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10 Best 76ers Moments in NBA All-Star Weekend History

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image By Colin Newby

The Philadelphia 76ers own a storied history as a prominent NBA franchise. Their lineage of star players is a defining characteristic, and plenty of past 76ers have made their mark on NBA All-Star Weekend.

The NBA All-Star Game itself might not be the best display of defense or fundamental basketball, but it’s produced memorable moments and MVP performances from Sixers franchise legends like Allen Iverson and Julius Erving.

The annual showcase also features skills competitions like the Slam Dunk Contest, the 3-Point Contest, and the Rising Stars Game.

The City of Brotherly Love has hosted NBA All-Star Weekend four times since the Sixers relocated from Syracuse in 1963. The Spectrum and the Wells Fargo Center (then First Union Center) have each taken their turns.

Look back on the best NBA All-Star Weekend memories involving the 76ers.

  • 10. Mac McClung Wins Slam Dunk Contest (2023)

    The Slam Dunk Contest isn’t what it used to be when Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins battled for the attention of the basketball world.

    The NBA attempted to revitalize the competition in 2023 with an outside the box idea: inviting a dynamic G-Leaguer.

    Mac McClung of the Delaware Blue Coats earned a bid for the annual tradition, and the Sixers signed him to a two-way contract just days beforehand.

    The competition’s wild card came out firing and put Nate Robinson to shame. He jumped over an adult with a child on his shoulders in his first opportunity.

    McClung kept the highlight reel running with reverse dunks, windmills, and even some reverse windmills. His reverse spinorama stunned the crowd at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City and won him the championship round.

    While the idea of a G-League participant sounded like a gimmick to a lot of fans at first, McClung carved out a legacy in NBA All-Star Weekend history with a proud showing for the Sixers.

    He repeated as the Slam Dunk Contest champion in 2024 after leaving the Blue Coats.

  • 9. Allen Iverson Wins Rising Stars MVP (1997)

    The Sixers scored big in the 1996 NBA Draft selecting Allen Iverson first overall. However, a high-schooler farther down the draft board challenged the top pick in the Rising Stars Game during their rookie seasons.

    Kobe Bryant helped build his NBA profile with 31 points in his first of many memorable All-Star Weekend appearances, but Iverson’s Eastern Conference team pulled away with a tight 96-91 victory.

    Iverson finished with 19 points in 26 minutes and earned MVP honors.

    Allen Iverson #3, Shooting Guard and Point Guard for the Philadelphia 76ers looks on with hands on hips during the NBA Atlantic Division basketball game on against the Washington Wizards on 16th November 1999 at the MCI Center arena in Washington, D.C. United States. The Philadelphia 76ers won the game 95 - 73.

    Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

  • 8. Spectrum Hosts Its 1st NBA All-Star Game (1970)

    The Philadelphia Spectrum hosted three NBA All-Star Games before the Sixers moved across the street in 1996. Its first came in 1970 just seven years after the Sixers relocated from Syracuse.

    The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 142-135. Willis Reed took home the MVP honors.

  • 7. Michael Jordan's Unforgettable Blooper in Philly (2002)

    The First Union Center hosted its first and only NBA All-Star Game in 2002. Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo represented the defending Eastern Conference champions in a proud moment of exposure for the franchise.

    The game’s most memorable moment wasn’t as proud. An aging Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards beginning in the 2001-02 season.

    A man who retired as the greatest player in NBA history certainly doesn’t need any All-Star Game highlights to validate his legacy. However, he could’ve done without this awkward blunder.

  • 6. Iverson, Dr. J Commemorate Kobe Bryant (2020)

    One of the greatest basketball players in history played his high school ball at Lower Merion in the Philadelphia suburbs.

    Kobe Bryant died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 just three weeks before the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities celebrating the league’s 75th anniversary.

    Commissioner Adam Silver acted swiftly to rename the All-Star MVP in commemoration of a player tied with Bob Pettit for the most All-Star MVPs in history with four.

    Sixers legends and multi-time All-Star MVPS Allen Iverson and Julius Erving fittingly took part in the ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant at United Center in Chicago.

    Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Dominique Wilkins, and Gary Payton are honored during the 69th NBA All-Star Game at the United Center on February 16, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

  • 5. Charles Barkley Wins NBA All-Star Game MVP (1991)

    Charles Barkley earned 11 All-Star selections during his 16 NBA seasons. His fifth of six appearances during his time with the Sixers came in 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum.

    Michael Jordan easily outscored The Round Mound of Rebound in a 116-114 victory for the Eastern Conference. However, Barkley grabbed 22 boards to steal the game’s MVP award.

    JVAN on X (formerly Twitter): "February 10, 1991 - Charles Barkley is named the MVP of the All-Star Game. Barkley's stat line: 17 points, 22 rebounds in 35 minutes. The East was victorious 116 - 114.#NBA #OTD #1990s #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/wb42NkdIkZ / X"

    February 10, 1991 - Charles Barkley is named the MVP of the All-Star Game. Barkley's stat line: 17 points, 22 rebounds in 35 minutes. The East was victorious 116 - 114.#NBA #OTD #1990s #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/wb42NkdIkZ

  • 4. Julius Erving Wins 2 NBA All-Star MVPs (1977, 1983)

    Any list honoring 76ers history needs to include Dr. J.

