1995 NBA All-Star Game

Result

MVP: Mitch Richmond

Box score

MVP: Mitch Richmond.

Bench (10+ points): Mitch Richmond (23), Dikembe Mutombo (12), Karl Malone (15), David Robinson (10)

Bench (10+ points): Patrick Ewing (10), Joe Dumars (11), Alonzo Mourning (10)

Game context

The 1995 All-Star Game, played February 12 at America West Arena in Phoenix, came during Michael Jordan's continued absence from the NBA — he would announce his return to the Bulls just over a month later, in March 1995, but at the time of this game he remained a private citizen rather than a basketball player, leaving the event to crown a new signature performer. That performer turned out to be Sacramento's Mitch Richmond, who came off the Western Conference bench to score a game-high 23 points on a scorching 10-of-13 shooting, including three three-pointers, in 22 minutes, earning MVP honors as Paul Westphal's West routed Brian Hill's East, 139-112. The game was close for a single quarter — the West led just 31-28 after one — before pulling away with a 41-28 second quarter that put the outcome largely out of reach; the West led 72-56 at the half and never let the East climb back within striking distance, cruising through the second half. Charles Barkley (15 points, nine rebounds) and Hakeem Olajuwon (13 points, 11 rebounds) anchored the winning frontcourt alongside Richmond, while Shawn Kemp added 13 points and Latrell Sprewell chipped in nine. For the East, Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and rookie sensation Anfernee \"Penny\" Hardaway, making his first start as an Eastern Conference All-Star, contributed a strong all-around line of 12 points, five rebounds, and a team-high 11 assists alongside fellow Magic teammate O'Neal. Scottie Pippen added 12 points and seven rebounds, but the East's offense sputtered against a deeper, more efficient Western attack. The weekend carried its own memorable subplots away from the main game: Detroit rookie Grant Hill became the first rookie ever to lead All-Star fan voting, a testament to the excitement around his debut season, while Hakeem Olajuwon led all Western Conference vote-getters. Host Charles Barkley provided one of the event's stranger sideshows during the Saturday festivities, reportedly attempting (and being talked out of) a stunt involving being launched from a catapult. Larry Johnson returned to the All-Star stage after missing the prior year with a back injury, and both Karl Malone and David Robinson played through injuries in limited minutes, underscoring how thin some rosters had become by the time the game tipped off. Grant Hill, the game's top vote-getter as a rookie, would go on to share Rookie of the Year honors that same season with Dallas's Jason Kidd, part of an unusually deep rookie class that also included Glenn Robinson and Jalen Rose. The blowout scoreline — the West's 27-point margin was among the largest in the event's history to that point — underscored how thoroughly the Western Conference's deep frontcourt talent dominated this particular edition from start to finish.

Sources

• Basketball-Reference — NBA All-Star Game History
• Basketball-Reference — NBA & ABA All-Star Game MVP (Kobe Bryant Trophy)
• Wikipedia — 1995 NBA All-Star Game
• Basketball-Reference — 1995 NBA All-Star Game Box Score