a Vancouver native and a player at Oregon from 1939-42. The PCPBL began the same year as did the BAA but lasted only two seasons before folding. There were plenty of college teams playing in Canada before 1946, and the most successful team in the land— and everywhere else, for that matter—was a women’s amateur club, the Edmonton Commercial Graduates. The Grads began play in 1915, and over the next three-plus decades, they dominated all comers at home and abroad, men’s squads included, posting a remarkable record of 502-20 that included a 147-game winning streak. Their .962 winning percentage is the highest of any North American sports team in history. Only the Globetrotters were more successful. It makes sense that Canada would have some success on the hardwood, since the basketball’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith, was born in Amonte,

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Ontario, and 10 of the players who took part in the first-ever game in 1891 were from Quebec. Since the BAA was comprised of owners of major hockey arenas throughout North America, and the Maple Leafs were members of the NHL’s “Original Six,” it made sense for the Huskies to join the original grouping. The franchise only lasted one season, in large part because the bulk of the Huskies’ home dates were not conducive to robust attendance figures. But Toronto was certainly not alone in its struggles. In fact, substantial franchise movement characterized the early days of the NBA. Before the 1948-49 campaign, four NBL franchises—Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, Rochester and Indianapolis—defected to the BAA. It was a big blow for the NBL, largely because the Minneapolis franchise included 6-10 former DePaul standout George Mikan, who would become the first NBA superstar. After that season, the two leagues could no longer stand the cost of trying to woo talent and fans. So, on Aug. 3, 1949, emissaries from both

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The New York Knicks finished with a 33-27 record in the inaugural season.

the BAA and NBL met in New York to finalize plans for a merger. They decided to elect Maurice Podoloff, who had been the BAA boss since its birth, commissioner of the NBA, a then-17-team league comprised of three divisions. The battle was over, and the NBA was officially in business.

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NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images

George Nostrand played a total of 13 games for the Huskies during his five-year NBA career, but next to Schectman, he was the most renowned player on the floor during the first game. It had little to do with his play, even though his 16 points were the second-highest total that night. Nostrand’s role in the first-ever NBA contest is less about his play than about his height. At 6-8, he was the biggest man on either team, a giant at a time when many players were shorter than 6-feet tall. Since the game was more about movement and patterns, and less based on the ability to reach the rim to finish spectacularly, players didn’t have to be especially large. Having a player as tall as Nostrand was a big deal, and the Huskies planned to exploit that, especially since their fan base wasn’t particularly savvy about basketball. Toronto ran newspaper ads featuring a picture of Nostrand’s holding the ball above his head with the headline, “Can you top this?” The Huskies promised that anyone taller than Nostrand would be admitted free of charge (ticket prices ranged from 75 cents to $2.50), a deal it’s hard to

imagine few, if any, were able to exploit. The nature of the come-on displays just how hard a sell the Huskies’ owners thought pro basketball would be in Canada and how the concept of a professional league would need plenty of time to germinate, both in Toronto as well as the other cities throughout the BAA. It was one thing to schedule the games, but quite another for a group of arena owners largely unfamiliar with basketball to make the league successful. Thus, the Nostrand “challenge.” New York led 16-12 after the first quarter and opened a 33-18 advantage midway through the second quarter, before Toronto player-coach Ed Sadowski, who stood 6-5, 240, led a rally that narrowed the deficit to 37-29 at the half. It was the first time a game had been played in four, 12-minute segments, the better to provide a full two hours of action for fans. All amateur contests had been comprised of two, 20-minute halves, according to the college model. The BAA didn’t adopt the 24-second clock at its outset, but the eight extra minutes of play promised fans more scoring—at least in theory. The Toronto rally continued into the third quarter and produced a lead when Nostrand’s basket put the Huskies up, 44-43. The home team led, 48-44, heading into the fourth, but New York regrouped and pulled ahead late for the victory. Two baskets by Murphy, and a foul shot by Byrnes in the waning moments, helped produce the Knicks’ final 68-66 margin. The win put the Knicks atop the BAA’s Eastern Division—at least for a day. But New York would not be able to sustain its hold on the six-team configuration. The regular-season title belonged to Red Auerbach’s Washington Capitols, who played at the Uline Arena, which today is best known as the site of the Beatles’ first U.S. concert. Led by Bones McKinney, Bob Feerick and Fred Scolari, the Caps ripped off a 17-game winning streak that would stand as the NBA’s longest until 1969. Though Washington won a league-best 49 games, it dropped a 4-2 semifinal series decision to Chicago. The Knicks, meanwhile, dispatched Cleveland, 2-1, in a quarterfinals before falling to eventual BAA champion Philadelphia— and star scorer Joe Fulks—in the semis. The Knicks, of course, would continue on as one of the NBA’s flagship franchises, surviving the coming years’ relocations and other league membership vagaries. Toronto, however, wasn’t so lucky. The Huskies posted a 22-38 record in 1946-47 and folded before the next season began. Professional basketball didn’t return to Canada on a full-time basis until 1995, when the Raptors took up residence in Toronto, and the Grizzlies launched in Vancouver. Although the Grizz eventually moved to Memphis, the Raptors have stayed strong in Ontario, providing a northern stronghold for the NBA and keeping James Naismith’s legacy alive. The League has progressed rapidly from its opening night, when hockey fans satisfied their curiosity for another sport. It’s only fitting the NBA would start in Canada, because its reach now extends well beyond the United States. And nobody ever yells, “Face off!” before jumpballs any more.

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2015 NBA_8.375x10.875_PRINT.pdf

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UNDISCOVER F

ifty years ago, Adrian Smith scored a game-high 24 points, easily outpolling his nine East teammates (all of whom are now in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame) to win the 1966 NBA All-Star Game MVP Award. Adrian who? That would be Adrian “Odie” Smith, a 6-1, 180-pound guard for the Cincinnati Royals. Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas were the Royals’ stars, but Smith was a key component, liked and respected by teammates and opponents alike. First to arrive, last to leave, and always hustling. Oh, and he could shoot. Could he ever. “Oscar was so much of a force you tended to forget Odie was out there until it was too late,” said Celtics great Tom “Satch” Sanders. “He was smart enough not to force anything. If the shot wasn’t there, he was happy to pass the ball, then disappear for a while until you forgot about him…but all of a sudden he’d hit three or four shots in a row and he’d kill you.” Smith’s journey from a hardscrabble childhood to NBA hardwood was remarkable even before his All-Star nod. That he is the only player to win the NBA All-Star MVP Award in his lone NBA All-Star Game appearance puts an exclamation mark on his longshot story. “I wanted to make the All-Star team one time in my career,” said Smith, who had to continually prove himself just to reach the NBA. “I told my wife, Paula, if I only played one minute, that would be fine with me.” The fifth of six children, Odie grew up in rural Kentucky, in a home that lacked electricity and indoor plumb-

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By John Fawaz

VERED STAR

NBA PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Unheralded Adrian Smith made history with his MVP performance in the 1966 NBA All-Star Game.

ing. He learned to shoot using a “basketball” made of his father’s rolled up socks and a makeshift rim nailed to a tree. He eventually got his hands on a real ball and developed quite a shooting touch. Farmington High School would be Smith’s first exposure to organized basketball, but he almost didn’t play. Staying for afterschool practices would have made him miss the bus, and it was too far to walk. Up stepped the school principal, who offered to drive Smith home. In his senior year at Farmington, Odie scored nearly 30 points per game but received only one scholarship offer, which was quickly rescinded. So he went to Northeast Mississippi Community College, where his prolific scoring and his coach’s persistence helped him land a scholarship to Kentucky in 1956. Again, Smith had to prove himself, playing so well as an injury replacement that he became a part of the rotation. The next season, the Wildcats’ team known as the “Fiddlin’ Five” won the NCAA championship, the fourth and final title for Kentucky’s legendary coach, Adolph Rupp. Smith averaged 13 points per game in the 1958 NCAA Tournament. Cincinnati selected Smith in the 15th round of the 1958 NBA Draft, but sent him home after a brief tryout. He joined the U.S. Army, playing on military teams and for the U.S. squad in the 1959 Pan American Games. Smith went on to average 10.9 points per game for the 1960 U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal and is arguably the greatest amateur squad ever. NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Smith still has the prized Galaxie 500 in his garage. It has about 60,000 miles on it, but otherwise still in mint condition.

“Shoot, if you had told me before the game that I’d have a chance to win it, I’d have said you were absolutely nuts. With all those great players, I was just thankful to be there.” —Adrian Smith

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paying to see you play, to go out and play to the best of your ability. “I didn’t play that game any different from any other. I certainly wasn’t playing for any car.” In 1966, for the first time, the All-Star Game MVP received a new car. Ford planned to give the player of the game a Mustang. But the NBA was concerned that a big man such as Chamberlain or Willis Reed wouldn’t be able to get into a sports car. So Ford wheeled out a red Galaxie 500 convertible, a 345-horsepower muscle car. Ironically, they awarded it to the shortest player on the court that day. “Shoot, if you had told me before the game that I’d have a chance to win it, I’d have said you were absolutely nuts,” Smith said in 1996. “With all those great players, I was just thankful to be there.” After 50 years, Odie retains his place in NBA history, and the Galaxie convertible retains its place in his Cincinnati garage. Smith, presented with a red Galaxie after the game at Cincinnati Gardens, swapped it for a blue version more befitting a Kentucky alum. The car, which has about 60,000 miles on it, looks as good today as it did half a century ago. Smith, 79, has declined numerous offers for the Galaxie. His appraisal of the car’s value: priceless. “My son was six months old to the day [on January 11, 1966, the date of the NBA All-Star Game],” said Smith, who retired in 1972 after 11 pro seasons. “A few months after I won it, I thought, ‘We’ll never have a chance like this again.’ So I decided I was just going to hang on to it for him.”

Dick Raphael; Steve Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images

His Olympic performance piqued the Royals’ interest, and beginning in 1961, Smith joined with two of his Olympic teammates (Robertson and Lucas) to help make Cincinnati a perennial playoff team. He raised his scoring average in each of his first five seasons, including a career-high 18.4 points per game in 1965-66. For the 1966 NBA All-Star Game, sportswriters picked eight players for each roster, leaving two coach’s selections. Red Auerbach, who coached the East team, chose Philadelphia’s Chet Walker and Smith. Auerbach liked Smith’s hustle and basketball knowledge. It also helped that he was in the midst of his best season and the game was being played in Cincinnati. Late in the first quarter, Smith entered the game and quickly got his first good look. “I was nervous,” Smith said. “I went into the game with [Bill] Russell and…he set a pick for me and I went off it and took a shot that must have missed by I don’t know how much. “But the next shot went in and all the nervousness just left me. Man, I was ready to go.” Smith went on to make 9 of 18 shots from the field and all 6 of his free throw attempts as the East defeated the West 137-94. He was especially proud of his eight rebounds—only one fewer than Wilt Chamberlain. “Everything fell into place,” Smith said. “Throughout my whole career, even growing up down on the farm in Kentucky, I always tried to play every game as hard as I could. I felt like I owed it to the fans, who are | NBA All-Star 2016

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By Ming Wong

ALLSTAR SUPERNOVA AARON POOLE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

O

ver the 20 seasons that saw Kobe Bryant part of the NBA, there have been plenty of changes (even from Kobe himself, going from #8 to #24), but the one constant from the time a skinny high-school kid temporarily wore a Hornets cap on draft night to what will be his final game on April 13 has been Bryant as a fixture at All-Star. He started out slowly (for him, anyway), dropping 31 points in All-Star’s JV game and winning the Slam Dunk. From there, the Western Conference All-Star team had a revolving door of players in the starting lineup, save for Kobe at the two spot. Bryant’s fixture in the All-Star lineup started in 1998, spanned the aughts and halfway through the 2010s. You know how All-Stars get commemorative patches on their sleeves for every All-Star played? Kobe needs to grow a third arm. And for good reason. Kobe always put on a show for the fans every February in the NBA’s midseason extravaganza.

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All-Star

February 8

1997, Cleveland

As a precocious 18-year-old being handled with kid gloves by the Lakers, Bryant didn’t see major burn as a rookie. The team, however, had no choice to let its baby bird soar in Cleveland in the 1997 NBA Rising Stars. In his All-Star coming-out party as a headliner act, Bryant stood out among his peers from the vaunted 1996 NBA Draft class, scoring a game-high 31 points while grabbing 8 rebounds in what would be a tease of things to come for Bryant at All-Star. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

February 8

1998, New York

At just 19 years and 5 months old, Bryant made NBA history by becoming the youngest player to ever play (he was voted in as a starter by the fans) in the All-Star Game. He fell one point short of scoring his age, finishing with 18 points. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2000, Oakland

February 13

By his second All-Star Game, Bryant was well on his way to becoming one of the game’s best players as he would go on to average his first 20-ppg season while winning his first championship. Eclipsing a million votes, Bryant was the starting shooting guard for the Western Conference in the midseason showcase, where he would finish with 15 points. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

After being denied the MVP at the Rising Stars game earlier, Bryant made sure to cap off his All-Star debut on a high note. High was exactly where he went, showcasing his big hops in the Slam Dunk. Bryant didn’t even doff his warm-up top in the first round before cruising to a final round victory with a between-the-legs dunk to win his only Slam Dunk crown. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

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All-Star

2001, Washington, D.C.

