The New York Knicks have hosted the NBA All-Star Game on five separate occasions: three times at MSG III (1954, 55, & 68) and 2 times at the current Madison Square Garden (1998 & 2015).
With the conclusion of another successful All-Star Weekend in New York featuring a lackluster performance from Carmelo Anthony, it seemed fitting to revisit the participation of Knicks players throughout the years.
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The Knicks have 93 All-Star selections since 1950 highlighted by Walt Frazier‘s seven, Willis Reed‘s seven, Patrick Ewing‘s 11, Harry Gallatin‘s seven, Dick McGuire‘s five, Carl Braun‘s five, Willie Naulls‘ four, Richie Guerin‘s six and Dave DeBusschere‘s five. Additionally, Willis Reed won All-Star Game MVP in 1970 and Walt Frazier did the same in 1975.
However, from 1999-present the Knicks have been less successful in the All-Star Game with the majority of the selections coming within the past few seasons, namely Carmelo Anthony’s four, and one each for Amar’e Stoudemire, David Lee, and Tyson Chandler. The period of 1999-2009 saw the Knicks only have three All-Star selections, two for Allan Houston and one for Latrell Sprewell.
However, the Knicks have been active in other ASW activities throughout the years.
A Knicks player has never won a Three-Point Contest but has attempted to do so on eight occasions. Trent Tucker participated in 1986 and 1987, Hubert Davis in 1996, Charlie Ward in 1998, and Allan Houston in 2001. Quentin Richardson participated for the Knicks in 2006, his third appearance and the year after he won while a member of the Phoenix Suns.
Danilo Gallinari squared off against former Knicks lottery pick Channing Frye in 2010. The last Knicks player to participate was Steve Novak in 2012, who failed to bring home the crown despite leading the league in three-point percentage (.4716) the year before.
New York Knicks players proved over the years to be much more successful in the Dunk Contest. Kenny Walker was the first Knicks player to win the title in 1989 followed by Nate Robinson who won three titles (2006, 2009, 2010) in four attempts. The duels between Robinson’s KryptoNate and Dwight Howard‘s SuperMan personas have been well remembered.
However, Robinson’s win in 2010 at the expense of an arguably more deserving Andre Iguodala has been the source of criticism and often pointed to as a low point in the Dunk Contest’s history. However, with a great showing from Victor Oladipo and runaway champion Zach LaVine over the weekend it is safe to say that the Dunk Contest is back.
Other Knicks participants over the years include Gerald Wilkins in 1986 and ’87, Kenny Walker in 1990, John Starks in 1992, Doug Christie in 1996, Robinson in 2007, and James White in 2013.
New York Knicks D-League prospect Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the Westchester Knicks threw down this 360 reverse in the first round of the D-League Dunk Contest over the weekend.
The Rising Stars Challenge, formerly the Rookie Challenge, has featured a steady dose of Knicks players since the event’s inception in 1994. Ten Knicks participated including John Wallace (1997), Nate Robinson and Channing Frye (2006), David Lee (2007), Wilson Chandler (2009), Danilo Gallinari (2010), Landry Fields (2011, 2012), Jeremy Lin (2012) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (2014).
David Lee earned MVP of the challenge in 2007 after scoring 30 points on 14-for-14 shooting. Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were assistant coaches for the event in 2011. Due to his lackluster sophomore campaign, Hardaway was not selected for the challenge in 2015. However, he still left his mark on the event as a rookie, scoring 36 points in a duel with Dion Waiters.
New York Knicks players have rarely participated in the NBA Skills Challenge since the event joined ASW in 2003. Stephon Marbury came in fourth in 2004 as a member of the Knicks the year after he finished third as a Phoenix Sun in the event’s inaugural year.
No other Knicks players has participated, although former Knicks Jason Kidd and Jeremy Lin and head coach Derek Fisher all participated while players for different teams. The lack of Knicks participation in the event is hardly surprising considering the team’s lack of consistent point guard production post-Marbury.
The Knicks did manage to secure a win in the NBA Shooting Stars Competition in 2012. Team New York, consisting of Landry Fields, then New York Liberty player Cappie Pondexter, and Allan Houston was the last team to win the event since Team Bosh won the event for the third time in a row this past weekend.
The Knicks season is ready to continue its tumultuous journey without Carmelo Anthony, who likely played his last game of the season over the weekend, and Amar’e Stoudemire whose contract was bought out by the team.
Knicks fans can turn their attention to the continued development of the younger players on the roster as Knicks management continues to evaluate the roster as they prepare for next season.. Perhaps some of them will participate in the aforementioned events in the future. One can only hope.
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