A Chicago Bulls history of the NBA All-Star weekend
By Josh Bootzin
It was amazing to see Michael Jordan back in a Chicago Bulls uniform.
The second three-peat era was a productive one for Michael Jordan and the Bulls at the All-Star game.
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are widely recognized as one of the best teams in NBA history. Both Jordan and Pippen were voted into starting spots at the All-Star game. Jordan scored 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting on his way to the second All-Star game MVP of his career.
The 1997 All-Star game saw Jordan make history, becoming the first player to record a triple-double (14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) in the All-Star game. He led the NBA with over 2.4 million votes, nearly 600,000 ahead of the second-highest vote-getter (Grant Hill) at 1.8 million. Pippen received nearly 1.7 million votes, good enough for his sixth consecutive All-Star starting nod.
A well-known story to come out of the 1997 All-Star game was that of the conversation in the locker room between Jordan and Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo stated that Jordan had never dunked on him during his six years in the NBA.
Jordan apparently took this as a challenge, and sure enough, later that same season, Mutombo found himself on the wrong end of a Michael Jordan dunk. Jordan teased Mutombo with Mutombo’s own signature finger wag as he jogged back on defense.
The MVP, unfortunately, went to Glen Rice, who finished with 26 points, two steals, one rebound, and one assist. Although, the Bulls didn’t finish the weekend without an award winner, as Steve Kerr won the fourth Three-Point Shootout by a Bull in eight seasons.
The 1998 season came on the cusp of back-to-back championships, and the state of the dynasty was on the brink of collapse. General manager Jerry Krause was threatening to break up the team after the season, including firing head coach Phil Jackson. Pippen missed most of the first half of the season due to injury. No one believed the Bulls had another championship run in them.
In the midst of all the noise and doubt, Jordan led league-wide All-Star voting for the ninth time. He turned in a 23-point performance to lead all scorers, adding eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals. The East won the game by 21 points and Jordan was awarded the third and last All-Star game MVP of his career.