duncan228
02-15-2009, 12:30 AM
All-Star memories (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/All-Star_memories.html)
Mike Monroe
All-Star Weekend is an exercise in showtime, and this year's weekend marks the 25th anniversary of All-Star Saturday.
Rick Welts, now a vice-president with the Suns, was instrumental in putting together the first All-Star Saturday at the 1984 All-Star Game at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena.
The idea belonged to former Nuggets general manager Carl Scheer, who had orchestrated the first slam dunk championship in 1976, when the ABA All-Star Game was in Denver. Julius Erving made that a transcendent event by taking off from the foul line for the winning dunk.
With the 1984 game in the Nuggets' arena, Scheer proposed another halftime dunk-off to pay tribute to the Nuggets' ABA heritage. Welts carried things a step further, creating a Saturday event that has become All-Star Saturday.
Express-News staff writer Mike Monroe was there for both the 1976 ABA event and the first NBA All-Star Saturday. Here are his favorite moments from the event:
Dr. J. Soars
Julius Erving, the star of the eventual 1976 ABA champion New York Nets, dramatically measured a distance from the foul line for his final dunk, then soared from it to the astonishment of a sellout crowd.
An event was born and the game forever changed by youngsters who wanted to learn to fly.
Spud Webb’s Pogo Stick
At the 1986 All-Star Saturday in Dallas, the Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb engaged in a memorable dunk-off in the finals. Webb, 5-foot-7, was the first dunker to bounce the ball off the floor and leap to catch it and dunk, vanquishing his renowned teammate, the Human Highlight Film.
Larry Bird’s Chutzpah
Before the 1986 3-point contest in Dallas, Bird walked in the contestants’ locker room and asked, “Which one of you guys is finishing second?” Then he backed up his boast by winning the contest with a perfect final rack.
MJ Goes Horizontal
At the Seattle All-Star Weekend in 1987, Michael Jordan added to his legend with a winning dunk that took Erving’s foul line leap a step further. It truly seemed like MJ was flying as he appeared to go horizontal on his way to the basket.
Out of the Phone Booth
No player ever had more fun with the dunkfest than Dwight Howard in 2008. Donning a Superman cape requires supreme confidence. Proving you can fly means your confidence was earned.
Mike Monroe
All-Star Weekend is an exercise in showtime, and this year's weekend marks the 25th anniversary of All-Star Saturday.
Rick Welts, now a vice-president with the Suns, was instrumental in putting together the first All-Star Saturday at the 1984 All-Star Game at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena.
The idea belonged to former Nuggets general manager Carl Scheer, who had orchestrated the first slam dunk championship in 1976, when the ABA All-Star Game was in Denver. Julius Erving made that a transcendent event by taking off from the foul line for the winning dunk.
With the 1984 game in the Nuggets' arena, Scheer proposed another halftime dunk-off to pay tribute to the Nuggets' ABA heritage. Welts carried things a step further, creating a Saturday event that has become All-Star Saturday.
Express-News staff writer Mike Monroe was there for both the 1976 ABA event and the first NBA All-Star Saturday. Here are his favorite moments from the event:
Dr. J. Soars
Julius Erving, the star of the eventual 1976 ABA champion New York Nets, dramatically measured a distance from the foul line for his final dunk, then soared from it to the astonishment of a sellout crowd.
An event was born and the game forever changed by youngsters who wanted to learn to fly.
Spud Webb’s Pogo Stick
At the 1986 All-Star Saturday in Dallas, the Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb engaged in a memorable dunk-off in the finals. Webb, 5-foot-7, was the first dunker to bounce the ball off the floor and leap to catch it and dunk, vanquishing his renowned teammate, the Human Highlight Film.
Larry Bird’s Chutzpah
Before the 1986 3-point contest in Dallas, Bird walked in the contestants’ locker room and asked, “Which one of you guys is finishing second?” Then he backed up his boast by winning the contest with a perfect final rack.
MJ Goes Horizontal
At the Seattle All-Star Weekend in 1987, Michael Jordan added to his legend with a winning dunk that took Erving’s foul line leap a step further. It truly seemed like MJ was flying as he appeared to go horizontal on his way to the basket.
Out of the Phone Booth
No player ever had more fun with the dunkfest than Dwight Howard in 2008. Donning a Superman cape requires supreme confidence. Proving you can fly means your confidence was earned.