Fact Friday 36 - Charlotte's First All-Star Game
Happy Friday everyone!
Well, this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend came to a close on Valentine’s day. And as much of a spectacle the events were (what a Dunk Contest, right?), we should all be officially counting down to the day when it will once again be the Queen’s City’s turn to show the world how brilliantly the lights reflects off of her crown! As of the publishing date of this post, there are officially 365 days, exactly 1 year until the 66th annual game will take place at Time Warner Cable Arena on February 19, 2017. But of course, the weekend festivities will begin long before the tip-off of the actual All-Star game, on the preceding Friday. Trust me folks. If you think the city was hyped during the DNC in 2012, just you wait. All-Star weekend 2017 is going to be absolute pandemonium…in a good way.
Long time fans of the NBA and native Charlotteans well know that this will be the 2nd hosting of the world’s best exhibition basketball game in Charlotte, the first taking place in 1991. Yes, this was the Jordan era. When everything was right with NBA basketball. I was 10 years old at the time and I distinctly remember being able to attend a “Be Cool…Stay in School” pep rally during the school day at the Charlotte Coliseum for having perfect school attendance. Very classy CMS. I’m sure there will be student related activities at the arena in 2017 and the children in attendance will remember them for the rest of their lives. It’ll be an incredible moment where the city will have the opportunity to showcase the best it has to offer.
There will be a limited number of tickets for Charlotteans and those will go to some portion of the Hornets’ season-ticket base. That doesn’t mean there are no entry points for the general public, but consider purchasing Hornets’ season tickets to increase your chances of scoring tickets.
In closing, here are a few cool facts about the NBA All-Star game in 1991:
- The players actually took the game serious and played DEFENSE. The final score was 116-114, East (Jordan) over West (Magic Johnson). The West could have won, but Kevin Johnson's potential game-winning three pointer was nullified by a basket interference call on Karl Malone. Check the full rosters here.
- The Philadelphia 76ers’ Charles Barkley finished with 17 points and 22 rebounds to earn MVP honors.
- Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls (now owner of the Charlotte Hornets) scored a game-high 26 points.
- Current Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing added 18 points for the East while representing the New York Knicks.
- Crowd size: 23,530 at the Charlotte Coliseum.
- Gatorade Slam Dunk Contest finalists: Dee Brown (Celtics) (pictured above) v. Shawn Kemp (Supersonics), with Dee Brown taking home the trophy with his famous dunk covering his eyes with one arm in dab-like fashion rocking the ever-so nostalgic Reebok Pumps. #swag. Defending Champion Dominique Wilkins (Hawks) did not participate.
- The American Airlines-ITT Sheraton Three-Point Shootout finalists: Craig Hodges (Bulls) v. Terry Porter (Trailblazers), with Hodges repeating as champion.
Until next week!
Chris.
Email me at chris@704Shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share or just to provide feedback!
Information taken from:
NBA.com: Charlotte to Host NBA All-Star 2017
CharlotteObserver.com: Five things to know as Charlotte Hosts 2017 NBA All-Star Game.
Additional commentary added.
“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.” – Frederick Douglass