All-Access: 2018 NBA All-Star Game
Team LeBron defeats Team Stephen during the last NBA All-Star Game in L.A. in 2018.
With NBA All-Star 2026 less than three weeks away, we wanted to highlight some of the best moments from the six previous events hosted by the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. This season’s festivities will take place at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome for the first time since the arena’s debut campaign in 2024-25 and will feature the new U.S. vs. World competition in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.
2018: Team LeBron defeats Team Stephen, 148-145
In the first All-Star game of its kind, the NBA ditched the East-West format and let the two leading vote earners choose their teams. During the final season of his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James put on a show for the fans under the bright lights of the Staples Center. The captain earned All-Star MVP honors for the third time in his illustrious career by tallying a game-high 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting (4-8 3PM) with 10 rebounds, eight assists and one steal across 31 minutes. Kevin Durant added 19 points while Kyrie Irving dropped 13 points, seven boards and nine dimes for the winning squad. Stephen Curry finished with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, and DeMar DeRozan and Damian Lillard tied for the team lead with 21 points apiece in the loss. Team LeBron rallied for a 25-11 run over the final six minutes of play and stifled what would have been a game-tying triple from Team Stephen.
2011: West defeats East, 148-143
Seven years earlier, the late Kobe Bryant and a 22-year-old Durant paced the West’s 148-143 victory by combining for 71 points to outduel LeBron’s 29-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. The ‘Black Mamba’ took home his fourth and final ASG MVP award after cooking for game-highs with 37 points (14-26 FG, 2-7 3PM, 7-8 FT) and 14 rebounds with three assists and three steals in front of the LA faithful. KD notched 34 points on 11-for-23 shooting to go along with three boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks in his second career ASG appearance for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
2004: West defeats East, 136-132
Shaq shines in the Staples Center, earning a second All-Star MVP in his own dominating fashion.
During the first-ever All-Star outing at the Staples Center on Feb. 15, 2004, the Lakers’ superstar duo of Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal fueled the West’s third consecutive victory against the East. Bryant poured in 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3PM) with four rebounds, four assists, five steals and a block in 35 minutes, while Shaq dominated for a game-high 24 points (12-19 FG) in only 24 minutes off the bench. ‘Diesel’ also racked up 11 rebounds, including five offensive, one assist, two steals and two blocks to earn his second of three All-Star MVP honors despite squaring off against Ben Wallace (DET), Jermaine O’Neal (IND) and Jamaal Magloire (NOH).
1983: East defeats West, 132-123
Watching the 1983 NBA All-Star game is an incredible blast from the past with rosters chock full of legends and Hall of Famers. Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief led the East to a fourth straight win over their conference counterparts at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. ‘Dr. J.’ scored a game-high 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting, adding six rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks to win his second of two career AS MVP honors. Bird finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven dimes and two steals as a starter, and Moncrief played exceptional two-way ball with 20 points (8-14 FG), five boards, four assists, six steals and a block in 23 minutes as a reserve. The Lakers’ Hall of Fame duo of Magic Johnson (17 pts, 16 ast, 5 stl) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20 pts, 6 reb, 4 blk) came up just short in this one.
1972: West defeats East, 112-110
Although steals were not an official statistic in the NBA until the 1973-74 season, lifelong Laker Jerry West was a rampant thief during the ‘72 All-Star Game at The Forum, collecting six steals in only 27 minutes. West finished the classic clash with 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one block, and had ice in his veins with the game tied at 110 with only 9.0 seconds remaining. ‘Mr. Clutch’ got to his spot at the top of the key with a few seconds on the clock, rose and splashed in the game-winning jumper, capping off a 7-point fourth quarter. Appearing in his 12th of 14 consecutive All-Star contests, West locked in the lone All-Star MVP award of his 14-year career by playing phenomenal two-way basketball in what was a very competitive game featuring icons like Kareem (12 pts, 7 reb), Wilt Chamberlain (8 pts, 10 reb) and Elvin Hayes (4 pts, 2 reb). The East was led by Walt Frazier (15 pts, 5 ast), Dave Cowens (14 pts, 20 reb) and John Havlicek (15 pts).
1963: East defeats West, 115-108
In the first All-Star Game held in the state of California at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in 1963, the Boston Celtics’ trio of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy (8 pts, 6 ast) and Tom Heinsohn (15 pts) led the charge to help the East take down the West. Russell won the lone All-Star MVP award of his legendary career by posting 19 points (8-14 FG, 3-4 FT), five assists and a game-high 24 rebounds in 37 minutes. Oscar Robertson had a team-high 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting for the East, while a trio of double-doubles from Elgin Baylor (17 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast), Wilt Chamberlain (17 pts, 19 reb) and Bob Pettit (25 pts, 13 reb) wasn’t enough to get it done for the West.
