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Three NBA All-Star Games took place on Feb. 20th, and guards Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Steph Curry won All-Star Game MVPs. Some sports history, along with a few records in sport. Let's take a closer look at these and other moments.
Best Point Guards of the NBA
Feb. 20th has witnessed great moments from legends of the NBA:
- 2005: The 54th NBA All-Star Game took place at the Pepsi Center in Denver Colorado, where the East defeated the West 125-115. The MVP was Allen Iverson, a shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
- 2011: The 60th NBA All-Star Game took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where the West defeated the East 148-143. The MVP was the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers legend and shooting guard.
- 2022: The 71st NBA All-Star Game took place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, where Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 163-160. The MVP was the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry, who set an All-Star Game record with 16 three-pointers and finished with 50 points.
Notable Moments in Sports History
This day has also seen some great defense, as well as some great offense:
- 1926: The Montreal Maroons and Ottawa Senators play in the second 0-0 tie in NHL history. The strong goalies in this game were Clint Benedict of the Maroons and Alex Connell of the Senators.
- 2021: Joel Embiid records a double-double with a then-career-high 50 points and 17 rebounds in an NBA game against the Chicago Bulls.
Records Across the World of Sport
In the past, this date has also seen some baseball, hockey, track, and winter sports moments:
- 1963: Hall of Famer Willie Mays becomes the highest-paid player in the MLB, signing a record $100,000 contract with the San Francisco Giants.
- 1982: New York Islanders win then the NHL record 15th straight game by beating the Colorado Rockies, 3-2 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- 1988: Cornelia Oschkenat hurdles the indoor world record of 50m in 6.58 seconds.
- 1997: San Francisco Giants great Barry Bonds signs a record $22.9 million, two-year contract.
- 2022: The XXIV Olympic Winter Games close in Beijing, China, and Norway finishes with a record 16 gold medals
Looking back on this day, three of the best NBA shooters in the game have added awards to their trophy cases. When it came to scoring in the 2000s, Iverson and Kobe were big names. Then Curry changed the game forever, with the three-point shot becoming a central part of gameplay, and the "Curry Flurry" happening frequently.
In hockey, while the Montreal Maroons and Colorado Rockies no longer exist in the NHL, Montreal now has the Canadiens, and the Rockies are part of MLB. Finally, two of the best Giants of all time, Mays and Bonds, had historic signing days, with Mays also serving as Bonds' godfather.
