The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was the 42nd edition of the All-Star Game. It was hosted at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida on February 9, 1992, where the West defeated the East, 153âÂÂ113. The game is memorable for the return of Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson, who retired before the 1991âÂÂ92 NBA season after contracting HIV. Johnson was given the MVP award. He also took the final shot of the game, a three-pointer, and the final 14ý seconds of the game were not played. The game was broadcast by NBC for the second consecutive year.
The All-Star Game features NBA players voted in by fans and coaches by conference and position. The teams are divided into the Western Conference and Eastern Conference. All 11 professional basketball players of the "Dream Team," the 1992 United States Olympic men's basketball team, were also on the 1992 All-Star Game roster.
The Western All-Stars were coached by Don Nelson, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Although the Portland Trail Blazers have the best record in the Western Conference entering the game, their head coach, Rick Adelman, was ineligible to coach in the All-Star Game because he had coached in the previous year's game and league rules prohibit a coach from coaching in consecutive All-Star Games. The Eastern All-Stars were coached by Phil Jackson, the head coach of the Eastern conference leader Chicago Bulls.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson had announced his retirement at the beginning of the 1991âÂÂ92 season due to testing positive for HIV. Nevertheless, he was voted in by the fans as a guard for the Western Conference team in the All-Star Game. This remains the only time in NBA All-Star Game history that the âÂÂroadâ team was introduced last, specifically so that Magic Johnson was able to be the last player introduced. He led all players with 25 points and was awarded the MVP. He also took the final shot of the game, a three-pointer, after which point the game ended with 14.5 seconds left, as players ran onto the court to congratulate Johnson and exchange high-fives. Of his performance, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe wrote, "It was supposed to be a swan song, one of professional sport's most emotional and riveting moments: the farewell of Magic Johnson from the NBA and perhaps mainstream society after announcing that he had contracted HIV."
The game ended with the West defeating the East 153âÂÂ113, setting a new record for largest margin of victory (40 points) in the NBA All-Star Game.
In this game, the East featured the likes of George Gervin, Jo Jo White, Dan Roundfield, Rick Barry, Connie Hawkins, Spencer Haywood, Dave Bing, Dave Cowens, Norm Nixon and Clifford Ray.
The West squad featured the likes of Calvin Murphy, Doug Collins, Alvan Adams, Bob Love, Artis Gilmore, Bobby Jones, Maurice Lucas, David Thompson, and Jamaal Wilkes.