20 Reasons Why NBA All-Star Weekend Was Better in the '90s

The Slam Dunk Contest is known for high flyers but also features rambunctious teammates rooting on the participants from the sideline. It must've been priceless to see Gary Payton cheering on Shawn Kemp all those times that the "Reign Man" participated in the Dunk Contest. Now if only we can get Patrick Ewing to blindly root for teammates like he did in '96.

This new rule of having Saturday night featuring the West vs. the East in the skills competition is just really weak. The only reason it doesn't get major hate is because it's done for a good cause which is donating to charities. That's great and the NBA is definitely for the kids, but these contests are simply for the players to express themselves individually. The idea that this is a conference vs. conference battle is illogical.

That big paycheck is too hard to pass up these days. Soon there's going to be a player jump over an LG refrigerator, while wearing an LG sponsored headband and making a phone call on an LG cell phone. What happened to the days when players just dunked and that was it?

The idea of the Slam Dunk Contest being a snooze fest is hard to believe, but when players are missing multiple attempts, it can be very tiring. In 2006, Nate Robinson won the contest but needed a preposterous 14 attempts to make one of his dunks at one point. Chris Andersen's '05 attempt was painful to say the least.

Maybe the NBA should go back to All-Star ballot votes happening in NBA arenas like the '90s. Having it online leads to people who clearly don't watch basketball voting for players like Kobe Bryant this year strictly on recognition only and not for individual performance or winning. This isn't something new, Yao Ming made the All-Star team in 2011 despite only playing in five games that season. Imagine if MJ made the All-Stars despite retiring. It would be that bad.

When it comes to time filler, the Shooting Stars Challenge takes the cake on Saturday night. The fact that Tim Hardaway and Steph Curry will be shooting with their former NBA player fathers is an intriguing wrinkle, but the NBA needs to dead this competition. They might as well bring back the NBA Legends Game at this rate. Who wouldn't want to see Allen Iverson playing against Stephon Marbury?

With Larry Bird and Magic Johnson retiring, and Michael Jordan taking a mini-break in 1993-94, NBA supremacy was up for grabs in the Eastern Conference. Shaquille O'Neal stepped on the stage and made the All-Star Game fun with his ebullient personality. Whether it was absolutely posterizing David Robinson or schooling Michael Jordan, Shaq brought a show wherever he went during the '90s All-Star Games. Now all we have to look forward to is Dwight. *goes to sleep*

Let's not pretend that the Slam Dunk Contest wasn't falling apart by the late '90s. Luckily, the early-mid '90s featured some stellar showmanship from Isaiah Rider's East Bay Funk Dunk, to Harold Miner's exhibitions. They would pull off dunks we had never seen before and were just simple feats of athletic excellence. Let's just say we're happy there wasn't a wheel involved.

Let's just make this clear. You were not waltzing down the lane with a Karl Malone 'bow waiting for you. The Western Conference featured the two bruising power forwards for a number of years on the All-Star roster. The Round Mound of Rebound and the Mailman were tough customers and two of the best to ever lace it up. They were also roommates, leading to some hilarious stories involving belly buttons.

You know it's bad for the center position in the NBA when the league changes All-Star voting for just frontcourt spots rather than the actual center position. Now it's so bad that the Eastern Conference will start a front court consisting of forwards Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. What happened to the days when Patrick Ewing would battle with David Robinson, or Shaquille O'Neal would battle with Hakeem Olajuwon?

If LeBron hates these sleeved jerseys, it's a wrap. They better get back to the drawing board for next year with something just a little bit more creative and sleeveless, or the NBA's braintrust of star players may have to riot.

It's hard to feel sorry for NBA All-Stars, but you have to feel sorry for shooting guards in the Eastern Conference during the '90s. Michael Jordan had that starting two-guard position locked up every year outside of the two years he missed during his NBA sabbatical. That dog fight for the bench two-guard included luminaries such as Reggie Miller, Joe Dumars, Reggie Lewis, and Steve Smith throughout the decade. Second fiddle isn't so bad.

Surprises are what really capture the hearts of many. What's the point of special player exclusive shoes for All-Star games when we see them being sold on Nike and adidas' website for retail. As it was eloquently stated in this Complex piece, the element of surprise is missing. Nothing will replace the amazement with Dee Brown's Reebok Pumps, or Michael Jordan's annual Jordan display.

In this day and age in sports, one could argue that players are more concerned with their brand compared to just playing the game. The first person that comes to mind has to be LeBron James. He's known for wanting to be the the first Billionaire athlete and he's very concerned about his brand. Too many star players are worried about losing in the Dunk Contest and that's not what it's about. It's about putting on a show for the fans like Dominique Wilkins did in '90 or a young Kobe did in '97.

Like every major sporting event or gathering, the number of media outlets has increased exponentially at NBA All-Star Weekend. There's a good, bad, and ugly to this. There's some great sites getting great quotes and covering the event, but on the other side their's some mediocre sites out there recording struggle quotes as we speak.

While the current iteration of the Rookie-Sophomore game is exciting, there's nothing like the classic Schick Rookie Game that was simply rookies only. It was a chance for nearly all of the rookies who were in the NBA to get a chance to showcase their skills. The game featured some classic battles, including Kobe Bryant and the West versus Allen Iverson and the East in '97. Let's bring it back next year when that great 2014 NBA Draft class comes in to the league.

One of the most shocking moments during the '90s was Magic Johnson's announcement that he had HIV. After retiring, no one expected Magic to return to the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. He made a statement by leading the West to a 153–113 win and to top it off he was crowned All-Star MVP after recording 25 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. One play that will be remembered forever was his last-minute three-pointer to seal up that MVP award.

At the end of the day, there are just way too many gimmicks and props involved in the Slam Dunk Contest. It's great that Dwight wore a cape, Jeremy Evans dunked over a painting, or that Diddy and Kevin Hart have stood under a basket as a prop. The problem is that as more of these sideshows are introduced, the less the contest is about, you know... DUNKING.

It's always been said that you have to earn respect as a rite of passage in sports. During the '90s, it felt like players earned that respect by working with their veteran All-Stars. Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway had a special bond in the '96 Eastern Conference backcourt. It felt like Jordan gave Hardaway his own "rookie" moment by pulling off his warmup pants before Hardaway was introduced. Also, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp clowning Kevin Garnett in '97 was another great example of this. You don't see that kind of exchange during the NBA All-Star game anymore like it was in the past.

Just look at these stats: 21.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 2.7 SPG in 7 '90s All-Star Games. Those are Michael Jordan's numbers but that doesn't even begin to paint the picture of how good he was. It's that 5-2 record that explains how Jordan made the Eastern Conference the dominant force it was in the '90s. All there is right now is the Leastern Conference which says enough in itself.