NBA Commissioner David Stern was having his last press conference in an All-Star game on Saturday. There were many topics explored such as the Kings moving out of Sacramento, NBA games outside of the United States, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Stern also offered his favorite All-Star memory as well. And it had to do with a legendary Laker. Check this tweet out from our own Daniel Buerge.
Stern says his favorite All-Star memory was giving Magic Johnson the 92 MVP trophy. Awesome.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 17, 2013
It was definitely a memorable moment. As we all know, Magic Johnson retired before the 1991-92 season after announcing to the world that he had contracted the HIV virus.
Nevertheless, the fans voted him in as a starter and, despite not playing in the regular season, Magic started in the game in Orlando and provided a memorable performance. He finished with 25 points, five rebounds, and nine assists, including a three-pointer over Isiah Thomas in the waning seconds of the game. Magic also had some memorable one-on-one encounters with Michael Jordan and Thomas in the fourth quarter. Johnson, as Stern said, ended up winning the 1992 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award. The West won the game, 153-113.
Magic Johnson had many, many highlights in his career as we all know. But him playing in the 1992 All-Star game definitely had to be near or at the top of the list. He would eventually make a comeback in the 1995-96 season before retiring for good after that season.
David Stern says that’s his favorite All-Star memory. While not a lot of us agree with the Commissioner’s decision, I’ll go out on a limb and say most of us will agree with his assessement here.
The NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday night, February 17.