With All-Star Weekend in full swing, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be out of basketball until Thursday, Feb. 18th, where they will take on the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at Cavalier All-Star history.
Since the Cavaliers were founded in 1970, they have had a total of 16 players participate in the annual All-Star game. Out of those 16 players, Shawn Kemp was the first to be voted as an All-Star starter in 1998.
Kemp was a part of an Eastern Conference starting lineup that showcased NBA legends such as Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo and Anfernee Hardaway. In the game, Kemp shot 5-10 for 12 points, and also grabbed 11 rebounds in the East’s 135-114 victory over the West.
Before Kemp, players such as John Johnson (1771-71), Butch Beard (1972), Lenny Wilkens (1973), Austin Carr (1974), Campy Russell (1979), Mike Mitchell (1981), Brad Daugherty (1988-89, 1991-93), Mark Price (1988, 1992-94), Larry Nance (1989, 1993), Tyrone Hill (1995) and Terrell Brandon (1996-97) all made appearances in the All-Star game as reserves.
John Johnson was the first Cavalier player to participate in the All-Star game. Though he didn’t make a mark on the game, tallying just one assist in two minutes of action, he had averaged 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 points per game during the 1970-71 season to be honored as an Eastern Conference All-Star.
In the following season, Johnson was joined by Beard in the All-Star game. With two All-Stars on the team, the ‘71-72 Cavaliers finished the season with a dismal record of 23-59.
Despite having a consistently bad team, Carr, the first pick in the 1971 NBA draft out of Notre Dame, provided a glimmer of hope for the Cavs. Carr, who had his career derailed by injuries, is the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer, and has the second most field goals in team history, behind only LeBron James.
Carr was named an All-Star during the 1973-74 season, where he averaged 21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. In five minutes off the bench, Mr. Cavalier grabbed one rebound.
As the 90’s rolled around, the Cavaliers started to get the ball rolling, making the playoffs for five straight seasons (1991-96). Price, Nance and Daugherty were some of the Cavaliers that helped the team reach the playoffs, and all made All-Star appearances along the way.
Price, Nance and Daugherty all had storied careers with the Cavaliers, each having their numbers retired. On top of making multiple All-Star appearances, Price won back-to-back three-point contests in 1993 and 1994.
The post Price/Nance/Daugherty era has been all LeBron. The King has failed to make the All-Star game just once in his career, which was his rookie season. Along the way, players such as Mo Williams, Zyrdunas Ilgauskas and Kyrie Irving have all accompanied LeBron during All-Star weekend.
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In his first 11 All-Star games, James has averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. According to NBA.com, James ranks fifth in three-pointers made (27), second in field goals made (113) and ninth in assists (68).
In 2014, Irving was named MVP of the All-Star game after putting up 31 points and 14 assists en route to a 163-155 win over the West.
This year, LeBron James was named an Eastern Conference All-Star for the 12th time of his career. Due to the team’s 38-14 record, which is the best in the Eastern Conference, James will be accompanied by the Cavaliers’ coaching staff, led by head coach Tyronn Lue.