February 11

At just 22, Bryant had already established himself as a fixture at All-Star. In his third All-Star Game in the nation’s capital, Bryant played well enough—19 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds— to secure MVP honors on a stacked West squad if not for the last-minute comeback by the East to secure the win. Allen Iverson would delay Bryant’s first All-Star MVP, but Bryant would get the last laugh as his Lakers would beat Iverson’s 76ers in the Finals that year. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2002,

Philadelphia

February 10 Playing in front of his hometown of Philadelphia, Bryant played the villain as the Lakers were fresh off a Finals win against the Sixers. Not only did Bryant embrace the role by leading the West to a 135-120 win, he also twisted the knife into the Philly faithful by taking his first All-Star MVP in front of the booing arena. Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2004, Los Angeles

February 15

Bryant treated his home crowd to his best shooting performance in the All-Star Game. Bryant was on fire, making 9 of 12 shots (2 of 3 from deep) to total 20 points as the West again prevailed, 136-132. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2005,

Denver All-Star

February 9

2003, Atlanta

The leading vote-getter, Bryant didn’t disappoint his constituents. Bryant had possibly his best allaround All-Star Game with 22 points, 7 boards, 6 dimes, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a 155-145 double-overtime victory for the West.

February 20 It was the seventh AllStar Game that featured both Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, but it was the first time the two wore different uniforms. Bryant outscored his former teammate 16-12 and also added 7 dimes, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, but it wasn’t enough as the East won, 125-115. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

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2008,

All-Star New Orleans

February 17 Because of a pinky injury a few days before the All-Star Game, Bryant was limited to just under three minutes of action, but it was notable because 2008 was the 10th consecutive season that Bryant was selected by fans to start in the game. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2006, Houston

February 19

It was the eighth straight All-Star Game selection for #8 and keeping with the theme, Bryant notched 8 points and 8 assists to go with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2009, Phoenix

February 15

By 2009, it had been five years since Bryant and O’Neal were last teammates, but the basketball world would get a chance to see the potent duo reunite. Bryant was a starter for the 11th time while O’Neal was selected as a reserve for the Phoenix Suns. It was like they never missed a beat as Bryant and O’Neal combined forces once again—Bryant with 27 points and O’Neal with 17—to share in the MVP honor.

All-Star

2007, Las Vegas

February 18, 2007

With 10 seasons under his belt, fans from opposing NBA cities were quite familiar with Bryant’s All-Star exploits, but it would be a first for denizens of Las Vegas. In a city known for entertainment, Bryant put on a show with one of his best All-Star Games. Bryant finished with 31 points, 6 dimes, 6 steals and 5 boards to hoist his second All-Star MVP trophy. Jeffrey Bottari; Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

All-Star

2010,

Dallas

February 14 Bryant sat out the 2010 game due to injury, but it marked a dozen times the Black Mamba was voted by fans to be a starter for the West. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

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All-Star

2013, Houston

February 17 All-Star

2011, Los Angeles

February 20

Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

In his second All-Star Game in Staples Center, Bryant gave Angelenos a treat. In a high-scoring 148-143 West win, Bryant outdueled a triple-double by LeBron James with what might be considered his best All-Star showing—37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals—to cop the MVP for the fourth time, tying Bob Pettit for most all time.

All-Star

2014, New Orleans

February 16

Bryant sat out most of the 2013-14 season with a knee injury, but that didn’t stop the NBA world from casting votes to keep Bryant in the starting lineup for the 16th straight season.

Andrew D. Bernstein; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/ Getty Images

All-Star

After 15 times in the West’s starting lineup and four All-Star MVPs, Bryant played the role of facilitator and defender, tying his personal best with 8 dimes and blocking a pair of shots by LeBron James in the closing stretches in helping the West emerge victorious, 143-138.

2012, Orlando

February 26

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

All-Star

2015, New York

It was another injury-plagued year for Bryant, but it still wouldn’t deny one of the NBA’s greatest stars to take part in the big stage of New York for All-Star 2015. The fans continued to show their support, voting in Bryant as a starter for the West for the 17th year.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

If not for Kevin Durant’s big scoring night, Bryant would have made it back-to-back MVP trophies. His 27 points (on 9 of 17 shooting) was second only to Durant’s 36 as the two led the West to a 152-149 victory. Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

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By Seth Berkman

NAVID FAN The undisputed Iron Man for the Toronto Raptors has been superfan Nav Bhatia, who’s never missed a home game in two decades.

S

ince the birth of the Toronto Raptors, one superfan has watched the franchise’s evolution from dino-babies into Eastern Conference contenders. Nav Bhatia moved to Toronto in the 1980s, when hockey was king. He never played the game much, but was drawn by the athleticism of Michael Jordan and other stars of that era. He’s had season tickets for two decades and has never missed a Raptors home game. Along the way, he’s befriended coaches, opposing players and Raptors legends (not to mention a certain rapper from The Six), and become a symbol of success in the city’s South Asian community. There may not be anyone else in the city more excited for the arrival of the 2016 All-Star Game, and we recently were able to speak to Bhatia about the city’s basketball history, what the event means to the area, and some classic courtside anecdotes. What was your reaction when you found out the game was coming to Toronto? We’ve been waiting for a long time to hear that the game was coming to Toronto. It was a dream come true when the NBA decided to come to Toronto, 21 years ago. I was one of the very first ones to buy tickets. I was in awe. It was amazing. Have you attended NBA All-Star Games in other cities? Yes, I have. I was blessed to travel with my man Vince Carter when he was an All-Star. I went to Vegas and I went to Denver. Watching those games, did you ever think about the game coming to Toronto? It was like a young kid dreaming that it will happen to us one day.

PHOTO BY: PAUL SAINI

Growing up, did you play basketball a lot? No, I didn’t. I migrated here about 30 years ago, at the age of 33. I came to Toronto, Canada, in 1984. What drew you to the sport of basketball? I used to watch the game, like Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, all those guys playing. That was my let out, after working all day long for 12-14 hours. As an immigrant in a new country and when you watched these games, it got you excited. I never played it. I saw the excitement on the tube. It was just amazing. Jordan was my hero.

When you’re sitting courtside and watching the Raptors against the NBA’s best, what is something about the game that you see from that perspective you can’t by watching on TV? Sitting courtside, Row A, gives you the feeling that you are part of the game. In my younger days, about 15 years ago, I used to pick on all of the players like Shaq, like Sam Mitchell. I became very good friends with Mike Woodson. He was an assistant coach for Detroit with Larry Brown. Larry Brown is a Hall of Fame coach. Mike was a nice, young guy as an assistant coach. There was a disputed call in front of me, like three feet away. Larry Brown was disputing the call and Coach Woody comes there and starts interfering. I say, “Hey, Mr. Woodson, can you please go back to your seat? You’re not a head coach.” He stared at me and wanted to kill me. He went to his seat but kept on staring at me until he went to the tunnel. Next season, he comes back to the game as Atlanta’s head coach. He walks to my seat and says, “What are you going to do now? I’m the head coach.” I congratulated him and told him I’m going to take you and the team for dinner tonight. He said, “You’re on!” I gave my number to him. He calls me up after the postgame media and says 10 people are coming to the restaurant. He shows up and since then we’ve been best of friends. Every time he comes now, first thing he does after getting off the plane is he calls me and asks where are we going to dinner? You posted a photo with Kobe Bryant to social media after his last game in Toronto. What was that experience like? What an amazing Hall of Famer he is. I had met him a few times. According to TV, 4,100 people were wearing his jersey that day. Every time he touched the ball it was electric. I’ve never seen something like that. He comes up to me after the game and talks to me for a minute and we had a nice chat. I wished him all the best. He told me you don’t know what you’ve done for basketball in Toronto and I respect that and I salute that. NBA All-Star 2016 |

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bring so many South Asians to the game of basketball. I brought Lennox Lewis, the boxing champ, to a game recently. He wants to do something with the South Asian community. Anything to integrate the Sikhs and the South Asians into the community, I’m there for them. At the end of the day, that is making a good society where everybody can be together. What advice do you give people coming to Toronto for the first time? Anybody coming from America is going to love it because your dollar is so high. You can do a lot of shopping. You can enjoy anything. It is a world-class city. I think this is going to be the best All-Star Game. People will be able to go out and see everything because of the multi-culturalism in Toronto. You’re going to feel at home here. You’re going to see 15,000 people outside the arena watching the big screen in minus-20 degrees.

You’ve still never missed a regular season home game? My streak is still intact. I was very close to being ejected by a few referees, but I’ve been able to talk them into leaving me alone. What could make you miss a Raptors home game? If I’m breathing, I’m there, even if I have a 110-degree temperature. I had a very serious surgery with my bladder about two years ago. I told the doctor I want the surgery in the offseason. I had to carry myself for a long time with a bottle of urine attached to my leg and a hole in the back of my kidney so that I could get a new bladder. All the players knew that and everybody appreciated how I didn’t miss a game. I’ve missed a lot of events. My anniversary comes during the season; I miss that. My wife — any other woman would have given me the warning about 10-12 years ago. I am obsessed with the game of basketball. What does it mean to be the Raptors’ South Asian community ambassador? I was made the South Asian ambassador last year. Only 30 or 40 people used to come to the games from the South Asian community. I carry my beard, I carry my turban all the time. A lot of people used to think that I’m getting these tickets from either the bank or other people, because they knew I was a manager of a car dealership. Now, every year we do two games at the Air Canada Centre celebrating South Asia — one is Hindu day and one is a Sikh day. I buy thousands of tickets and I bring a lot of underprivileged kids from all communities — black, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, everybody. My passion has been to integrate the South Asian and the Sikhs into the mainstream. We have been successful with that. Basketball is the number one game in the South Asian community right now. We are creating so much awareness. How has the city become fonder of basketball as the team has played better in recent years? Even though hockey is the national game here, basketball is taking over, really because of the immigrants moving into the Toronto area.

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How did you feel when the home crowd finally acknowledged Vince Carter in 2014? It was very emotional. It was like tears coming out. As a fan, what Vince has done for Toronto and the Raptors and Canada, there has been no athlete ever in the history of Canada who has done that. I was blessed to be attached to him and his family. For me he’s not a friend—he’s my family. We are family. That’s what he will tell you. If you ask his mother, Michelle, that’s what she will tell you. It was such a touching moment for all of us. This young man doesn’t get the credit for what he has done for the city. Five years in a row when he was in the city, he used to do a camp, bringing 500-600 kids every year to the camp. There’d be 200 kids who didn’t have the money so Vince and his people would figure out how to bring them. He stayed 7-10 days for a camp. After the season is over, these guys are gone. But this guy was dedicated. I still believe if it were not for Vince, we would have had the same ending as the Grizzlies in Vancouver. Is there anyone on the current team you have a special affinity for? DeMar [DeRozan] and his family are very close to my heart. So is [Jonas] Valanciunas. It’s very hard. If only I had to pick one, I think it probably would be DeMar. What a guy he is, what a class guy. He’s become an amazing player. A hard-working guy. What does the sport of basketball mean to Toronto? Hockey was the game here 20 years ago. But hockey is an expensive game. People have to spend a lot of money in order to go have their kids play hockey. When we did the camps with Vince, we had people like Tristan Thompson, [Andrew] Wiggins coming to the camp. They’d say, Vince was my Michael Jordan, my motivation to play basketball. We reached out to a lot of kids to tell them they can do it. Even in the Indian community, Sim Bhullar was a product of that era. It helps us unite, blend the South Asians and Sikhs into the mainstream through the game of basketball. I think basketball is a positive thing—a ray of hope.

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

What does it mean to you to see celebrities like Drake get behind the team as well? Drake was a fan of me when he used to come to the game as a young guy. In 1999, Mr. Isiah Thomas gave me the title of ‘Superfan.’ He presented me with a very nice jersey that I still have. Drake and all those guys were little guys coming to the game then and shaking hands with me. Now Drake is a superstar. I know him very well. He’s told me it’s amazing to see you

What are your most memorable moments over the last 20 years of attending Raptors games? It’s been high and low. A lot of lows. But I’ve always been a part. I don’t leave. Sikhs are very loyal people. That’s what Kobe Bryant told me. He knows that we’ve gone through a lot of lows in Canada. But we are blessed to have this team here. Even during the low times, when Vince Carter came, the excitement was there. I was very connected to him. I think people have stuck with us and now the last few years we have been successful and God-willingly we can go a little deeper into the playoffs and if we can go deeper you’re going to see the stock for basketball in Toronto and Canada going up and up.

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TM & © 2016 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. © 2016 NBA Entertainment. Photo by Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

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ALL-STAR 2016

East All-Stars

Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

Page 70

Page 140

East Coaches

Page 94 West All-Stars

Page 96

Verizon Slam Dunk

Page 142

West Coaches

Page 120 All-Star Scorecard

Page 122

Taco Bell Skills Challenge

DAVID LIAM KYLE; NED DISHMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Page 144 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

Rules and Officials

Page 146

Page 124 West All-Star top votegetter, Kobe Bryant East All-Star top vote-getter, LeBron James

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fter re-signing with the Knicks in the 2014 offseason, things did not go as planned for Anthony last year. He was still an All-Star, but one that played just 40 games before having season-ending knee surgery. Questions have surrounded Anthony throughout his career and many wondered how a Melo-led Knicks team would rebound. With free agents Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez in the fold—as well as rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis— Melo’s putting up another All-Star worthy campaign, embracing team ball and playing perhaps the best defense of his career. Some of Anthony’s numbers are down— his 21.5 ppg are his lowest in a decade—but he is doing it on four and a half fewer shots per game than when he led the League in scoring in 2012-13. With his new surrounding cast, Carmelo has been able to facilitate more often (career-best 3.9 dimes per game). Still, when the game is on the line, few players are more confident to take the big shot than Anthony. This was evident when he hit a clutch three against the 76ers to force OT in a 119-113 Knicks’ win on Jan. 18. With New York hanging around the .500 mark, Melo is in a position to lift the team back to the playoffs for the first time in three years with a big second-half push.

