Greatest Los Angeles Lakers All-Star moments

Lakers Examiner: NBA All-Star weekend is one of my favorite times of the year. One of the worst days of my life was when I found out my VHS copy of the 2000 dunk contest (Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis) had been taped over and replaced by some PBS documentary (thanks, Mom).

Anyway, I thought it would be a cool idea to take a look at some of the greatest Laker moments from All-Star weekend. I really started to follow the Lakers around the early 90s, so I am sure I am missing some of the older stuff. But these are the memories that remain in my mind.

Magic’s return. This one’s pretty much a no-brainer and a front-runner for the greatest NBA All-Star moment, period. For those of you that don’t remember (or weren’t born yet), Magic found out before the 1991-92 season that he had contracted the HIV virus. He retired immediately and didn’t play a single regular-season game, yet his overwhelming popularity caused him to be voted by the fans as a starter for the All-Star game in Orlando. After careful consideration (and much debate), Magic agreed to honor his selection and participate in the game. The rest, as they say, is history.

Magic finished with 25 points and 9 assists, ending the game with a turnaround, fade-away three-pointer. His performance earned him All-Star Game MVP honors and, despite a brief comeback in the 1995-96 season, Magic’s All-Star game performace is the lasting impression in most fans’ minds.

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