So, the other day, I got this itch, you know? I started thinking about the 2011 NBA All-Star game. Can’t tell you why, exactly, just one of those random things that pops into your head. I was trying to remember who actually played in that game. My memory’s not what it used to be, that’s for sure.
I sat down and tried to piece it together from what I could recall. For the Eastern Conference, I was pretty sure about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard. Derrick Rose was a lock, too, given how he was playing that season. For the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant, obviously. Kevin Durant was already a monster back then. Maybe Dirk Nowitzki? It all started getting a bit fuzzy after the big names.
So, I decided to actually dig it up. Wasn’t like I just typed it in and boom, there it was perfectly. I had to sift through some stuff, look around a bit, you know how it goes when you’re looking for older info. It’s not always front and center. But eventually, I got the lists pulled together.
Eastern Conference All-Stars 2011
- LeBron James (Miami Heat) – Starter
- Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) – Starter
- Amar’e Stoudemire (New York Knicks) – Starter
- Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) – Starter
- Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) – Starter
- Ray Allen (Boston Celtics) – Reserve
- Chris Bosh (Miami Heat) – Reserve
- Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) – Reserve
- Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) – Reserve
- Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) – Reserve
- Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) – Reserve
- Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) – Reserve
Western Conference All-Stars 2011
- Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) – Starter
- Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Starter
- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) – Starter (though he was traded to Knicks shortly after)
- Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) – Starter
- Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) – Starter (but was injured and didn’t play; Kevin Love replaced him on roster, Tim Duncan/Pau Gasol started in his spot, gets complicated)
- Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) – Reserve
- Manu Ginóbili (San Antonio Spurs) – Reserve
- Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) – Reserve
- Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Reserve (injury replacement for Yao)
- Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) – Reserve
- Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Reserve
- Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) – Reserve
- Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) – Reserve
Man, looking at those names really brings back some memories. The East was pretty loaded. You had the new “Big Three” in Miami with LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all making it. The Celtics still had their crew: Allen, Garnett, Pierce, and Rondo. That’s four guys from one team, pretty solid. And Amar’e was tearing it up for the Knicks that year.
Then you look at the West. Kobe was MVP of the game, if I remember right. Durant was just incredible. Blake Griffin making it as a rookie was a huge deal back then; the dude was a walking highlight reel. And seeing names like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki – just legends. Chris Paul was still with the Hornets. It’s wild to see Carmelo listed with the Nuggets as a starter, knowing the trade to the Knicks was right around that All-Star break.
And poor Yao Ming, voted as a starter but couldn’t play because of injury. That was a tough one. Kevin Love got in as a replacement, which was big for him at the time.
It’s funny, you look back at these rosters, and some guys were at their absolute peak, some were rising stars, and a few, you almost forget they had an All-Star nod that particular year. It was a good exercise, though. Definitely a trip down memory lane, remembering what the league felt like back in 2011. Time flies, eh?
