2012 NBA All-Star Game

Lore & Background

The Orlando Magic were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on May 4, 2010. This was the second time Orlando hosted the All-Star Game; the city previously hosted the event in 1992 at the Orlando Arena, the Magic's previous home arena. Despite the 2011 NBA lockout, which reduced the regular season to sixty-six games, the All-Star Game took place as scheduled.

Reader's Guide

The All-Star Weekend began on Friday, February 24, 2012, with the Celebrity Game and the Rising Stars Challenge. On Saturday, the event continued with All-Star Saturday Night, featuring the Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, and Slam Dunk Contest. The D-League All-Star Game and D-League Dream Factory also took place on Saturday before the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. The coaches were Scott Brooks (Western Conference) and Tom Thibodeau (Eastern Conference). The starters were chosen by fan ballot; Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic topped the ballots with 1,600,390 votes. The reserves were chosen by NBA head coaches. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 36 points and was named MVP. Kobe Bryant became the leading scorer in All-Star history with 271 points, passing Michael Jordan. Dwyane Wade recorded a triple-double (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).

Did You Know?

• Kobe Bryant became the All-Star Game's all-time leading scorer during this game.
• Dwyane Wade recorded a triple-double, joining LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only players to do so in an All-Star Game.