What Would Seattle Hoops Greats Think About All-Star Records?

The National Basketball Association's 73rd All-Star game was played in Indianapolis over the weekend with the Eastern Conference beating the Western Conference by 25 points. While scoring points is the point in basketball, the final score of 211 to 186, a record, is ridiculous and triggered strong negative reactions from the basketball community.

Headlines across the internet include:

• How can the NBA fix the All-Star Game?
• Do NBA All-Stars even care anymore
• The Decline of the NBA AllStar Game
• The NBA Allstar Game needs fixing, does the league have answers

Get our free mobile app

Seattle Supersonics Who Made Their Mark in All-Star History

Each year the All-Star game reminds Pacific Northwest fans of their long-gone but still much beloved Seattle Supersonics.  These Supersonics made their mark in the All-Star Games in the past. Here's a three-point quiz for you:

• Two Supersonics won all-star MVP awards. Can you name them?
• Another super Supersonic won the 2001 Slam Dunk Contest. Can you name him?
• The 3-point contest wasn't around when he was but this baller was the first winner of the best 3-point shooting percentage for a season. Who was that?

Answer to all at the end of this article.

What Would Former Sonics Greats Think About The State Of The All-Star Game?

When you think of the All-time great Seattle Supersonics players, you think of tough gritty hard-nosed defensive players. First-team defenders like Slick Watts, Dennis Johnson, and Gary Payton. All NBA second-teamers include Jack Sikma, Danny Vranes, Lonnie Shelton, and Nate McMillan. Guys like that wouldn't let their opponents waltz in for unimpeded dunks or unchallenged 3-pointers.

The "Glove" Gary Payton, the 9-time All-Star, 9-time all-defender would have come unglued at the prospect of giving up a 100-point half. Nine-time all-defensive player, Dennis Johnson, who was the Sonics Finals MVP in 1979, was traded to Boston after 1979-80, season and fans know there would be no stopping D.J. from trying to top a 200-point game!

Defense is half the game, or it used to be. Is it still?

The All-Time Seattle Supersonics All-Stars

The last year the Supes were in Seattle was the 2007-2008 season. It was sad to see them go. The team started to play in 1967, and over the next 40 years, they sent these 20 Seattle greats to the NBA All-Star game. Here are the legends, when they first were named as all-stars, and the number of times they were so honored while a member of the Seattle Supersonics.

The 1960's

• Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, (Walt Hazzard) 1967-68, 1X
• Bob Rule, 1969-70, 1X

The 1970's

• Lenny Wilkens, 1970-71, 4X
• Spencer Heywood, 1974-75, 4X
• Fred Brown, 1975-76, 1X
• Dennis Johnson, 1979-80, 2X

The 1980's

• Paul Westphal, 1980-81, 1X
• Lonnie Shelton, 1981-82, 1X
• Gus Williams, 1982-83, 2X
• David Thompson, 1982-83, 1X
• Jack Sikma, 1984-85, 7X
• Xavier McDaniel, 1987-88, 1X
• Tom Chambers, 1986-87, 1X
• Dale Ellis, 1988-89, 1X

The 90's

• Detlief Shrempf, 1996-97, 2X
• Shawn Kemp, 1997-97, 5X
• Vin Baker, 1997-98, 1X

The 2000's

• Gary Peyton, 2002-03, 9X
• Rasheed Lewis, 2004-05, 1X
• Ray Allen, 2006-07, 4X

Supersonic Quiz Answers

• Lenny Wilkens was named the 1971 All-Star MVP and Tom Chambers won it in 1987
• In 2001, Desmond Mason became the first SuperSonics player in franchise history to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
• 1979-80 Fred Brown won the NBA's first three-point shooting percentage title with a red-hot 44%. They didn't call him "Downtown Freddie Brown" for nothing!

So how'd you score? And how would you rate this year's All-Star game? Let us know!