1969 NBA All-Star Game

Result

MVP: Oscar Robertson

Box score

Bench (10+ points): Gus Johnson (13), Wes Unseld (11), Willis Reed (10)

Bench (10+ points): Jeff Mullins (14), Joe Caldwell (12), Lou Hudson (13)

Game context

The 1969 All-Star Game, played January 14 at the Baltimore Civic Center before 12,348 fans, gave the host-city Bullets their first (and, ultimately, only) turn hosting the event before the franchise relocated to Washington in 1973. Cincinnati Royals guard Oscar Robertson was again the best player on the floor, finishing with a game-high 24 points on an efficient 8-of-16 shooting with 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, plus 6 rebounds and 5 assists, earning his third career All-Star MVP award (following his wins in 1961 and 1964) as the East cruised to a 123-112 win. The East jumped out early, building a 35-19 first-quarter lead, before the West clawed back somewhat in the second (34-25) to make the game respectable at the half, but the East reasserted control in the fourth, outscoring the West 37-29 down the stretch to seal the win. Baltimore's own Earl Monroe, playing in front of his home fans, contributed 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting with a strong 9-of-12 mark from the line, while John Havlicek added 14 points and 7 rebounds for the East. Elgin Baylor led a Western effort that also got 12 rebounds in limited minutes from Wilt Chamberlain, but the West's offense could not match the East's balance and depth across the board. Gene Shue, the Bullets' own head coach, led the East in front of his home crowd, while Richie Guerin of the Atlanta Hawks coached the West — notably, this assignment came despite the Los Angeles Lakers, coached by Butch van Breda Kolff, having posted the better regular-season record in the West that year, a reminder that coaching selection criteria in this era did not always strictly follow the standings and sometimes reflected other factors such as host-team considerations or league discretion. Robertson's third MVP award in this game further cemented his standing as the most decorated individual performer in the event's first two decades, a run that began with his rookie MVP in 1961 and that made him, alongside Bob Pettit and Bob Cousy, one of just a handful of players to win the honor multiple times before the award had even existed for a full generation of NBA seasons. Baltimore's brief run as host, and as a genuine Eastern power built around Monroe, Wes Unseld, and Gus Johnson, would soon give way to relocation, as the franchise moved south to Washington in 1973 and eventually rebranded as the Wizards decades later.

Sources

• Basketball-Reference — NBA All-Star Game History
• Basketball-Reference — NBA & ABA All-Star Game MVP (Kobe Bryant Trophy)
• Wikipedia — 1969 NBA All-Star Game