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ast year, George popped into New York for a few promo appearances during All-Star, but it didn’t feel right not seeing PG-13 as a featured attraction. He was coming off two straight All-Star appearances and was supposed to be a mainstay at the event. This year, George rightfully returns to the All-Star Game, stronger and better since his broken leg suffered in the summer of 2014, while training with USA Basketball. Through the first half of the season, he averaged career highs in points and steals, re-establishing himself and with it, the Pacers as one of the toughest squads in the East. Opponents quickly realized George once again was one of the game’s most complete players, and fans did, too—making his one of the top-selling jerseys in the League. There may be few players who appreciate this All-Star bid more than George. The last time he was on the court with an equitable field of talent, he left unsure if he’d ever be back to such a level. Now, firmly entrenched as one of the game’s best forwards, expect George to live up the All-Star experience to the fullest and put on a show for the League’s fans in Toronto.

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ver since his arrival into the League straight from high school, James has been a part of the League’s All-Star festivities. As a rookie, he led the rookie squad with 33 points in the Rookie Challenge. Fans saw enough from that memorable performance, making James a fixture at All-Star ever since. In 2005, James was voted as a starter on the East, a spot he has yet to relinquish. In return, James has given his constituents plenty of reason to keep voting the two-time Finals MVP and fourtime League MVP into the game: There’s the two All-Star MVP performances—the 2006 game where he dropped 29 points and the 27-point, 9-assist and 8-rebound contest in 2008. The 29-point, 12-rebound and 10-assist triple-double at the 2011 All-Star Game. His 25.3 points per All-Star Game trails Kevin Durant’s mark by less than a single free throw, James will more than likely pass Bryant in career points and field goals (he’s currently second in both categories), and at just 31, he has a good shot at matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 18 All-Star Games played and Bryant’s record of 18 starting nods. This season, James’ output remains within his lofty standards. He’s putting up nightly averages of 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6 assists per game and 26.5 Player Efficiency Rating, keeping him a perennial candidate for MVP.

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Lowry I

5-86 Born: 3-2 ight: 205 | t: 6-0 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

Kyle

a | Year illanov

| College: V

n his ninth season in the League last year, Lowry broke through and was rewarded with a selection to his first All-Star Game, as well as Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December 2014. After the Raptors were unceremoniously swept in the first round of the playoffs, Lowry dedicated himself to come back even better in 2015-16. Now in the best shape of his playing career, Lowry will be heading back to the All-Star Game in front of his hometown Toronto fans. This season, Lowry’s scoring has surpassed 20 for the first time in his career (20.9 ppg), giving the Raptors a two-headed beast in the backcourt along with DeMar DeRozan (23.1 ppg). Lowry dropped a career-high 41 points back on December 5 against the Warriors and is on pace to break his own franchise record for most three pointers in a season (190 threes). His 23.00 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) puts him in the top-15 in the NBA. With his play continuing to rise, Lowry is the clear leader of a Raptors team that is currently second in the Eastern Conference and perhaps the best threat to unseat the Cavaliers come playoff time.

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Wade L

2| Born: 1-17-8 ight: 220 | t: 6-4 | We

h rd | Heig

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ike a fine wine, Wade just gets better with age. That’s no knock on the just-turned 34-year-old who has earned his 12th consecutive All-Star nod. In fact, Wade has been a model of consistency this season, playing through patches of nagging injuries, providing the necessary heart to keep the Heat afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With so much history surrounding this year’s game, it’s only right that one of the best shooting guards ever gets to lace ’em up again—for example, going up one more time against another all-time great shooting guard in Kobe Bryant. History aside, Wade is still electrifying to watch, and there’s something to be said about being reunited with his former Heat and USA Basketball teammate LeBron James, a pairing that has produced plenty of highlights, not to mention two championships and a spot on the Olympic gold-medal podium. Plus, there are few better options in crunch time if the game becomes a tense affair. Wade showed his clutch aptitude on the game’s biggest stage in 2010, taking home Most Valuable Player honors in a 141-139 nail-biting East victory. And few cats have made such a notable footprint on All-Star festivities in recent years. From looking ultra-dapper at the dunk contest to helping coach the Rising Stars Challenge, it just wouldn’t feel right without seeing Flash running through the 6ix.

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images

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BOSH I

4-84 Born: 3-2 ight: 235 | t: 6-11 | We

igh ard | He

orw Position: F

CHRIS

Tech eorgia

| College: G

t’s been a long time (nine years, to be exact) since Bosh threw on a 10-gallon hat and channeled his inner Texan (Bosh is originally from Dallas) in a used-car salesman shtick on YouTube to corral some All-Star votes. Almost a decade later, Bosh has remained a fixture at All-Star. These days, he no longer has to resort to Internet or social media outlets to drum up support. Bosh’s game is recognized and respected Leaguewide, having played a key role in two NBA Championship for Miami in 2012 and ’13. The versatile forward is a tough guard for opposing forwards. Bosh possesses a clever low post game that is filled with little jump hooks and turnaround jumpers, but can take the action way out as far as the three-point line, where he’s developed into a legitimate threat (he’s shot .374 from deep since the start of 2014-15) with his smooth lefty stroke. After years of playing second and third banana to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Bosh has become the Heat’s leading scorer, coming close to 20 points every night.

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-89 | Born: 9-14 ight: 220 | t: 6-7 | We

BUTLER T

igh ard | He rd-Forw

ua Position: G

JIMMY

r tte | Yea

arque College: M

he Butler did it. And this. And that. When it comes to Bulls’ Swiss Army knife weapon of Butler, there is literally nothing he can’t do on the hardwood. That is why he’s making his second straight All-Star appearance. Chicago has experienced a whirlwind of changes—from a new coaching staff to the return of Derrick Rose and loss of Joakim Noah to injury—but the one constant remains Butler. Not content with just one All-Star nod, midway through the season, Butler is on pace for career best averages in points, assists and blocks. Butler’s hard-nosed approach is also winning fans outside of the Windy City. Just before All-Star voting closed, Hollywood buddy Mark Wahlberg encouraged his entourage of fans to cast ballots for Butler. The correlation makes sense. Butler’s whole repertoire seems built on pain and gain, and there may not be a harder worker in the League. The benefits of that toil are evident. And if the East coaches need someone to run an offense, lockdown an opponent on D, break down a defense through penetration, pick up a key steal, or any of a multitude of other momentum-changing plays, they can always count on the Butler to do it.

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DEROZAN A

9| Born: 8-7-8 ight: 220 | t: 6-7 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

DEMAR

in NBA: SC | Year College: U

fter the honorary applause for Kobe Bryant, DeRozan will likely command the loudest roars when he’s introduced at All-Star. OK, maybe backcourt mate and best friend Kyle Lowry will also get a rousing Northern greeting. While he’s usually stoic, DeRozan makes up for that with his exciting play. His big dunks and scoring binges are what get the Air Canada Centre going during home games. This season he’s doing plenty of both, averaging a career-high 23.2 ppg after his first 44 games. The Compton, Calif., native has been one of the most consistent shooting guards since coming to Toronto as the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. After a relatively quiet rookie year, DeRozan has never turned in a season under 16.7 ppg. His previous best season was in 2013-14, when he put up 22.7 points per contest, earning his first All-Star berth. In addition to his dependable scoring, DeRozan has improved on the opposite end, combining with Lowry to form one of the better defensive backcourts in the NBA. Expect DeRozan and Lowry to share a backcourt during the All-Star Game.

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Drummond S

-93 | Born: 8-10 ight: 279 | t: 6-11 | We

h er | Heig

ent Position: C

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ear in ticut | Y

nnec College: Co

ince entering the League in 2012, Drummond has been one of the NBA’s premier rebounders. After finishing second in the League in rebounds per game to DeAndre Jordan the past two seasons, he has upped his game even more, averaging a ridiculous 15.5 rpg in the first half of the season. The Pistons’ center is having an historic season on the offensive boards, posting an 18.3 ORB (Offensive Rebound Percentage). If the season ended today, that would be good for fifth all-time. While his rebounding numbers are otherworldly, what has solidified Drummond as a first-time All-Star has been his improvement on the scoring sheet. He and Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson have formed one of the most dangerous pick and roll tandems in the NBA in their first full season together. Drummond’s 17.6 ppg are a career high, making him a near lock for a double-double (36 in the first 42 games this season). And while 10 and 10 on any given night is impressive, Drummond has dropped the rarer 20-20 game five times this season. This is Drummond’s first All-Star game nod, but it’s not his first All-Star experience. In 2014, Drummond won the Rising Star Challenge MVP, playing for Grant Hill’s team and dropping 30 points and 25 rebounds against Chris Webber’s squad.

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MILLSAP M

-85 | Born: 2-10 ight: 246 | t: 6-8 | We

igh ard | He

orw Position: F

PAUL

a Tech

uisian College: Lo

illsap’s arrival to the AllStar Game coincided with work relocation to the ATL. Ever since Millsap inked a free agent deal with the Hawks in 2013, Millsap has had to carve out a Sunday during February to take part in the League’s showcase game. Millsap has blossomed under head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system. In Utah, Millsap was used as a meat-andpotatoes player depended on for interior points and rebounds. As a Hawk, Millsap has been turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet, capable of doing a bit of everything, a Draymond Green of the Eastern Conference. Millsap’s scoring and rebounding acumen has remained from his Jazz days, but now he’s showing off his range while also distributing the ball (a career-best 3.5 apg this season). At the same time, Millsap has carved out a defensive reputation. Over the first 44 games, Millsap is the rare breed of player who is averaging a combined 3.3 steals and blocks per game (1.9 thefts and 1.4 rejections). Admittedly there won’t be too much defense in the early part of the All-Star Game, but if it’s close in the fourth quarter, Millsap does offer up versatility on both ends to any lineup the East will roll out.

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THOMAS W

9| Born: 2-7-8 ight: 185 | t: 5-9 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

ISAIAH

r ton | Yea

ashing College: W

e could focus on how Thomas becomes one of the shortest players ever named an All-Star, joining sub-6-footers 5-9 Calvin Murphy and 5-10 Michael Adams, but that would only define Thomas by his stature, something he has never done in his blossoming NBA career. The last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas has leapfrogged most of his draftmates to get a spot in Sunday’s game. His ascent certainly wasn’t overnight. Thomas had to prove himself at every stop, starting with the team that drafted him, the Sacramento Kings, with whom his heady scoring and playmaking earned him a starting spot halfway through his rookie year. A trade to Phoenix in 2014 returned him to a backup role in a crowded backcourt with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, but he continued to thrive as a third guard, averaging a little over 15 ppg. Then a midseason trade took him cross-country to Boston where he continued to shine off the bench, finishing as runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year in 2015. This year Thomas has proven he’s more than a capable starter: He’s also worthy of being among the League’s best as an All-Star.

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WALL T

0| Born: 9-6-9 ight: 195 | t: 6-4 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

JOHN

y | Year

entuck College: K

his season marks three straight All-Star appearances for the Wizards point guard. Wall has already created numerous big moments during past All-Stars, winning both MVP of the 2011 Rookie Challenge and the 2014 Dunk Contest. Since being drafted No. 1 overall from Kentucky, Wall has been the driving force in a hoops resurgence for the nation’s capital, leading them to the second round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. However, this year has been Wall’s biggest test yet. Budding backcourt mate Bradley Beal and longtime center Nenê each have missed over half the season, Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter have each missed time, forcing Washington to put together a patchwork of players in the rotation. Wall started the season out slow, but his play since December has singlehandedly kept the Wizards afloat and within shouting distance of the playoffs. During December, Wall averaged 22.6 ppg and 11.7 apg and was honored as NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month. He has stayed hot in 2016, winning Player of the Week for January 11-17. During that stretch the Wizards went 3-1, with Wall dropping a season-high 36 points in their lone loss. While he has struggled a bit on defense this year compared to his NBA All-Defensive Second Team nomination in 2015, Wall is still fourth in the League in steals with 2.15 per game.

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Head Coach TYRONN

LUE

L

ue is just weeks into his role as Cleveland Cavaliers head College coach, after serving as the team’s associate head coach Nebraska since the summer of 2014. Year as NBA Head Coach An 11-year veteran of seven teams during his NBA playing 1 days, Lue has always been a sponge to some keen head All-Star Head Coach coaches and players. He has played under the coaching guid- 1 ance of Phil Jackson, Doug Collins and Stan Van Gundy, and alongside greats like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Lue won two NBA Championships with the 2000 and ’01 Los Angeles Lakers. Each of those experiences has prepared him well for his post-playing coaching career, which included a three-year stint as an assistant coach under Doc Rivers and Brad Stevens in Boston before coming to Cleveland. Managing the star-studded All-Star team shouldn’t be too different for Lue, who’s used to high-profile players on his Cavaliers team that has a championship within its sights.

Assistant Coaches

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DREW

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HANDY

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94

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DAVID LIAM KYLE (5); P.A. MOLUMBY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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BRYANT T

-78 Born: 8-23 ight: 212 | t: 6-6 | We

| Heigh d-Guard

orwar Position: F

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he people have spoken. In his final season, fans took to social media and NBA.com to send Bryant off into the sunset as an AllStar, making him the leading votegetter for All-Star 2016—not a bad way to cap off his non-hyperbolic illustrious 20-year career. Bryant has made his mark at All-Star: 2016 marks his 18th AllStar start (a streak dating back to 1998 that includes three years where he was voted a starter but missed the game due to injury). Entering this game, he’s the leader in field goals (115) and points (280) and is one of two players (Bob Pettit, the other) to win the AllStar Game MVP four times (2002, ’07, ’09, ’11). Bryant being a showman at the League’s midseason showcase for almost two decades shouldn’t have been a surprise. As a rookie, Bryant wowed the crowd with a Slam Dunk crown and a 31-point performance at the Rising Stars game, giving us a preview of what would be in store at All-Star for years to follow. In his final season, Bryant is still playing at a high level, averaging 16.3 ppg with 4 rpg and 3.5 apg. Once the ball tips, don’t expect a token sentimental appearance from Bryant as he’ll undoubtedly be playing to win with sights on an unprecedented fifth All-Star MVP trophy as a parting gift.

