The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was the 65th edition and was an exhibition basketball game that was played on Sunday, February 14, 2016. The Western Conference won 196–173 over the Eastern Conference, and Russell Westbrook was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was held at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement on September 30, 2013. This was the first time that the game was held outside the United States. TSN and Sportsnet televised the game nationally in Canada, while TNT and TBS televised the game nationally in the United States.
Coaches
Although the Golden State Warriors had the best record in the Western Conference, no coach may coach two consecutive All Star Games, therefore making Steve Kerr ineligible. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will coach the Western Conference as the Spurs had the second-best record in the West. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the best record in the Eastern Conference, but on January 22, the team fired head coach David Blatt and replaced him with Tyronn Lue. Lue was named the Eastern Conference head coach on January 27 even though he had only coached three games up to that point, albeit earning a 2–1 record in the process.
Rosters
The rosters for the All-Star Game are selected through a voting process. The starters are chosen by the fans. Two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest vote are named the All-Star starters. NBA head coaches vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which can be players on their own team. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player is to be selected, coaches are encouraged to vote for the player at the position that was “most advantageous for the All-Star team,” regardless of where the player was listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he was listed in box scores. Marc Stein‘s cheat sheet for coaches:
West and East coaches, as always, are being asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences — albeit none of their own — and observe the following guidelines:
- Each ballot must include two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards.
- Players must be ranked in order of preference in all three categories.
- If a coach feels that a player can play more than one position, he is encouraged to vote for that player at the position “most advantageous for the All-Star team,” without regard to where the player is listed on the All-Star ballot or how he’s listed in box scores.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers topped the ballots this year with 1,891,614 votes, earning Bryant his 18th all-star nod in his final season in the NBA, and also beating out the 2015 leading vote getter Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who was second this year in total votes with 1,604,325. The other players named to the Western Conference starting roster include Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, named to their fifth and seventh All-Star Games respectively, and Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, who was named to his first career All-Star Game.
Find out more details here. Also a part of the All Star Weekend is the 3 point Competition and Dunk Contest.
NBA All-Star Game 