Neither rookie played in the All-Star Game.īryant also made his mark at All-Star Weekend in another event: the Slam Dunk Contest. Iverson was named the MVP of the Rookie Game despite 31 points from Bryant in a losing effort. The weekend also featured the debut of two all-time NBA greats Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Kobe Bryant (who won the Slam Dunk contest) and Allen Iverson, the rookie point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Olajuwon, a starter for the West at center, had 11 points and three rebounds in 28 minutes. Pippen started the game for the East at forward, notching eight points and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Golden State’s Latrell Sprewell topped the West with 19 points off the bench, while Seattle’s Gary Payton added 17 points and 10 assists.įor four stars of the 1980s and ’90s - the Pistons’ Joe Dumars, the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing, the Bulls’ Scottie Pippen and the Rockets’ Hakeem Olajuwon - this marked the finale in their All-Star Game careers.Įwing missed the game due to injury while Dumars, a reserve for the East, played just 10 minutes and scored three points. Jordan finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and two steals. Michael Jordan added another line to his already stellar resume when he became the first player in All-Star Game history to notch a triple-double. Rice, who led all scorers, nailed four 3-pointers to help the East climb out of a 13-point hole after the first quarter as he became the first Hornets player to win All-Star MVP honors. The East overcame a slow start thanks to 26 points off the bench from Charlotte forward Glen Rice. I urge you to do the same.EAST 132, WEST 120, at Gund Arena (Cleveland, Ohio) I had a long Chris Webber talk with Dylan, and now we both feel better. It’s not an easy conversation to have, but it’s an important one. Even if they roll their eyes, they will respect what you have to say about Chris Webber’s overrated abilities and what his rightful place in basketball history should be. Your kids will listen to you when you say that Chris Webber was a good player, but that building a team around him was a consistent recipe for mediocrity. Mike Bibby made Chris Webber look better than he wasĬhris Webber would have been a great role player on the 2000-2001 76ers team supporting Allen IversonĪnyone with the audacity to compare Chris Webber to Charles Barkley is not someone you should be hanging around with Intangibles count: Chris Webber always cracked under pressure Here are some talking points if you get stuck in your conversation with your preteen:Ĭhris Webber chased blocked shot stats over playing tough-nosed team defense Would you want your son or daughter to be exposed to an article ranking Chris Webber ahead of the likes of Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan? I know I’d be very upset if Dylan had to see something like that. What kind of message does that send to our children?Īny sportswriter who puts Chris Webber on a 2000s All-Decade team is just trying to stir up controversy, and it’s hurting our kids. Not only did the NBA permit Chris Webber to get selected for the NBA All-Star Game five times, but the Kings retired his number. The NBA and the Kings organization have done little to make discussing this tough subject any easier. …if we don’t talk to our children about Chris Webber, they’re going to hear about him at school… But to go any further than that is to send a confusing and ultimately harmful message to our kids. He was often an offensive threat who could make his own shot. No one’s saying that Chris Webber wasn’t a very talented basketball player (I’m certainly not saying that). They will hear all sorts of misguided claims about Chris Webber, like that he carried the Sacramento Kings to the 2001 Western Conference Finals-claims that, as adults, we know are untrue, but that kids, who don’t know any better, will believe. We need to stop teaching our kids that it’s acceptable to think Chris Webber was a complete basketball player.Īt the end of the day, if we don’t talk to our children about Chris Webber, they’re going to hear about him at school, where you can’t control how Chris Webber will be discussed. What happened to my son is sadly all too common across this country, and it has to change.
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