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CURRY I

-88 | Born: 3-14 ight: 190 | t: 6-3 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

STEPHEN

n | Year

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t’s Curry’s world and we all should just be happy to be a part of it. Truth be told, every time Dell’s boy steps on the court, we’re witnessing greatness and expect no less when the leader of the reigning champs takes the floor in Toronto at the All-Star Game. How do we summarize Curry’s bananas performance in the first half of the season? Do we go by the long-range threes he drains from other time zones with a flick of the wrist? What about the 53 he put on New Orleans? Or the 44 he already gave the Air Canada Centre crowd in December? The numerous times he left a defender frozen—or worse yet, clutching his ankles—after a deft dribble move? Not good enough? Well how about 24 straight wins to open the season? Yes, that is perhaps the most succinct way to summarize Curry’s talents. The impact an otherwordly player has on his team, where they can run through a month of basketball unscathed and challenge for one of the best regular seasons in basketball history. Oh, we surely expect him to launch pull up Js a few times from Mississauga, with a shot so cold it will only add to the winter chill, but watch how much fun Curry’s West teammates have with him on the floor. We just hope he carries his passport with him wherever he goes during All-Star. His game is so unfair customs might not let him leave.

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DURANT A

-88 Born: 9-29 ight: 240 | t: 6-9 | We

igh ard | He

orw Position: F

KEVIN

ear exas | Y

| College: T

fter a season that limited him to just 27 games in 2014-15, Durant is back to his old tricks and making the Thunder a legitimate contender in the Western Conference again. The fans emphatically voted in Durant to start in the 2016 All-Star Game, his seventh straight season making an appearance. KD has seen great success at All-Star, first winning the MVP award in the 2009 Rising Stars Challenge. In the 2012 All-Star Game, Durant was named MVP, leading the West with 36 points in a 152-149 win. Fully healthy after surgery on his right foot, Durant is showing once again why he is one of the League’s purest scorers, not just now but ever. This season, Durant is flirting with the rare 50-40-90 season—shooting over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Only six players have ever accomplished this feat in an NBA season. The last player to do it? Durant himself, in the 2012-13 season. Set to be a free agent in 2016, the time is more urgent than ever for Durant to get Oklahoma City back to the Finals and win that elusive first NBA Championship.

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LEONARD T

-91 | Born: 6-29 ight: 230 | t: 6-7 | We

igh ard | He

orw Position: F

KAWHI

: ar in NBA

o St. | Ye

n Dieg College: Sa

his might be Leonard’s first All-Star selection, but he has long been recognized as the kind of talent that any franchise could use as its cornerstone. His trip to Toronto this February is just the icing on the cake of a career destined for more accomplishment. When Leonard came into the League, he was thrown into a pivotal role in the Spurs rotation and continued to help Gregg Popovich’s crews run like clockwork without missing a beat. As he carved out his spot on the roster as a versatile threat on both sides of the ball, Leonard patiently bided his time and seemingly out of nowhere has become the Spurs’ go-to force. He’s on pace to set a career high in scoring and that threeball looks sweeter and sweeter each time it comes out of his hand. With growing skill has come more intelligence of the game and a physical physique that can cause damage against any of the five opposing guys on the floor at any time. The All-Star Game is often a showcase for offensive flash, but we’re seeing a new trend of rewarding two-way players like Leonard, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Consider it Basketball 2.0, and Leonard is the model for what a next generation All-Star looks like.

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WESTBROOK I

-88 | Born: 11-12 ight: 200 | t: 6-3 | We

h rd | Heig

ua Position: G

RUSSELL

r in NBA: CLA | Yea College: U

t used to be that folks made the Batman and Robin comparison with Westbrook and teammate Kevin Durant with the former playing the role of sidekick, but nowadays the two have become more Superman and Batman (take your pick as to which player is which hero). Westbrook showed he is every bit capable as the headline hero when Durant was sidelined for most of last season, turning in a season that would make Oscar Robertson proud: 28.1 ppg, 8.6 apg and 7.3 rpg. With Durant back to MVP form this season, Westbrook hasn’t had to carry the scoring burden (24.2 ppg over his first 43 games) but his shooting percentage is up along with his assists (career-best 9.7 per game). Durant’s return has given the UCLA product more freedom to be aggressive on defense (a League-best 2.4 thefts per game), leading to more of Westbrook’s signature ferocious dunks that have left many a rim quivering in his wake. Last year’s All-Star MVP with his 41-point eruption, Westbrook will look to become the first player since Bob Pettit (in 1958 and ’59) to repeat as the All-Star Game’s premier player.

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ALDRIDGE A

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fter being the cornerstone player in Portland for the better part of the past decade, Aldridge bought into the team system of San Antonio this offseason, signing a fouryear, $80 million contract. The move has been a resounding success, as the Spurs are on pace to have the greatest single season point differential of all-time. While Aldridge’s raw numbers are down, he has quickly fit into coach Gregg Popovich’s system and continued a level of play that has made him worthy of a fifth consecutive All-Star appearance. Playing just under 30 mpg for the first time since his rookie season, Aldridge’s overall shooting percentage is right in line with his career totals (.483 this season/.485 for career). His 8.7 rpg also leads the team and ranks in the top 20 in the League. This Spurs squad continues to show its ability to play a balanced, workmanlike brand of basketball. Kawhi Leonard is undoubtedly a star, but now a 10-year veteran like Aldridge can come in and quickly slot in as the No. 2 option, with the Big Three of years past in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still putting up productive minutes as well. Aldridge may not be a 20 ppg scorer, but his role in this variation of the Spurs could help San Antonio claim another championship in 2016.

A: Year in NB BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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FBN_FastGrowing2015_NBA2016.pdf

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Source: Nielsen, Live+SD, all ad-supported cable networks, 2015 vs. 2014, Prime (Monday-Friday, 8-11p), P2+ (000) and A25-54 (000). Excludes networks not programming in majority of the daypart 50%+. Subject to qualiďŹ cations which will be made available upon request.


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rognosticators were pretty much predicting the end of days when George Karl was named coach of the Sacramento Kings. How could the hardened veteran mesh with the ubertalent with a reputation for being brash at times? Well, after a few rough patches, consider it a near perfect match. Not only are the Kings in line in the Western Conference playoff race, Cousins has also all but won over Karl completely. In the weeks leading up to Cousins’ second AllStar announcement, Karl called him the best center in the League and campaigned for his selection, which, no disrespect to your favorite celebrity or pop musician, is as solid an endorsement as you can get to play in the annual showcase game. The praise comes with good reason. Cousins is averaging a career-high in points, one of the League’s only pure 20-10 guys on a nightly basis. On Jan. 23, Cousins notched a career-high of 48 points, only to see him eclipse that mark the following game with 56. It’s only right that he’s in Sacramento: The franchise associated with royalty has a worthy King to ward over its domain. All-Star has a rep for being one huge party, so Toronto, get prepared to Boogie down when Cousins steps foot in Canada.

ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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THE REAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY.


DAVIS B

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efore the start of this season, Davis signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension with the Pelicans. Coming off a surprise playoff appearance and being named All-NBA First Team, many believed Davis was poised for an MVP season. While the former No. 1 overall pick is still putting up big numbers, evident by his third straight All-Star selection, the season has not gone exactly according to plan. Injuries hit the Pelicans early and often, starting the season 1-11. Not even a career-high 43 points from Davis on Nov. 6 could will New Orleans to a win over the Atlanta Hawks. Don’t let the Pelicans’ overall record fool you: Davis is still getting buckets and boards, averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for a third straight year. Davis remains one of the premier defenders around the rim in the League, averaging 2.5 bpg (second in NBA). After having the best PER (Player Efficiency Rating) in the League last year, he still finds himself in the top 10 this season. Since missing three games in early January, Davis and the Pelicans have shown signs of life in the win column, reeling off a 5-1 record over a mid-January period. It’s going to be tough, but in a weaker than normal Western Conference, a hot Davis in the second half could propel New Orleans to another surprise playoff appearance.

ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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GREEN G

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reen continues his rapid ascent into the upper echelon of the NBA. Green started out as a humble second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft who saw spare minutes as a rookie, then was a rotation player off the bench providing defense and rebounding in his second year, and became a do-it-all player who did a bit of everything in year three. This season Green is in the conversation with teammate Stephen Curry for MVP chatter with his unique combination of playmaking, defense, rebounding and shooting, all translating to his first invitation to the All-Star Game. As a man of no real position, Green finds his team looking to him to do just about everything. He’s not the point guard, but he leads the team in dimes because he plays so well off the double-teams opponents regularly levy on Curry, giving the Warriors a secondary playmaker. He shoots the three ball as well as his more heralded Splash Brothers teammates (Curry and Klay Thompson) at a career-best 42 percent. Lastly, Green is the team’s defensive linchpin, chasing guards off the pick and roll and bodying up against centers and forwards who tower over him. It’s Green’s versatility that is an overlooked component to the Warriors’ record-setting start this season.

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ast season’s MVP runner-up, Harden is back for his fourth consecutive All-Star Game. Harden will be looking to replicate his flashy AllStar performance from 2015 in which he dropped 29 points and seven treys. The smooth southpaw is one of the NBA’s most adept at getting buckets. His 27.5 points per game are second in the League, and he’s on pace to finish with his fourth straight season of 25-plus points—joining LeBron as the only other player to do so during that time frame, stretching back to when he became a full-time starter. Through the first half of 2015-16, Harden leads the League in total minutes, free throws made and free throws attempted. If that sounds like you’re reading his bio from last year, you would be correct, as he also set the standard in those categories during 2014-15. His ability to slash through the lane and draw contact is unparalleled. Shifting and swerving, Harden sidesteps defenders like a speeding automobile weaving between lanes on the highway. And when he’s not hooping or getting to the line, he’s kicking it to his teammates for open looks, as he’s among the leaders in dishing with 7.0 assists per contest. Harden had a monster game on January 20 when he notched 33 points, 17 boards and 14 dimes, making him the first player to tally those numbers since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. The Rockets are vying to secure a playoff berth in the West, which, if attained, would mark the fourth straight season Houston has reached the postseason—all under Harden’s watch.

| Year in ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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PAUL F

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or the last nine years, when it comes time for the All-Star Game, like a good neighbor, Paul is there. Just three years ago in Houston, CP3 guided the West to a victory, earning Most Valuable Player honors along the way. That night, he put up a ridiculous line of 20 points and 15 assists, as the West ran away late. So what can you expect this year in Toronto? The loonie may be struggling, but Paul will be bringing dimes and plenty of them, no matter the exchange rate. Just imagine the possibilities: oops to Kawhi, backdoor bullets to KD, outlet bombs to Russell on the fastbreak or behind-the-back crowd-pleasers to Steph. Simply put, Paul has one of the most enviable jobs on the planet this weekend and there may not be another player in more demand to satisfy his customers. Fittingly, All-Star falls on Valentine’s Day this year and Paul will be the West’s Cupid, spreading the love. For one night only, expect Toronto to become Lob City 2.0. And that’s worth the price of admission alone.

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

9th | All-Star: NBA: 11th

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THOMPSON T

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ashing College: W

he 2014-15 season was a magical one for Thompson. He was selected to his first All-Star Game and helped the Warriors secure their first NBA Championship in 40 years. How would both the player and team respond for an encore this season? Well, Golden State is gunning for the 95-96 Chicago Bulls’ hallowed 72-10 regular season record. And Thompson, doing his part, is again an All-Star, continuing his lethal marksmanship from beyond the arc. In fact, only one player in the NBA has more three pointers this season than Thompson—his teammate, fellow Splash Brother and reigning MVP, Steph Curry. While the fifth-year guard took a little while to get going this season, Thompson has averaged 23.8 ppg from December 1 through a January 22 win over the Pacers. His 42.5 percent shooting from three once again puts him in the top 10 in the League. While he may be the third option at times this season behind Curry and fellow All-Star Draymond Green, Thompson does so many little things right that help the Warriors stay on their historic pace. As a 6-7 guard, he is able to guard multiple positions at a plus rate, making him one of the best two-way shooting guards in the League. Thompson’s presence will continue to be critical as the Warriors attempt to repeat come playoff time.

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WWW.CARMENCO.COM


Head Coach GREGG

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his will be Popovich’s fourth time manning the sidelines College at an All-Star Game. He led the West to wins in 2011 and Air Force Academy ‘13 after a loss in his debut in 2005. Year as NBA Head Coach Popovich’s coaching résumé speaks for itself. After taking 20 over the San Antonio Spurs’ head coaching role 18 games All-Star Head Coach into the 1996-97 season (the only year he finished a season 4 with a losing record, at 17-47), Popovich has never dipped below a .610 winning percentage and never missed the playoffs. It’s in the postseason where Pop has made his mark, amassing five NBA Championships (1999, ’03, ’05, ’07 and ’14). In addition to the Champagne showers, Popovich has been recognized with three Coach of the Year awards, in 2003, 2012 and in 2014. A master motivator and tactician, Popovich is also credited with diversifying the coaching ranks. He brought in Ettore Messina, one of the most successful Euroleague coaches of all time, as his lead assistant and tabbed WNBA legend Becky Hammon to be part of his staff, making her the first female NBA assistant coach.

Assistant Coaches

ETTORE

SEVENING

Athletic Trainer

120

IME

UDOKA

PAUL

WEST

Assistant Athletic Trainer

JAMES

BORREGO

CHIP

ENGELLAND

CHAD

FORCIER

BECKY

HAMMON D. CLARKE EVANS (5); RON HOSKINS; GARY BASSING/NBAE/GETTY IMAGE

WILL

MESSINA

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All-Star Scorecard Game Score

1ST QUARTER

2ND QUARTER

3RD QUARTER

4TH QUARTER

TOTAL

East West

East All-Stars HEAD COACH Tyronn Lue ASSISTANT COACHES Jim Boylan, Larry Drew, Mike Longabardi, Bret Brielmaier, Phil Handy, James Posey, Vitaly Potapenko ATHLETIC TRAINER Scott McCullough ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINER Ray Chow EQUIPMENT MANAGER Paul Elliott No.

