NBA fans and players often romanticize the era of ’90s basketball. The rules encouraged more physical contact between players, and the greats of the time were not just supremely skilled, they were also dominant in terms of their physical stature and what they could do with their athleticism.
The ’90s could be considered the golden age of the NBA, considering all the stars that were still around the game. Michael Jordan’s rise through the NBA was phenomenal to watch, in addition to dynastic teams like the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics.
The 1991 All-Star Game featured representatives from all of these teams with star-studded lineups from both conferences. Some pictures from the events practice were shared on Instagram and truly reflect the astounding star quality in the league at the time.
The 1991 All-Star Game saw the Eastern Conference represented by Michael Jordan, Joe Dumars, Charles Barkley, Bernard King, and Patrick Ewing as starters. Off the bench, they had Dominique Wilkins, Ricky Pierce, Hersey Hawkins, Kevin McHale, Brad Daugherty, Alvin Robertson, Robert Parish, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas.
The Western Conference starters were Magic Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone, and David Robinson. The team had heavy hitters off the bench in James Worthy, Clyde Drexler, Kevin Duckworth, Tom Chambers, Terry Porter, Tim Hardaway, and John Stockton.
The All-Star game was won by the Eastern Conference 116-114, with a game-winning three hit by West’s Kevin Johnson being disallowed because of a basket interference call. Charles Barkley took home the MVP for the Eastern Conference.
That season saw Michael Jordan win his second MVP and his first-ever championship over the Los Angeles Lakers.
