Internet users lovvvveeee #TBT – it’s basically better than chicken wings now-a-days. Yesterday was the anniversary of Allen Iverson winning the 2001 NBA MVP Award and it got us thinking about another AI moment from that same season…
The 2001 NBA All-Star Game was easily one of the most fun games in league history!!! That’s besides the point tho – we’re taking about the ’01 ASG because Iverson won MVP in that game too!!! Iverson famously notched 15 points in the 4th quarter to deliver a W for the Eastern Conference squad; but the real legend behind the performance came nights before. Apparently the Philly star didn’t sleep for 3 days straight on a non-stop partying binge in DC before Sunday night’s All-Star Game. Think about that – liquor, smoke, clubs, money flying around for dayzzzz then hoopin’ against some of the best to ever do it. That’s legend, fam.

Lets take a look back at some classico photos from 2001’s All-Star Weekend as a whole, enjoy!

Here we have the NBA Rookie Team lead by Mike Miller, Q-Rich, D-Miller, K-Mart and Capt. Jack.

Western Conference All-Stars. Nike, NBA, please bring back teams wearing their home/away jerseys. I know it’ll never happen cus you know, money, but it would be so nice to see again. Can you name the All-Stars?

The Eastern squad is a bit harder to name in full, but can you do it? Here’s one hint the NYC Knicks guy is Allan Houston, lol.

Glen Rice in the Air Jordan 11 ‘Columbia’, Jerry Stackhouse in the Nike AF1, Allan Houston in the Nike Shox BB4. Dikembe Mutombo in the Nike Air Team Super Max.
The AF1 came out to play heavy in 2001 almost 20 years after the shoe’s initial release. We can see throughout this post that the BB4 was in full effect too. Big Dawg Glen Rice had the best kicks on the court though, period.

Kobe vs. Ray Allen it’s kinda funny to think about how 8-9 years from this game they’d be competing in the NBA Finals against each other. In the 2001 NBA Playoffs Allen’s Bucks took AI’s Sixers to Game 7 and almost won; if they had, then they would’ve met the Lakers in the ’01 Finals. adidas vs. Jordan Brand… that battle hasn’t changed much either!

Allen Iverson wore a special Reebok Question for the ’01 ASG dressed in black/white. The shoe debuted almost 5 years before this game so it was interesting to see it return, especially since he’d been rocking the uber classic Reebok Answer IV for the regular season and Playoffs.

David Robinson in the Nike Air Team Super Max, Michael Finley in the Air Jordan 16 PE, Vince Carter and Jason Kidd in the Nike Shox BB4. Allen Iverson in the Reebok Question.
Here’s a hot take for you: David Robinson is by far the best player in this picture. He might not be the most popular but when you look at the entirety of his career then it’s not even close.

T-Mac in the adidas Mad Handle, Jason Kidd in the Nike Shox BB4 PE, Tim Duncan in the Nike Air Max Duncan, Kevin Garnett in the And1 KG 1
So many ballers in this pic. Back when J-Kidd was known as ‘Ason Kidd’ cus he had no jumper (he’d go on to fix that). Anthony Mason (RIP) was a beast in NYC and in Miami. Tim Duncan came steppin’ in the hideous Air Max Duncan (there’s a reason why we’ve never seen that retro). T-Mac in the last pair of adidas he’d rock before getting his own signature shoe the following season.

Kobe Bryant in the ‘Sunshine’ adidas Kobe 1
Name another player with a better two brand sneaker legacy… you can’t, at least not as prestigious as Kobe Bean Bryant. They were weird, they were odd, but the adidas Kobe 1 flipped the script and still remains one of the most memorable footwear creations ever.

Ray Ray in an Air Jordan 16 PE and Rasheed Wallace in a Nike Air Force 1 PE
Two juggernauts of the early 2000s… two classics, two OGs, two champions, two legit to quit… you get it.

Marbury in the And1 Thai Chi and Antonio McDyess in a Nike Shox BB4 PE
Before he was a role player in Detroit Antonio McDyess was a college and NBA beast – don’t sleep on him. Stephon Marbury’s legacy is a complex one. His attitude (allegedly) made him un-signable even though the talent was always there. He’d go on to enjoy a lengthy and prestigious career playing hoops in China.

Just some good ol’ fashion competition during the All-Star Game. We need more of this in 2020.