Player

Team

PTS

REB

AST

POS

HT

WT

AGE

ALL-STAR College/H.S./Country

7

CARMELO ANTHONY

New York Knicks

F

6-8

240

31

9th year

Syracuse

13

PAUL GEORGE

Indiana Pacers

F

6-9

220

25

3rd year

Fresno St.

23

LEBRON JAMES

Cleveland Cavaliers

F

6-8

250

31

12th year St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH)

7

KYLE LOWRY

Toronto Raptors

G

6-0

205

29

2nd year

3

DWYANE WADE

Miami Heat

G

6-4

220

34

12th year Marquette

1

CHRIS BOSH

Miami Heat

F

6-11

235

31

11th year Georgia Tech

21

JIMMY BUTLER

Chicago Bulls

G-F

6-7

220

26

2nd year

Marquette

10

DEMAR DEROZAN

Toronto Raptors

G

6-7

220

26

2nd year

Southern California

0

ANDRE DRUMMOND

Detroit Pistons

C

6-11

279

22

1st year

Connecticut Louisiana Tech

Villanova

4

PAUL MILLSAP

Atlanta Hawks

F

6-8

246

31

3rd year

4

ISAIAH THOMAS

Boston Celtics

G

5-9

185

27

1st year

Washington

2

JOHN WALL

Washington Wizards

G

6-4

195

25

3rd year

Kentucky

West All-Stars HEAD COACH Gregg Popovich ASSISTANT COACHES Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, James Borrego, Chip Engelland, Chad Forcier, Becky Hammon ATHLETIC TRAINER Will Sevening ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINER Paul West No.

Player

Team

PTS

REB

AST

POS

HT

WT

AGE

ALL-STAR College/H.S./Country

24

KOBE BRYANT

Los Angeles Lakers

F-G

6-6

212

37

18th year Lower Merion (PA)

30

STEPHEN CURRY

Golden State Warriors

G

6-3

190

27

3rd year

35

KEVIN DURANT

Oklahoma City Thunder

F

6-9

240

27

7th year

Texas

2

KAWHI LEONARD

San Antonio Spurs

F

6-7

230

24

1st year

San Diego St.

0

RUSSELL WESTBROOK

Oklahoma City Thunder

G

6-3

200

27

5th year

UCLA

12

LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE

San Antonio Spurs

F

6-11

240

30

5th year

Texas

Davidson

15

DEMARCUS COUSINS

Sacramento Kings

F-C

6-11

270

25

2nd year

Kentucky

23

ANTHONY DAVIS

New Orleans Pelicans

F

6-10

253

22

3rd year

Kentucky

23

DRAYMOND GREEN

Golden State Warriors

F

6-7

230

25

1st year

Michigan St. Arizona St.

13

JAMES HARDEN

Houston Rockets

G

6-5

220

26

4th year

3

CHRIS PAUL

Los Angeles Clippers

G

6-0

175

30

9th year

Wake Forest

0

KLAY THOMPSON

Golden State Warriors

G

6-7

215

26

2nd year

Washington St.

122

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1/27/16 4:55 PM


BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

JORDAN

C

CLARKSON

Position

Position

Guard

Guard

Height

Height

6-5

6-8

Weight

Weight

194

206

Born

Born

6-7-92

10-20-92

College

College

Missouri

Duke

Year in NBA

Year in NBA

2nd

2nd

124

RODNEY

A

HOOD

tall and lean shooting guard, Hood possesses a pretty lefthanded stroke that was NBA ready as soon as he set foot on an NBA court. After getting drafted with the 23rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Hood has looked comfortable unfurling jumpers from beyond the arc. As a rookie, Hood sank the three at a respectable .365 clip and this year he has the same accuracy at .362. His range and marksmanship opens up the rest of his offensive game as he relies on it to take defenders off the dribble, and he’s equally adept at pulling up for a midrange jumper. Along with Rising Stars Challenge teammate Raul Neto, Hood comprises Utah’s rookie backcourt. The hope is that the two can grow together as the franchise’s backcourt for years to come. NOAH GRAHAM; LAYNE MURDOCH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

larkson was a pleasant surprise for the Lakers in his rookie run. A relative unknown taken in the second round (46th pick) by the Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to the Lakers, Clarkson turned in a very productive season highlighted by 11.9 ppg and 3.5 apg— numbers good enough to warrant a spot on the NBA All-Rookie team. A full-time starter this season, Clarkson has found more of a footing on the team in his sophomore run, upping his scoring output to 15.1 per game. A quick and nimble guard, Clarkson has the ability to play both guard positions and even play some occasional forward when the team goes small. His speed and long arms give him an advantage on the defensive end. On offense, Clarkson isn’t timid about getting to the rim as he rarely settles for outside jumpers, a facet of his game that he is still improving.

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Look closely into the mountains of North Carolina and you’ll discover a place unlike any other. Hendersonville calls out to all to seek out and explore new experiences year-round. Stroll through our downtown Main Street filled with boutiques and eateries or find a trail that will take you to new heights in DuPont State Recreational Forest. Belly up to a cold brew at Sierra Nevada Brewery or indulge in regional wine tastings, it’s all up to you! Be moved. Because that’s what happens in Hendersonville.

1.800.828.4244

visithendersonvillenc.org


BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

Position

Position

Guard

ForwardCenter

Height

6-5

Height

6-11

Weight

189

Weight

228

Born

3-10-95

Born

4-10-94

College

UCLA

College

Kentucky

Year in NBA

2nd

Year in NBA

2nd

ZACH LAVINE

L

126

NERLENS

A

NOEL

fter missing what would have been his first season in 2013-14, while recovering from ACL surgery, Noel had a delayed debut for the Philadelphia 76ers last season and made his presence known quickly. He finished the season with 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals per game, while getting voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. This year, his points and rebounds are both up, with 10.4 and 8.3 per game, respectively. Although his blocks and steals are both down to 1.5 per game, he still has been intimidating opponents with his incredible length and defensive prowess. Playing alongside Jahlil Okafor, Noel is part of one of the League’s premier young frontcourts, with both players at the center of Philadelphia’s plans for the future. With his ability to block and change shots and his endurance since coming back from his knee injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find Noel playing on Sunday nights at AllStar in the future.

DAVID SHERMAN; GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

aVine is certainly no stranger to All-Star Weekend. You may recall his show-stopping performance in last year’s Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, in which he earned two first-round perfect scores for a between-the-legs reverse and an around-the-back, off-the-bounce, and went on to win the contest by a wide margin. LaVine is more than just an amazing dunker, though. In his second year, he has continued to improve on his solid rookie showing, increasing his scoring average from 10.1 to 12.0 points per game, while adding 3.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 0.7 steals. He adds a nice spark off the bench for the Timberwolves, who have a lot of backcourt pairing options with LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Martin, Tyus Jones, and Andre Miller. LaVine’s ability to play at the point or shooting guard positions will allow him to continue to be a big part of Minnesota’s young core.

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AT THE TOP OF

OUR GAME in and out of the classroom Clemson is ranked among the top-25 national public universities (U.S.News & World Report), attracting students who are gifted academically, crave challenge and are determined to make a difference. With 80-plus undergraduate degrees and a number of cross-cultural opportunities, Clemson students are prepared to be at the top of their game in their professions and their service to others.

clemson.edu

No. 21 national public university No. 16 innovative schools No. 7 happiest students No. 1 career services No. 1 alumni network


BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

JAHLIL

T

OKAFOR

128

JABARI

P

PARKER

arker was supposed Position to challenge Andrew Forward Wiggins for the Rookie of the Height Year hardware last season, 6-8 but a torn ACL suffered in Weight mid-December 2014 cut short 250 Born his debut campaign, a 253-15-95 game audition where he was College averaging a cool 12.5 points, 5.5 Duke Year in NBA rebounds and 1.2 steals. Back in full health after a 2nd rigorous rehabilitation, Parker is looking to make amends on his lost season. His 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds are on par with where he had left off. A versatile forward with a size advantage on smaller counterparts and quicker than most bigs, Parker is right at home on a Milwaukee team filled with unique forwards that can play multiple positions.

ELFRID

W

PAYTON

ith one of the most Position distinctive hairstyles in Guard the League, Payton is starting Height to make a name for himself 6-4 as a player, namely on the Weight defensive end. Lightning 185 Born quick with a long wingspan, 2-22-94 Payton uses those physical College tools with his heady instinct Louisianaand nose for the ball to harass Lafayette opposing point guards while Year in NBA preying on passing lanes. 2nd On offense, he’s still honing his jumper, but prefers to use his speed and dribbling mastery to get to the basket in order to make things happen for his teammates. As a rookie Payton dished out 533 dimes, tops among all rookies, earning him an All-Rookie First Team nod. The Magic certainly envision a future backcourt of Payton and Victor Oladipo for years to come in Central Florida.

JESSE D. GARRABRANT; GARY DINEEN; JOE MURPHY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

he 76ers’ rebuilding process Position took a major step forward Center this year with the drafting of Height former Duke center Okafor. One 6-11 of the most NBA-ready talents Weight in this year’s rookie class, Okafor 275 Born has lived up to that billing. 12-15-95 With averages of 17.4 points, College 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per Duke game, his frontcourt presence Year in NBA gives Philadelphia a rock-solid 1st foundation to build around. Okafor’s consistent offensive production, in particular, has been a boon to the team, scoring in double digits in all but three games through late January. On the defensive end, he has also proven quite valuable, holding the players he has guarded to 52.7 percent shooting percentage within six feet of the basket, compared to a League average of 59.4 percent. There is hope in Philadelphia, and Okafor is a big reason for that.

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HER FUTURE BEGINS ON TWO WHEELS.

Photo by Jake Lyell

Hirabai began walking to school when she was a little girl. It was an exhausting, dangerous two-mile journey from her home in rural India. At 14, she started attending a high school even farther away, unsure of how she would complete her education. But now, with the gift of a Dream Bike from ChildFund, she’s riding — safely and quickly — toward her dream of one day attending university. In 11 countries, ChildFund is making it possible for girls to continue their education by giving them muchneeded bicycles and safe passage to a better future.

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BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

D’ANGELO

W

RUSSELL

130

MARCUS

A

SMART

fter taking him with Position the sixth pick in the 2014 Guard NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics Height projected Smart as its future 6-4 point guard. While that Weight hasn’t happened yet (Smart 220 Born is still serving as understudy 3-6-94 to Isaiah Thomas), Smart College has shown promise with his Oklahoma 9.2 ppg, 3.2 apg and 4.5 rpg St. second sseason. A physical Year in NBA player, Smart likes to use his 2nd size advantage to overpower opposing point guards in the post or drive to the basket. His jumper is still a work in progress, but he smartly plays to his strengths by making his living in the paint, oftentimes using his mass inside to draw attention to set up teammates. He’s still raw at 21, but Smart is a player to keep an eye out for in the near future.

KARL-ANTHONY

T

TOWNS

he No. 1 pick of the Position 2015 NBA Draft, Towns Center has made an immediate Height impact for the Minnesota 7-0 Timberwolves and has Weight solidified himself as the 244 Born Rookie of the Year favorite 11-15-95 through his great play in College the first half of the season. Kentucky While starting every game, Year in NBA Towns has averaged 16.1 1st ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.8 bpg while shooting .533 from the field. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for both November and December, putting together one of the most impressive first-year campaigns in recent memory. He has shown a polish and versatile skill set that leaves little question as to why he was the first name called in the last draft.

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN; BRIAN BABINEAU; BILL BAPTIST/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

hile one of the top Position storylines for Sunday’s Guard game will be the last All-Star Height appearance for Kobe Bryant, 6-5 the weekend will kick off Weight with the arrival of the Lakers’ 195 Born future and what should be 2-23-96 one of many trips to the College festivities for Russell. Ohio St. It’s been a tough season in Year in NBA Lakerland, but there is plenty 1st of buzz in Hollywood surrounding the rookie and heir apparent to Kobe’s throne in Russell. He’s proven through half a season his penchant for show-stopping crossovers and flashed the ability to take over a game offensively. Basically, the Rising Stars Challenge was tailor-made for an under-the-radar cat like Russell. Trust us, if you don’t now the name yet, you will after this weekend.

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BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

Position

Position

GuardForward

ForwardCenter

Height

Height

6-6

6-10

Weight

Weight

216

240

Born

Born

4-18-89

5-18-94

Country

Country

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Switzerland Year in NBA

2nd

Year in NBA

2nd

BOJAN

A

BOGDANOVIC

132

CLINT

I

CAPELA

f it seems like Capela is a rookie, it’s because he barely saw any burn last year. The Switzerland-born Capela only took off his warm-ups 12 times last season after being the team’s 2014 first round pick (25th overall selection). Instead of performing rookie chores, Capela made the most of his rookie run, getting quality minutes on the Rockets’ NBA D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he was an interior beast with 16 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 3 bpg. The training paid off this year as Capela has started a majority of the Rocket’s first-half games and is now a key contributor with 7.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg with 1.2 bpg. The 21-year-old is still very raw, but he’s shown a knack for finishing around the basket and challenging shots in the paint as the Rockets hope to see him continue to develop.

