There was no Shaq and no Vince Carter but that didn't stop Kobe from putting on a show of his own. The only thing coming close to Kobe's aerial show was J-Rich's hang time in the Slam Dunk Contest. Here's a look at the slamnificent highlights from the 2002 NBA All-Star Weekend in Philadelphia held on February 8th to 10th.
The Kobe Show
The Philadelphia crowd booed Kobe almost everytime he picked up the ball but he had the last laugh as he led the West All-Stars to a 135-120 butt-kicking over the East in Philadelphia. Kobe was born and raised in Philadelphia but basketball fans from the city didn't care. They remember Kobe as the guy who helped the Lakers blow by the Sixers in the 2001 NBA Finals. He was one of the few players who actually showed up for the game. Allen Iverson had just five points and Steve Francis didn't hit a shot until the final minute of the game. The game sure could've used Vince Carter and Shaq who both were hurt and didn't play.
J-Rich Goes Grand Slam
Jason Richardson, of the Golden State Warriors, won the 2002 Slam Dunk Contest with a two-handed reverse windmill dunk. The jam earned J-Rich a 49-point score from the judges and the win over Gerald Wallace of the Sacramento Kings who did a lame one-hand jam that was worth only 36 points from the judges. The day before, Jason scored 29 points in the 'got milk?' Rookie Challenge to help the Rookies beat the Sophmores 103 - 97.
Rock N Jock
All-Stars teamed up with celebs to play a bizarre game of hoops. The Stripes team featured P.Diddy, Nick Carter of BSB (who shoots like a girl,) Lil Bow Wow and Shane Battier of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Stars roster included Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC and Chamique Holdsclaw. Players could shoot at baskets which were at different heights and on different parts of the court. Each basket was worth either one, five, 10 or 20 points. The Stripes won 99 - 80, thanks to some mean dunks by P. Diddy and some long range bombs by Wally Szczerbiak.
What did you like about the NBA's All-Star Weekend? what's inside your head.
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