    Erving played in 16 professional All-Star Games between the ABA and NBA. He won his first MVP in 1977 during the first season after the ABA collapsed. His second MVP came in 1983 four months before the Sixers lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

    NBA History on X (formerly Twitter): "1977: West 125, East 124; In his first @NBA All-Star Game, Julius Erving lit up the Mecca: 30 points, 12 rebounds & the MVP for the East. pic.twitter.com/B7jjWGrIkQ / X"

    1977: West 125, East 124; In his first @NBA All-Star Game, Julius Erving lit up the Mecca: 30 points, 12 rebounds & the MVP for the East. pic.twitter.com/B7jjWGrIkQ

  • 3. Andre Iguodala Slams Home Weekend's Best Dunk (2006)

    Most basketball fans can tell you that Nate Robinson won the Slam Dunk Contest three times. A 5-foot-9 champion was an interesting novelty after 5-foot-6 Spud Webb had won the third dunk contest in league history in 1986.

    However, Robinson didn’t deserve his first Slam Dunk Contest title in 2006.

    Second-year sleeper Andre Iguodala won the Rising Stars MVP at All-Star Weekend in Houston, and he threw down the most impressive jam of the weekend. Philadelphians still wonder how he didn’t win the Slam Dunk Contest in 2006. It shouldn’t have been particularly close actually.

    His veteran teammate Allen Iverson was the perfect counterpart. The aging Sixers legend bounced a pass off the backboard that Iguodala took under and up for the jam.

    Yes, he went under the backboard and still reached the rim. The laws of physics nearly prevent it.

    Robinson repeatedly missed his dunk attempts in the final round, but he used one of his many do-overs to jump over Spud Webb. The idea of the winning dunk was significantly better than the dunk itself. 

    Judge Kenny Smith deliberately changed his score to rob Iguodala of his rightful title as the Slam Dunk Contest champion.

    Philadelphia loyalist Charles Barkley pointed out the injustice of his TNT counterpart on the live broadcast as the crowd let out a loud chorus of boos.

  • 2. The Spectrum Hosts the Bicentennial NBA All-Star Game (1976)

    America celebrated its 200th birthday in 1976. Patriotism swept through the US, including in professional sports, and the nation’s birthplace was the perfect location for All-Star showcase events.

    The Flyers hosted the NHL’s All-Star festivities at the Spectrum in January 1976, and the Sixers were next up in February. The Phillies also hosted at Veterans Stadium on July 13, 1976, just nine days after the Independence Day celebration.

    George McGinnis and Doug Collins represented the hometown team in an Eastern Conference victory at America’s showplace.

    The exposure for the city of Philadelphia helped the 76ers gain traction early in their tenure and before the dawn of some of their high-profile stars.

    Sixers History on X (formerly Twitter): "#OTD in @sixers history presented by @NJMIns!Feb. 3, 1976: Since America had Bicentennial fever, the NBA All-Star Game was held in Philadelphia.76ers George McGinnis and Doug Collins showed out for the Spectrum crowd combining for 22 points and 13 boards. pic.twitter.com/sIOqEN7DtE / X"

    OTD in @sixers history presented by @NJMIns!Feb. 3, 1976: Since America had Bicentennial fever, the NBA All-Star Game was held in Philadelphia.76ers George McGinnis and Doug Collins showed out for the Spectrum crowd combining for 22 points and 13 boards. pic.twitter.com/sIOqEN7DtE

  • 1. Allen Iverson Carries East To Comeback in MVP Performance (2001)

    The 2000-01 season was one of the most memorable in Sixers history. Months before a trip to the NBA Finals, the Sixers also stole the show at the All-Star Game in Washington D.C. at arguably the most competitive All-Star Game in NBA history.

    Larry Brown patrolled the sidelines for the East in a season when his upstart Sixers had taken the league by storm.

    The West jumped out to an early lead that looked insurmountable in an exhibition game without the highest pitch of intensity. They extended the advantage to as many as 21 and entered the fourth quarter with a 19-point lead.

    Iverson and the East clawed back. Some big shots from Vince Carter and Stephon Marbury aided Iverson’s first of two All-Star MVP performances. The game’s best players took the final minutes as seriously as fans can reasonably expect, and the East ultimately escaped with a victory thanks to a 41-21 surge in the fourth quarter.

    Iverson dropped 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter in close proximity to his hometown of Hampton, Virginia. He fueled the memorable comeback with the aggressive drives to the rim that made him one of the most entertaining players in 76ers history.

    Brown must’ve taken notice of Dikembe Mutombo’s performance for the East at the All-Star Game. The Sixers acquired the 7-foot-2 center two weeks later for a memorable playoff run.

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