FERNANDO MEDINA; BILL BAPTIST/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

fter a 10-year professional career that saw him play in Bosnia, Spain, Croatia and Turkey, Bogdanovic signed a three-year, $10 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets before the start of the 2014-15 season. As a rookie, Bogdanovic saw playing time in 78 games, with averages of 9 points, helping the Nets sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed. Brooklyn should be in rebuilding mode, but with many of its draft picks traded away in recent years, it is more important than ever to find help from within. Bogdanovic has shown glimpses of being that type of player, including a recent performance off the bench against the Thunder. He poured in 18 points—going 4-6 from three—with 3 assists and 3 rebounds in a 116-106 win. Overall on the season, the second-year player is averaging 9.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 1.1 apg.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

Position

Position

GuardForward

Center Height

Height

6-10

6-8

Weight

Weight

250

218

Born

Born

2-19-95

2-25-95

Country

Country

Serbia

Croatia

Year in NBA

1st

Year in NBA

1st

MARIO

H

HEZONJA

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NIKOLA

A

JOKIC

long with fellow rookie teammate Emmanuel Mudiay (who’s also in the World squad of the Rising Stars Challenge), Jokic is part of the Nuggets’ youth movement. A second-round pick (41st overall) in the recent draft, Jokic has provided immediate dividends relative to his draft position. The Serbian pivot hasn’t tried to do too much in the early going, but is putting up a cool 9 ppg and 5.4 rpg over his first 43 NBA games in 19 minutes per game. Jokic has also shown peeks of being a stretch 5 option with a soft touch from three (36 percent) in limited attempts. The Nuggets are bringing him along slowly, but are tantalized by the projected extrapolated (over 36 minutes) production that Jokic could deliver—17.1 ppg and 10.3 rpg, numbers that would make him one of the League’s best centers.

FERNANDO MEDINA; MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

ezonja, the Orlando Magic’s first-round, fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, came to the NBA after three years playing for the successful Barcelona club of the Spanish Liga ACB. As an athletic swingman, Hezonja made a name for himself at a young age, signing a contract with Barcelona at 17 and being nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award in 2012. Hezonja has seen limited minutes as part of a Magic roster stacked with youthful talent, averaging 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1 assist in 13.7 minutes per game. He has shown flashes of the exciting playmaking ability that made him a lottery pick though, and his passing and defense have been particular strong points of his time on the court. As he grows into a consistent role, Hezonja has the potential to become one of the League’s most electric players.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

TREY

T

LYLES

136

EMMANUEL

T

MUDIAY

here’s little doubt Position the Nuggets are high Guard on Mudiay’s potential. Not Height only did the team draft the 6-5 19-year-old with no college Weight experience (Mudiay played 200 Born one season in the Chinese 3-5-96 Basketball Association after Country graduating from Prime Prep Democratic Academy in Texas) with the Republic of No. 7 pick in the 2015 NBA The Congo Draft, Denver traded away Year in NBA 1st its starting point guard Ty Lawson and handed Mudiay the keys to the offense. Mudiay has shown some growing pains typical of most young point guards, especially with his shot and taking care of the ball. That said, the Congo-born Mudiay has shown plenty of that impossible-to-teach instinct to make plays and explosiveness that could one day make him one of the NBA’s top point men.

RAUL

N

NETO

eto joined the Utah Jazz Position this season after being Guard drafted 47th overall in the 2013 Height NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, 6-1 who subsequently traded him Weight to the Jazz. Neto continued to 179 Born play for Lagun Aro GBC of the 5-19-92 Spanish Liga ACB after he was Country drafted, and spent the 2014-2015 Brazil season with the league’s UCAM Year in NBA Murcia club. In July 2015, he 1st signed a contract with the Jazz and started in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons. He has started at the point in all but one game as of press time, averaging 5.7 points, 2.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game. His presence as a tenacious defender and floor leader has given the Jazz a lot of interesting backcourt options, pairing him with Rodney Hood, Trey Burke or Alec Burks. With Dante Exum looking to return next season from an ACL injury, Neto will be part of a diverse young crew of guards in Utah.

ALLEN EINSTEIN; BARRY GOSSAGE; KENT SMITH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

he 12th pick of the Position 2015 NBA Draft, Lyles Forward was one of six Kentucky Height Wildcats to have their 6-10 Weight name called that night. Born in Saskatoon, 234 Born Canada, the 6-10 forward 11-5-95 has been coming along Country slowly for the Utah Jazz as Canada a regular rotation player, Year in NBA even starting 29 of the 1st team’s first 45 games. Lyles really came into his own during a six-game stretch from Jan. 13-22, averaging 13.3 points (on 57 percent shooting) and 5.2 rebounds per game. A skilled player, Lyles possesses skills that belie his size. He is capable of putting the ball on the floor, unfurling a spin move and finishing with a soft touch around the basket. On defense, Lyles takes full advantage of his 7-3 wingspan to pull in rebounds. Lyles joins Andrew Wiggins and Dwight Powell as the three Canadians on the World Team. | NBA All-Star 2016

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BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge

KRISTAPS

W

PORZINGIS

138

DWIGHT

P

POWELL

owell came over to the Position Mavericks last year as Forward part of their trade with the Height Celtics for Rajon Rondo, seeing 6-11 minor minutes in 24 games. Weight Now in his first full season 240 Born in Dallas, Powell has found 7-20-91 himself as a reliable backup Country option, learning behind NBA Canada Year in NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki. Powell has averaged 6.8 2nd ppg and 4.8 rpg in just 17.0 mpg this season. To give an idea of how that averages out, Powell would be averaging a double-double if he played 36 mpg (14.3 ppg/10.2 rpg). He has made the most of his limited time, averaging a healthy 48.1 percent from the field. After spending most of last year in the NBA D-League, Powell has proven himself as a valuable piece off the bench for a Mavericks team that is poised to make the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons.

ANDREW

I

WIGGINS

t was on the courts of Position Toronto that Wiggins honed Guardhis game, so it’s only right the Forward future of the League gets a Height 6-8 taste of some home cooking. Wiggins copped the Rising Weight 199 Stars game Most Valuable Born Player award last year, and 2-23-95 we can’t wait to see what Country he has in store for an encore Canada back home in Canada. Wig- Year in NBA gins’ 22 points led Team 2nd World to the W and he’ll be more than pumped for a repeat surrounded by friends and family. There are few players more deserving of a spot in the League’s showcase for up and comers, as the reigning Rookie of the Year has only upped the ante this season, becoming Minnesota’s top scoring option as they try to fight their way back into the thick of the Western Conference.

NATHANIEL S. BUTLER; GLENN JAMES; DANNY BOLLINGER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

hen the New York Position Knicks drafted Latvian Forwardbig man Porzingis with the Center fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Height Draft, many wondered if the 7-3 risk was too high, and if the Weight 240 lanky Porzingis was strong Born enough to stand up against 8-2-95 the League’s other bigs. As it Country turns out, the risk was worth Latvia it. With averages of 14.0 Year in NBA points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 1st blocks per game over his first 46 NBA games, Porzingis earned himself Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for both November and December, and his versatile game and shooting range have stretched the floor for a much-improved Knicks squad. For a team that was prepared for their first-round pick to be a multi-year project, the gamble has paid off immediately, and in a big way.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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AVA I L A B L E AT :

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Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

Position

Position

Guard

Forward

Height

Height

6-6

6-11

Weight

Weight

206

235

Born

Born

10-30-96

3-24-84

College

College

Kentucky

Georgia Tech

Year in Three-Point Contest

Year in Three-Point Contest

1st

1st

DEVIN

BOOKER

STEPHEN 140

CURRY

CHRIS

BOSH

Position

Position

Guard

Guard

Height

Height

6-3

6-5

Weight

Weight

190

220

Born

Born

3-14-88

8-26-89

College

College

Davidson

Arizona St.

Year in Three-Point Contest

Year in Three-Point Contest

5th

2nd

JAMES

HARDEN

| NBA All-Star 2016

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Position

Position

Guard

GuardForward

Height

6-0

Height

6-8

Weight

205

Weight

234

Born

3-25-86

Born

8-12-91

College

Villanova

College

Texas A&M

Year in Three-Point Contest

Year in Three-Point Contest

1st

BARRY GOASSAGE; OSCAR BALDIZON; NOAH GRAHAM; BILL BAPTIST; RON TURENNE; GARY DINEEN; KENT SMITH; ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

1st

KYLE

J.J.

LOWRY

REDICK

KHRIS

MIDDLETON

Position

Position

Guard

Guard

Height

Height

6-4

6-7

Weight

Weight

190

215

Born

Born

6-24-84

2-8-90

College

College

Duke

Washington St.

Year in Three-Point Contest

Year in Three-Point Contest

2nd

2nd

KLAY

THOMPSON NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Verizon Slam Dunk

WILL

Position

Forward-Guard

Center

Height

Height

6-6

6-11

Weight

Weight

175

279

Born

Born

1-6-91

8-10-93

College

College

Memphis

COnnecticut

Year in Slam Dunk

Year in Slam Dunk

1st

1st

BARTON

GORDON

ANDRE

DRUMMOND

Position

Position

forward

Guard

Height

Height

6-9

6-5

Weight

Weight

220

189

Born

Born

9-16-95

3-10-95

College

College

Arizona

UCLA

Year in Slam Dunk

Year in Slam Dunk

1st

2nd

ZACH LAVINE

GARRETT ELLWOOD; ROCKY WIDNER; SCOTT CUNNINGHAM; JORDAN JOHNSON/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

AARON 142

Position

| NBA All-Star 2016

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Now Available in Singles

Only $6.99 for a Single Game

NBA.COM/LEAGUEPASS NBA REGULAR SEASON, OUT-OF-MARKET GAMES ONLY. BLACKOUT RESTRICTIONS APPLY. Message and date rates may apply. Visit nba.com/leaguepass for blackout restrictions and other applicable terms and conditions. NBA, the NBA logo and team identifications are trademarks ok NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective member teams. Š 2016 NBA Properties, Inc. Photo by Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

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Taco Bell Skills Challenge

ANTHONY DAVIS

JORDAN CLARKSON

DEMARCUS COUSINS

Position: Guard Height: 6-1 Weight: 185 Born: 7-12-88 College: Arkansas Year in Skills Challenge: 2nd

Position: Forward-Center Height: 6-10 Weight: 253 Born: 3-11-93 College: Kentucky Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

Position: Guard Height: 6-5 Weight: 194 Born: 6-7-92 College: Missouri Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

Position: Forward-Center Height: 6-11 Weight: 270 Born: 8-13-90 College: Kentucky Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

DRAYMOND GREEN

C.J. MCCOLLUM

ISAIAH THOMAS

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS

Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 230 Born: 3-4-90 College: Michigan St. Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

Position: Guard Height: 6-4 Weight: 200 Born: 9-19-91 College: Lehigh Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

Position: Guard Height: 5-9 Weight: 185 Born: 2-7-89 College: Washington Year in Skills Challenge: 2nd

Position: Center Height: 7-0 Weight: 244 Born: 11-15-95 College: Kentucky Year in Skills Challenge: 1st

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BILL BAPTIST; NBA PHOTOS; ROCKY WIDNER; SAM FORENCICH; LAYNE MURDOCH JR.; ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN; FERNANDO MEDINA; ALLEN EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

PATRICK BEVERLEY

| NBA All-Star 2016

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, e l b a i l e r , e f a s , y t i For c i r t c e l e e l b a afford lic

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Rules and Officials 2016 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Rules

• Each team will include a minimum of: • Four guards and four frontcourt players • Three rookies and three sophomores

• The Rising Stars Challenge will feature a team comprised of a total of ten first and second year players (Rookies and Sophomores) from the United States against a team comprised of a total of ten first and second year players (Rookies and Sophomores) from the “World” (i.e., outside the United States). • The twenty players (ten US players, ten World players) selected on the basis of voting by the league’s assistant coaches (one vote per team from the collective of each team’s assistant coaches).

2016 Taco Bell Skills Challenge

A field of 8 players competes head-to-head in a 3-round obstacle course competition that tests dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills.

COMPETITION RULES *(See corresponding “Flow of Play”) • Two players compete simultaneously on an identical course with the winner of each headto-head matchup advancing to the next round. • BALL HANDLING – Players must observe basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course.

146

• The coaching staffs for the Rising Stars Challenge will consist of assistant coaches of the All-Star Game teams.

Rules - Game • Two twenty minute halves will be played. • Each team will have one full timeout per half. However, two mandatory team timeouts will be called each half (under the 10:00 and 5:00 marks). Teams will lose their full timeout if they do not call it before the 10:00 and 5:00 marks (under 10:00 mark timeout charged to the visiting team, under 5:00 mark timeout charged to the home team).

• PASSING – the passing challenge shall be considered completed (player can move on) when he either (1) successfully passes a ball through the target or (2) exhausts the corresponding rack of balls while attempting pass a ball through the target . • LAYUP/DUNK – the player must rebound his own ball until the basket is made. • FINAL 3PT SHOT – the players must continue shooting the 3-point shot from any location on or behind his designated shooting spot until the course-ending three-pointer is made. The first player to do so wins the head-to-head matchup and advances. • DISQUALIFICATION – players are subject to disqualification at the final discretion/judgment of the referee for (1) failure to complete all the challenges or (2) deliberately interfering with his opponent or his opponent’s ball. • INSTANT REPLAY – at the referee’s discretion, instant replay may be utilized for clarification of rules compliance

• There will also be one mandatory timeout (charged to officials) at the under 15:00 mark in each half. • Each team will also have one :20 second timeout per half. • Individual fouls will be kept, but a player will not foul out. • The penalty will apply after ten team fouls or after the second foul in the final two minutes of each half. • The clock will stop after each successful field goal in the last minute of each half. • In the event of a tie game at the end of regulation, a two-minute overtime period will be played. • An MVP award will be given out at the conclusion of the game.

ADVANCEMENT • In each head-to-head competition, the player successfully completing the course first shall be deemed the winner of that matchup and advance to the next round.

FIRST ROUND • Each of the 4 head-to-head winners will advance to the Second Round.

SECOND ROUND • The two Second Round winners in the head-to-head matchups will advance to the Championship Round.

