Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Two NBA All-Star Games took place on Feb. 18, with NBA legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James winning All-Star Game MVPs. Additionally, records were set in the NHL and winter sports, along with notable Daytona 500 races. Let's take a closer look at these moments.
The Stars of the NBA
Feb. 18th witnessed great moments from NBA legends:
- 2007: The 56th NBA All-Star Game took place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada, where the West beat the East, 153-132. The MVP was the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant.
- 2018: The 67th NBA All-Star Game took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where Team LeBron beat Team Curry, 148-145. The MVP was Cavs legend Lebron James.
Hockey & Skating Records
Feb. 18th has also seen some great hockey stats and some skating World Records:
- 1919: Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators scores a record 52nd goal.
- 1936: An NHL record of 32 points was scored. NY Americans (28) & Mont Maroons (24).
- 1952: Norwegian speed skater Hjalmar Anderson wins his 3rd gold medal of the Oslo Winter Olympics when he claims the 10,000m in an Olympic record time of 16:45.8. He also won gold in the 1,500m and 5,000m.
- 1994: Dan Jansen skates a world record time of (1:12.43) in the 1000m.
Daytona 500
Feb. 18th had some epic races on the track:
- 1962: Fireball Roberts won the 4th Daytona 500. He dominated the event by leading 144 of the 200 laps. He drove his famous number 22 Pontiac to victory in three hours and 10 minutes, during which the race was run without a single caution flag.
- 1973: Richard Petty won the 15th Daytona 500. It was his fourth Great American Race that was won by more than 2 laps from Bobby Isaac.
- 1979: The 21st Daytona 500 was once again won by Richard Petty. Race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided with each other on the final lap. This was also the first 500-mile race broadcasted from start to finish.
- 1990: Derrike Cope won the 32nd Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt shreds the right rear tire on the last lap.
Looking back, it's cool to see two of the NBA's top ten players of all time earn more awards. It was quite the day for speed skater Hjalmar Andersen, who essentially won the triple crown of speed skating distances. Finally, it was another day of Richard Petty dominating the racetrack. On this day, he won the Daytona 500 twice and remains the all-time leader in wins for this race, with
