| 2002 NBA All-Star Game | |
| Visitor: | West |
| Home: | East |
| Visitor Total: | 135 |
| Home Total: | 120 |
| Visitor Qtr1: | 32 |
| Visitor Qtr2: | 40 |
| Visitor Qtr3: | 28 |
| Visitor Qtr4: | 35 |
| Home Qtr1: | 24 |
| Home Qtr2: | 31 |
| Home Qtr3: | 22 |
| Home Qtr4: | 43 |
| Date: | February 10, 2002 |
| Arena: | First Union Center |
| City: | Philadelphia |
| Referee: | Bennett Salvatore Derrick Stafford Jess Kersey |
| Attendance: | 19,581 |
| Coin Toss: | 3 kids from Hershey, PA |
| Mvp: | Kobe Bryant |
| Anthem: | Patti LaBelle (USA) Kathleen Edwards (Canada) |
| Halftime: | Elton John |
| Network: | NBC |
| Announcers: | Marv Albert Steve Jones Bill Walton |
The 2002 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 10, 2002, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia 76ers. This game was the 51st edition of the North American NBA All-Star Game and was played during the 2001–02 NBA season.
The venue was originally scheduled for the 1998-99 NBA season, but was cancelled due to the 1998-99 NBA lockout and moved to 2002, which was the next All-Star game that had not yet been awarded to another city.
The West defeated the East 135–120, with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers winning the Most Valuable Player. Bryant scored 31 points, dished 5 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds, despite being booed by the hometown crowd. Tracy McGrady led the way for the East, scoring 25 points off the bench. He also made one of the most memorable plays in All-Star Game history, the self pass off the backboard dunk.
This was also the last All-Star Game to feature players wearing their respective team jerseys, and thus far, the last to be seen on over-the-air television until 2026 (all games from 2003–2025 have aired on the cable channel TNT).
The coach for the Western Conference team was Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson. The Mavericks had a 35–14 record on February 10. The coach for the Eastern Conference team was New Jersey Nets head coach Byron Scott. The Nets had a 32–15 record on February 10.
The rosters for the All-Star Game were chosen in two ways. The starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards, two forwards and one center who received the highest vote were named the All-Star starters. The reserves were chosen by votes among the NBA head coaches in their respective conferences. The coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. The reserves consist of two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. If a player is unable to participate due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement.
For the third consecutive year, Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors topped the ballots with 1,470,176 votes, which earned him a starting position as a forward in the Eastern Conference team for the third year in a row. Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Antoine Walker, and Dikembe Mutombo completed the Eastern Conference starting position. This was the third consecutive All-Star appearance by Carter and Iverson, and Mutombo's eighth appearance as an All-Star. It also marked Jordan's 13th appearance as an All-Star, and the first after his return from retirement. The Eastern Conference reserves included four first-time selections, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Baron Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, and Paul Pierce. Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, and Alonzo Mourning rounded out the team. Two teams, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics, had two representatives at the All-Star Game with Iverson/Mutombo, and Walker/Pierce.
For the second consecutive year, the Western Conference's leading vote-getter was Shaquille O'Neal, who earned his ninth consecutive All-Star Game selection with 1,247,438 votes. Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan completed the Western Conference starting positions. Bryant, Garnett, O'Neal, and Duncan were all starters for the previous year's Western Conference team. Francis became an All-Star for the first time. The Western Conference reserves include five first-time selections, Elton Brand, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojaković, and Wally Szczerbiak. The team is rounded out by Gary Payton, Chris Webber, and Karl Malone. Four teams, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings, had two representations at the All-Star Game with Bryant/O'Neal, Nash/Nowitzki, Garnett/Szczerbiak, and Webber/Stojaković.