CHAMPIONSHIP • The Second Round winners will compete head-to-head to determine the Skills Challenge champion.

TIEBREAKERS • In the event of a tie in any head-to-head competition, the tied players shall repeat the course.

| NBA All-Star 2016

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2016 Taco Bell Skills Challenge Flow of Play START - On music cue, each player picks up his first ball from a pedestal and dribbles from the baseline to: CROSSOVER DRIBBLE - starting around the 1st pylon to the outside (toward sideline), then around the 2nd pylon to the inside (center court), the 3rd pylon to the outside, 4th pylon to the inside, then finally the 5th pylon to the outside, continuing his dribble until he approaches: CHEST PASS – Using the ball in his hand from the crossover dribble section, he attempts to complete the chest pass. If the first attempt is

made, he moves on. If not, he must attempt to complete the chest pass using the two additional balls on the corresponding ball rack until either (1) a pass is made or (2) all the balls are exhausted (one ball at a time/towards the target) – at which point he moves on to: NEW BALL/SPEED DRIBBLE –he picks up a new ball from a pedestal on the baseline and dribble the length of the court back to: LAYUP/DUNK –he must complete a layup/ dunk and rebound his own shot NOTE: he must rebound the same ball if he misses and once the shot is made, he will retrieve the same ball and proceed to the opposite end of the court to: FINAL 3PT SHOT – using the ball in his hand

from his layup/dunk, the player will finish the competition by completing a 3-point shot from any location on or behind his designated shooting spot. Additional balls will be placed in a barrel beside the designated shooting spot. The first player to complete a 3-point shot wins the head-to-head matchup and advances. NOTE: All shots must be taken one ball at a time/ towards the basket. DISQUALIFICATION RULE - Players are subject to disqualification at the final discretion/judgment of the referee for (1) failure to complete all of the challenges or (2) deliberately interfering with his opponent or his opponent’s ball.

NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Rules and Officials 2016 Verizon Slam Dunk

FOUR DUNKERS will compete in the two-round competition.

RULES JUDGES - There will be 5 judges. For each dunk, a score from six to ten will be given by each judge, resulting in a maximum score of 50 and a minimum score of 30. ATTEMPTS PER DUNK – For each scored dunk in both rounds (Dunks #1 and #2 in the First Round and Dunks # 1 and #2 in the Final Round), each dunker will be limited to three attempts to complete his dunk. ATTEMPT DEFINTION – An attempt is defined as the player controlling the basketball and moving it towards the rim. OFFICIATING – A referee will judge whether a dunk is considered a made dunk or a missed dunk. Made dunks cannot be “replaced”, even if the dunker has remaining attempts. PROPS – Use of any props or other people in any way during the slam dunk competition must be approved in advance of the competition by the NBA Basketball Operations department. INSTANT REPLAY – At the discretion of the referee, instant replay may be utilized for rules compliance. FIRST ROUND – Two Dunks (#1 and #2) The competition order for Dunk #2 of the First Round will be determined by the inverse order of the Dunk #1 scores (e.g., player with the lowest score on Dunk #1 goes first for Dunk #2). The two dunkers with the highest composite scores (Dunk #1 + Dunk #2) advance to the Final Round – maximum 100, minimum 60. FINAL ROUND – Two Dunks (#1 and #2) The dunker with the lowest total score from the First Round will go first in the Final Round. The competition order for Dunk #2 of the Final Round will be determined by the inverse order of the Dunk #1 scores (e.g., player with the lowest score on Dunk #1 goes first for Dunk #2). The dunker with the highest Final Round composite score (Dunk #1 + Dunk #2) will be the Dunk Champion.

TIEBREAKERS In the event a tie in the First Round needs to be broken in order to determine one or both of the top two finishers, a one-dunk “dunk-off” involving the tied players will take place to determine which player(s) will advance to the Final Round. In the event of a tie in the Final Round, a one-dunk dunk-off will take place to determine the champion. Any dunk-off will be repeated as necessary until the tie is broken. All dunk-offs (including a Final Round dunk-off) will be judged by the panel of five judges. Consistent with the rules applicable to the First Round and the Final Round, each dunker will have three attempts to complete a dunk in any dunk-off.

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| NBA All-Star 2016

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DEVELOPING TORONTO ATHLETES SINCE 1970

#StrengthInMembers LOCATIONS: Lakeshore 801 Lake Shore Blvd. E. (Lake Shore & DVP) (416) 466-3777 West 3855 Chesswood Drive (Sheppard & Dufferin) (416) 638-1010 Parkway 50 Steelcase Road E. (Woodbine & Steeles) (905) 475-0350 East 160 Esna Park Drive (Denison & Victoria Park) (905) 475-8833 mayfairclubs.com/nba

Shé:kon Tkaronto

(Welcome to Toronto),

the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee, where the Six Nations docked their canoes. The lands where the Haudenosaunee and many other First Nations agreed to share the wealth and natural resources, as told in the “Dish with One Spoon” Wampum Belt.

Six Nations of the Grand River is the most populated Indigenous community in Canada. Located along the Grand, a National Heritage River, we are made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations. Together, our community celebrates our heritage and culture with annual events and attractions. We invite you to come experience our museums, galleries, local businesses, and enjoy our many recreational events and activities only an hour drive from Tkaronto.

www.sixnations.ca

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Six Nations 56th Elected Council 1695 Chiefswood Road, PO Box 5000 Ohsweken, Ontario N0A 1M0 Phone: (519) 445-2201

www.sixnationstourism.ca

1/27/16 3:43 PM


Rules and Officials 2016 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

• The fifth rack will be a special “all money ball” rack. Each competitor will decide the spot for this rack to be placed at one of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points. • Players may not start on or over the threepoint line while shooting. A basket does not count if the line is violated. • INSTANT REPLAY – At the discretion of the referee, instant replay may be utilized for clarification of rules compliance.

Eight players will compete in the two-round, timed shooting competition.

TIME LIMIT

COMPETITION FORMAT

• Each competitor has one minute (1:00) to shoot as many of the 25 balls as he can.

• Five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. • Four of the racks contain four orange balls and one multi-colored “money” ball. • The orange balls are worth one point. The multi-colored “money” ball is worth two points. • From each rack, the multi-colored “money” ball can only be shot after the four orange balls are shot.

FIRST ROUND • Order of competition will be determined by random drawing, except that the returning champion will compete last. • The three players with the highest scores advance to the Championship Round.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND • Three players will compete in the Championship Round. • The competition order for the Championship Round will be determined by the inverse order of First Round scores. (e.g., the player with the lowest score in the First Round among the players who advanced shoots first in the Championship Round.)

TIEBREAKERS • To Advance from First Round – In the event of a tie to determine the Championship Round participants, a 30-second tiebreaker will take place using the same competition format described above. If necessary, this process will be repeated until the tie is broken. • To Determine Champion – In the event of a tie to determine the Champion, a full 60-second tiebreaker will take place. If necessary, this process will be repeated until the tie is broken.

NBA All-Star Officials BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge/ State Farm All-Star Saturday Night

JT

ORR

150

DEDRIC

TAYLOR

SCOTT

TWARDOSKI

NBA All-Star Game

MATT

BOLAND

DAN

CRAWFORD

ZACH

ZARBA

| NBA All-Star 2016

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NBA Centre Court CENTRE OF ATTENTION

NBA Centre Court allows fans to make their own NBA All-Star.

n

BA Centre Court allows fans to make their own All-Star experience at NBA All-Star 2016. A new and exciting fan platform that celebrates the sport of basketball and the League’s rich history, NBA Centre Court puts the game of basketball front and center at Toronto’s Enercare Center. Featuring end-to-end basketball action, fans are able to play and compete against their friends in skills challenges, collect autographs from NBA and WNBA players and legends, and pick up the hottest NBA All-Star merchandise, while NBA mascots, dance teams and dunk squads are on hand to provide nonstop entertainment. Those looking to take their game to the next level can attend hands-on instructional clinics conducted by NBA players, legends and coaches. With more than 40 courts and baskets, NBA Centre Court allows everyone to come play like an All-Star! Get your tickets today at NBATickets.com.

NBA PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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| NBA All-Star 2016

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PSP Sports_PSP Sports.qxp 11/4/15 12:55 PM Page 1

The food lover’s heart

The book lover’s heart

The lover’s heart

The pulmonary hypertension heart

Pulmonary hypertension puts unbearable stress on the heart. We’re putting our heart into finding a cure. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) narrows arteries in the lungs. This puts pressure on the right side of the heart as it works extra hard to push blood through those arteries. It can cause death from heart failure, and there’s no cure. n At first glance, PH can look like asthma or other less threatening diseases. And undiagnosed and untreated, the average survival time with PH is 2.8 years. n But with early diagnosis, new treatments are extending life expectancy and improving PH patients’ quality of life. n The Pulmonary Hypertension Association, PHA for short, gives hope to PH patients, caregivers, family members and medical professionals through support, education, research and advocacy. At PHA there’s no breathing easy until we find a cure. n Learn how you can help at www.PHAssociation.org

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Adidas 2016 NBA All-Star Swingman Jersey Represent your favorite All-Star with the official 2016 NBA All-Star Swingman Jersey. Available at the NBA Flagship Store at 545 Fifth Avenue in New York, and NBAStore.com.

Stance 2016 NBA All-Star On-Court Socks Wear the socks that the All-Stars wear. Pick up the Official On-Court Socks by Stance now at the NBA Flagship Store at 545 Fifth Avenue, New York, and NBAStore.com.

Spalding 2016 NBA All-Star Official Money Ball Adidas 2016 NBA All-Star On-Court Jacket Show your true fashion side by wearing the adidas All-Star On-Court Jacket. Available at the NBA Flagship Store at 545 Fifth Avenue, New York and NBAStore.com.

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It’s one of the most sought-after basketballs every year. Get your hands on one of the Spalding 2016 NBA All-Star Official Money Balls, which are individually numbered. Available at the NBA Flagship Store at 545 Fifth Avenue, New York, and NBAStore.com.

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All-Star Results

FOOT LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST 1986 Larry Bird, Boston 1987 Larry Bird, Boston 1988 Larry Bird, Boston 1989 Dale Ellis, Seattle 1990 Craig Hodges, Chicago 1991 Craig Hodges, Chicago 1992 Craig Hodges, Chicago 1993 Mark Price, Cleveland 1994 Mark Price, Cleveland 1995 Glen Rice, Miami 1996 Tim Legler, Washington 1997 Steve Kerr, Chicago 1998 Jeff Hornacek, Utah 1999 * 2000 Jeff Hornacek, Utah 2001 Ray Allen, Milwaukee 2002 Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2003 Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2004 Voshon Lenard, Denver 2005 Quentin Richardson, Phoenix 2006 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 2007 Jason Kapono, Miami 2008 Jason Kapono, Toronto 2009 Daequan Cook, Miami 2010 Paul Pierce, Boston 2011 James Jones, Miami 2012 Kevin Love, Minnesota 2013 Kyrie Irving, Cleveland 2014 Marco Belinelli, San Antonio 2015 Stephen Curry, Golden State

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Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers Jeremy Evans, Utah Terrence Ross, Toronto East; John Wall, Washington Zach LaVine, Minnesota

BBVA COMPASS RISING STARS CHALLENGE 1994 Phenoms 74, Sensations 68 1995 White 83, Green 79 (OT) 1996 East 94, West 92 1997 East 96, West 91 1998 East 85, West 80 1999 * 2000 Rookies 92, Sophomores 83 (OT) 2001 Sophomores 121, Rookies 113 2002 Rookies 103, Sophomores 97 2003 Sophomores 132, Rookies 112 2004 Sophomores 142, Rookies 118 2005 Sophomores 133, Rookies 106 2006 Sophomores 106, Rookies 96 2007 Sophomores 155, Rookies 114 2008 Sophomores 136, Rookies 109 2009 Sophomores 122, Rookies 116 2010 Rookies 140, Sophomores 128 2011 Rookies 148, Sophomores 140 2012 Team Chuck 146, Team Shaq 133 2013 Team Chuck 163, Team Shaq 135 2014 Team Hill 142, Team Webber 136 2015 Team World 121, Team USA 112 TACO BELL SKILLS CHALLENGE 2003 Jason Kidd, New Jersey 2004 Baron Davis, New Orleans 2005 Steve Nash, Phoenix 2006 Dwyane Wade, Miami 2007 Dwyane Wade, Miami 2008 Deron Williams, Utah 2009 Derrick Rose, Chicago 2010 Steve Nash, Phoenix 2011 Stephen Curry, Golden State 2012 Tony Parker, San Antonio 2013 Damian Lillard, Portland 2014 West; Trey Burke & Damian Lillard 2015 Patrick Beverley, Houston

Jason Kidd, 2003 Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Stephen Curry, 2015 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

Nate Robinson, 2006 Slam Dunk

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN; NOAH GRAHAM; NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

VERIZON SLAM DUNK 1984 Larry Nance, Phoenix 1985 Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta 1986 Spud Webb, Atlanta 1987 Michael Jordan, Chicago 1988 Michael Jordan, Chicago 1989 Kenny Walker, New York 1990 Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta 1991 Dee Brown, Boston 1992 Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix 1993 Harold Miner, Miami 1994 Isaiah Rider, Minnesota 1995 Harold Miner, Miami 1996 Brent Barry, L.A. Clippers 1997 Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 1998 No competition held 1999 * 2000 Vince Carter, Toronto 2001 Desmond Mason, Seattle 2002 Jason Richardson, Golden State 2003 Jason Richardson, Golden State 2004 Fred Jones, Indiana 2005 Josh Smith, Atlanta 2006 Nate Robinson, New York 2007 Gerald Green, Boston 2008 Dwight Howard, Orlando 2009 Nate Robinson, New York 2010 Nate Robinson, New York

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

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All-Star Results

POOL/GETTY IMAGES; JENNIFER POTTHEISER; GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Kobe Bryant, All-Star 2001

ALL-STAR GAMES AT A GLANCE Year Result and Location 1951 East 111, West 94 at Boston 1952 East 108, West 91 at Boston 1953 West 79, East 75 at Fort Wayne 1954 East 98, West 93 (OT) at New York 1955 East 100, West 91 at New York 1956 West 108, East 94 at Rochester 1957 East 109, West 97 at Boston 1958 East 130, West 118 at St. Louis 1959 West 124, East 108 at Detroit 1960 East 125, West 115 at Philadelphia 1961 West 153, East 131 at Syracuse 1962 West 150, East 130 at St. Louis 1963 East 115, West 108 at Los Angeles 1964 East 111, West 107 at Boston 1965 East 124, West 123 at St. Louis 1966 East 137, West 94 at Cincinnati 1967 West 135, East 120 at San Francisco 1968 East 144, West 124 at New York 1969 East 123, West 112 at Baltimore 1970 East 142, West 135 at Philadelphia 1971 West 108, East 107 at San Diego 1972 West 112, East 110 at Los Angeles 1973 East 104, West 84 at Chicago 1974 West 134, East 123 at Seattle 1975 East 108, West 102 at Phoenix 1976 East 123, West 109 at Philadelphia 1977 West 125, East 124 at Milwaukee 1978 East 133, West 125 at Atlanta 1979 West 134, East 129 at Pontiac 1980 East 144, West 136 (OT) at Landover 1981 East 123, West 120 at Richfield 1982 East 120, West 118 at E. Rutherford 1983 East 132, West 123 at Los Angeles

Russell Westbrook, All-Star 2015

Winning Coach Joe Lapchick Al Cervi John Kundla Joe Lapchick Al Cervi Charley Eckman Red Auerbach Red Auerbach Ed Macauley Red Auerbach Paul Seymour Fred Schaus Red Auerbach Red Auerbach Red Auerbach Red Auerbach Fred Schaus Alex Hannum Gene Shue Red Holzman Larry Costello Bill Sharman Tom Heinsohn Larry Costello K.C. Jones Tom Heinsohn Larry Brown Billy Cunningham Lenny Wilkens Billy Cunningham Billy Cunningham Bill Fitch Billy Cunningham

Losing Coach John Kundla John Kundla Joe Lapchick John Kundla Charley Eckman George Senesky Bobby Wanzer Alex Hannum Red Auerbach Ed Macauley Red Auerbach Red Auerbach Fred Schaus Fred Schaus Alex Hannum Fred Schaus Red Auerbach Bill Sharman Richie Guerin Richie Guerin Red Holzman Tom Heinsohn Bill Sharman Tom Heinsohn Al Attles Al Attles Gene Shue Jack Ramsay Dick Motta Lenny Wilkens John MacLeod Pat Riley Pat Riley

All-Star Game MVP Ed Macauley Paul Arizin George Mikan Bob Cousy Bill Sharman Bob Pettit Bob Cousy Bob Pettit Elgin Baylor/Bob Pettit Wilt Chamberlain Oscar Robertson Bob Pettit Bill Russell Oscar Robertson Jerry Lucas Adrian Smith Rick Barry Hal Greer Oscar Robertson Willis Reed Lenny Wilkens Jerry West Dave Cowens Bob Lanier Walt Frazier Dave Bing Julius Erving Randy Smith David Thompson George Gervin Tiny Archibald Larry Bird Julius Erving

Vince Carter, All-Star 2004

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All-Star Results

1980 Eastern Conference All-Star Team

East 154, West 145 (OT) at Denver West 140, East 129 at Indianapolis East 139, West 132 at Dallas West 154, East 149 (OT) at Seattle East 138, West 133 at Chicago West 143, East 134 at Houston East 130, West 113 at Miami East 116, West 114 at Charlotte West 153, East 113 at Orlando West 135, East 132 (OT) at Salt Lake City East 127, West 118 at Minneapolis West 139, East 112 at Phoenix East 129, West 118 at San Antonio East 132, West 120 at Cleveland East 135, West 114 at New York * West 137, East 126 at Oakland East 111, West 110 at Washington, DC West 135, East 120 at Philadelphia West 155, East 145 (2OT) at Atlanta West 136, East 132 at Los Angeles East 125, West 115 at Denver East 122, West 120 at Houston West 153, East 132 at Las Vegas East 134, West 128 at New Orleans West 146, East 119 at Phoenix East 141, West 139 at Dallas West 148, East 143 at Los Angeles West 152, East 149 at Orlando West 143, East 138 at Houston East 163, West 155 at New Orleans West 163, East 158 at New York

*No competitions were held in ’99.

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K.C. Jones Pat Riley K.C. Jones Pat Riley Mike Fratello Pat Riley Chuck Daly Chris Ford Don Nelson Paul Westphal Lenny Wilkens Paul Westphal Phil Jackson Doug Collins Larry Bird

Frank Layden K.C. Jones Pat Riley K.C. Jones Pat Riley Lenny Wilkens Pat Riley Rick Adelman Phil Jackson Pat Riley George Karl Brian Hill George Karl Rudy Tomjanovich George Karl

Isiah Thomas Ralph Sampson Isiah Thomas Tom Chambers Michael Jordan Karl Malone Magic Johnson Charles Barkley Magic Johnson Karl Malone/John Stockton Scottie Pippen Mitch Richmond Michael Jordan Glen Rice Michael Jordan

Phil Jackson Larry Brown Don Nelson Rick Adelman Flip Saunders Stan Van Gundy Flip Saunders Mike D’Antoni Doc Rivers Phil Jackson Stan Van Gundy Gregg Popovich Scott Brooks Gregg Popovich Frank Vogel Steve Kerr

Jeff Van Gundy Rick Adelman Byron Scott Isiah Thomas Rick Carlisle Gregg Popovich Avery Johnson Eddie Jordan Byron Scott Mike Brown George Karl Doc Rivers Tom Thibodeau Erik Spoelstra Scott Brooks Mike Budenholzer

Tim Duncan/Shaquille O’Neal Allen Iverson Kobe Bryant Kevin Garnett Shaquille O’Neal Allen Iverson LeBron James Kobe Bryant LeBron James Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O’Neal Dwyane Wade Kobe Bryant Kevin Durant Chris Paul Kyrie Irving Russell Westbrook

Charles Barkley, 1991 All-Star MVP

NBA PHOTOS; ANDY HAYT; ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1997 Eastern Conference All-Star Team

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George Gervin, All-Star 1980

Michael Jordan (#23) and Magic Johnson (#32), All-Star 1987

THROUGH 2015 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shareef Abdur-Rahim Alvan Adams Michael Adams Mark Aguirre Danny Ainge LaMarcus Aldridge Ray Allen Kenny Anderson Carmelo Anthony Nate Archibald Gilbert Arenas Paul Arizin B.J. Armstrong Ron Artest Vin Baker Charles Barkley Don Barksdale Dick Barnett Leo Barnhorst Dana Barros Rick Barry Elgin Baylor Butch Beard Ralph Beard Zelmo Beatty Walt Bellamy Chauncey Billups Dave Bing Larry Bird Otis Birdsong Rolando Blackman

Mookie Blaylock John Block Bob Boozer Carlos Boozer Vince Boryla Chris Bosh Bill Bradley Elton Brand Carl Braun Frank Brian Bill Bridges Fred Brown Kobe Bryant Don Buse Caron Butler Jimmy Butler Andrew Bynum Joe Caldwell Austin Carr Joe Barry Carroll Vince Carter Bill Cartwright Sam Cassell Cedric Ceballos Wilt Chamberlain Tom Chambers Tyson Chandler Len Chappell Maurice Cheeks Phil Chenier Archie Clark Nat Clifton

Derrick Coleman Jack Coleman Doug Collins Larry Costello DeMarcus Cousins Bob Cousy Dave Cowens Terry Cummings Billy Cunningham Stephen Curry Bob Dandridge Adrian Dantley Brad Daugherty Bob Davies Anthony Davis Antonio Davis Baron Davis Dale Davis Walter Davis Dave DeBusschere Luol Deng DeMar DeRozan Terry Dischinger James Donaldson John Drew Clyde Drexler Kevin Duckworth Walter Dukes Joe Dumars Tim Duncan Kevin Durant Mark Eaton

Dike Eddleman Sean Elliott Dale Ellis Wayne Embry Alex English Julius Erving Patrick Ewing Ray Felix Michael Finley Eric Floyd Larry Foust Steve Francis Walt Frazier World B. Free Joe Fulks Billy Gabor Harry Gallatin Dick Garmaker Kevin Garnett Marc Gasol Pau Gasol Chris Gatling Jack George Paul George George Gervin Artis Gilmore Manu Ginobili Tom Gola Gail Goodrich Danny Granger Horace Grant A.C. Green

Johnny Green Rickey Green Hal Greer Blake Griffin Alex Groza Richie Guerin Tom Gugliotta Cliff Hagan Richard Hamilton Anfernee Hardaway Tim Hardaway James Harden Devin Harris Bob Harrison John Havlicek Connie Hawkins Hersey Hawkins Elvin Hayes Spencer Haywood Walt Hazzard Tom Heinsohn Roy Hibbert Grant Hill Tyrone Hill Jrue Holiday Lionel Hollins Al Horford Jeff Hornacek Allan Houston Dwight Howard Juwan Howard Bailey Howell

Lou Hudson Rod Hundley Mel Hutchins Andre Iguodala Zydrunas Ilgauskas Darrall Imhoff Kyrie Irving Dan Issel Allen Iverson Luke Jackson Mark Jackson LeBron James Antawn Jamison Dennis Johnson Earvin Johnson Eddie Johnson Gus Johnson Joe Johnson John Johnson Kevin Johnson Larry Johnson Marques Johnson Neil Johnston Bobby Jones Eddie Jones Sam Jones Michael Jordan Chris Kaman Bob Kauffman Larry Kenon Johnny Kerr Shawn Kemp NBA All-Star 2016 |

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Oscar Robertson, 1961 All-Star MVP

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Shawn Marion Jack Martin Kenyon Martin Slater Martin Jamal Mashburn Anthony Mason Bob McAdoo Xavier McDaniel Antonio McDyess George McGinnis Jon McGlocklin Tracy McGrady Dick McGuire Kevin McHale Tom Meschery George Mikan Vern Mikkelsen Eddie Miles Paul Millsap Brad Miller Reggie Miller Mike Mitchell Steve Mix Sidney Moncrief Earl Monroe Alonzo Mourning Chris Mullin Jeff Mullins Calvin Murphy Dikembe Mutombo Larry Nance Steve Nash Calvin Natt Willie Naulls

Jameer Nelson Norm Nixon Joakim Noah Chuck Noble Dirk Nowitzki Charles Oakley Don Ohl Hakeem Olajuwon Jermaine O’Neal Shaquille O’Neal Robert Parish Tony Parker Chris Paul Jim Paxson Gary Payton Geoff Petrie Bob Pettit Andy Philip Paul Pierce Ricky Pierce Scottie Pippen Jim Pollard Terry Porter Jim Price Mark Price Zach Randolph Theo Ratliff Michael Redd Willis Reed Richie Regan Glen Rice Micheal Ray Richardson Mitch Richmond Arnie Risen

Glenn Rivers Alvin Robertson Oscar Robertson Clifford Robinson David Robinson Flynn Robinson Glenn Robinson Truck Robinson Red Rocha Guy Rodgers Dennis Rodman Rajon Rondo Derrick Rose Dan Roundfield Curtis Rowe Brandon Roy Jeff Ruland Bob Rule Bill Russell Campy Russell Cazzie Russell Ralph Sampson Woody Sauldsberry Fred Schaus Dolph Schayes Detlef Schrempf Fred Scolari Charlie Scott Ken Sears Frank Selvy Paul Seymour Lee Shaffer Bill Sharman Lonnie Shelton

Isiah Thomas, 1984 All-Star MVP

Gene Shue Jack Sikma Paul Silas Jerry Sloan Adrian Smith Phil Smith Randy Smith Steve Smith Rik Smits Latrell Sprewell Jerry Stackhouse John Starks John Stockton Peja Stojakovic Maurice Stokes Amar’e Stoudemire Don Sunderlage Wally Szczerbiak Jeff Teague Reggie Theus Isiah Thomas David Thompson Klay Thompson Otis Thorpe Nate Thurmond Rudy Tomjanovich Andrew Toney Kelly Tripucka Jack Twyman Wes Unseld Dick Van Arsdale Tom Van Arsdale Kiki Vandeweghe Nick Van Exel

Norm Van Lier Dwyane Wade Antoine Walker Chet Walker Jimmy Walker John Wall Ben Wallace Gerald Wallace Rasheed Wallace Paul Walther Bill Walton Bobby Wanzer Kermit Washington Chris Webber Scott Wedman David West Jerry West Russell Westbrook Paul Westphal Jo Jo White Sidney Wicks Lenny Wilkens Jamaal Wilkes Dominique Wilkins Buck Williams Deron Williams Gus Williams Jayson Williams Mo Williams Kevin Willis

NBA PHOTOS (2); ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Jason Kidd Bernard King Jim King Andrei Kirilenko Billy Knight Don Kojis Kyle Korver Sam Lacey Christian Laettner Bill Laimbeer Bob Lanier Rudy LaRusso Clyde Lee David Lee Lafayette Lever Rashard Lewis Reggie Lewis Damian Lillard Brook Lopez Bob Love Kevin Love Clyde Lovellette Kyle Lowry Jerry Lucas Maurice Lucas Ed Macauley Jamaal Magloire Dan Majerle Jeff Malone Karl Malone Moses Malone Danny Manning Pete Maravich Stephon Marbury

Karl Malone (#32) and Alonzo Mourning (#45), All-Star 1996

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