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | |||||
| G | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 3rd | 920,502 | |
| G | Michael Jordan | Washington Wizards | 13th | 985,448 | |
| F | Vince Carter | Toronto Raptors | 3rd | 1,470,176 | |
| F | Antoine Walker | Boston Celtics | 2nd | 547,172 | |
| C | Dikembe Mutombo | Philadelphia 76ers | 8th | 616,566 | |
| Reserves | |||||
| G | Ray Allen | Milwaukee Bucks | 3rd | 365,421 | |
| G | Baron Davis | Charlotte Hornets | 1st | 127,291 | |
| G | Jason Kidd | New Jersey Nets | 5th | 442,630 | |
| G | Tracy McGrady | Orlando Magic | 2nd | 453,276 | |
| F | Paul Pierce | Boston Celtics | 1st | 254,840 | |
| F | Shareef Abdur-Rahim | Atlanta Hawks | 1st | 335,955 | |
| F | Jermaine O'Neal | Indiana Pacers | 1st | 411,422 | |
| C | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat | 7th | 279,423 | |
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | |||||
| G | Steve Francis | Houston Rockets | 1st | 456,972 | |
| G | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 4th | 1,121,753 | |
| F | Kevin Garnett | Minnesota Timberwolves | 5th | 880,692 | |
| F | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 4th | 762,289 | |
| C | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers | 9th | 1,247,438 | |
| Reserves | |||||
| G | Steve Nash | Dallas Mavericks | 1st | 278,664 | |
| G | Gary Payton | Seattle SuperSonics | 8th | 367,120 | |
| F | Elton Brand | Los Angeles Clippers | 1st | 160,678 | |
| F | Karl Malone | Utah Jazz | 14th | 163,009 | |
| F | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 1st | 398,184 | |
| F | Peja Stojaković | Sacramento Kings | 1st | 323,664 | |
| F | Wally Szczerbiak | Minnesota Timberwolves | 1st | — | |
| F | Chris Webber | Sacramento Kings | 4th | 553,401 | |
Vince Carter and Shaquille O'Neal were unable to participate due to injury.
Baron Davis and Elton Brand were named as Carter and O'Neal's replacements respectively.[1]
Jason Kidd and Chris Webber were named as starters, replacing Carter and O'Neal respectively
See main article: article and NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge.
| Pos. | Player | width=145 | Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||
| PF | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||
| PF/C | Washington Wizards | |||||
| SG | Boston Celtics | |||||
| SF | Utah Jazz | |||||
| PG | San Antonio Spurs | |||||
| C | Detroit Pistons | |||||
| SG | Golden State Warriors | |||||
| PG | Indiana Pacers | |||||
| Head coach: Chuck Daly | ||||||
| Assistant coach: Darryl Dawkins | ||||||
| Pos. | Player | width=145 | Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Chicago Bulls | |||||
| PF | New Jersey Nets | |||||
| SG | Seattle SuperSonics | |||||
| F/C | ||||||
| SF | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||
| SG | Orlando Magic | |||||
| F | Charlotte Hornets | |||||
| SG | Toronto Raptors | |||||
| SG | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||
| PF | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||
| SF | Sacramento Kings | |||||
| Head coach: Billy Cunningham | ||||||
| Assistant coach: Bobby Jones | ||||||
See main article: article and NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest.
| Team ! | Height | Weight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G/F | Jason Richardson | Golden State Warriors | 6–6 | 225 | |
| F | 6–7 | 220 | |||
| G/F | 6–5 | 222 | |||
| G | 6–3 | 210 |
This year's contest adopted a new format. Two pairs of contestants faced each other, with the winner of each matchup advancing to the final round. Prior to each dunk, the players would spin a wheel to determine what kind of dunk they had to perform.
See main article: article and NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout. Peja Stojakovic won the Three Point Shootout, defeating Wesley Person in a shoot-off by the score of 9–5. Prior to that, the final round also included Steve Nash, who finished in third place.[2]
| Pos. | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SG | |||
| SG | Orlando Magic | ||
| PG | |||
| SG | |||
| SF | |||
| SF/SG | |||
| SF | Peja Stojaković |
| Houston | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Rockets | |||
| Houston Comets | |||
| Houston Rockets (Retired) | |||
| Celebrity | |||
| International | |||
| Sacramento Kings | |||
| Sacramento Monarchs | |||
| Sacramento Kings (Retired) | |||
| Celebrity | |||
| Los Angeles | |||
| Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| Los Angeles Sparks | |||
| Los Angeles Lakers (Retired) | |||
| Celebrity | |||
| Philadelphia | |||
| Philadelphia 76ers | |||
| Charlotte Sting (Philadelphia Native) | |||
| Philadelphia 76ers (Retired) | |||
| Celebrity | |||