The BBL All-Star Game was the annual basketball All-Star Game of the British Basketball League which lasted from 1989 until 2002 and then revived from 2009 until 2011. The event was based on the original NBA concept, including a slam dunk and a three-point shootout contest and it was broadcast for several seasons in the United States as it featured a great number of American professional players who played in the BBL. The main part of the event was the game between the North and South All-Stars. In the mid-90s it used to be known as the Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game and in its last editions as NIA All-Star Game.
Barbados player Nigel Lloyd holds the record with the most All-Star Games with 10 consecutive picks from 1993 until the last one in 2002, the year he retired from professional basketball at the age of 40, after 18 full season in British basketball. The coach with the most appearances is Nick Nurse who holds the record with six, coaching both North and South sides.
Background In 1987 the BBL was founded as a breakaway competition formed by 15 teams who previously competed in the English National League and the Scottish National League following the NBA's franchise system. The purpose of the movement was to professionalise and promote the sport in Great Britain and catch up with the top European leagues like the ACB, the Lega Basket Serie A and the LNB Pro A who had already created the All-Star Game event. Therefore, after a successful first season sponsored by Carlsberg the BBL decided to launch an All-Star Game designed on the NBA pattern.
History Most of the games took place on Northern soil in England, where the crowd interest for basketball was higher. By the first demise of the event, the South led in total wins the North with a 7–6 score. After 2002 were persistent calls from former British basketball players to bring the event back in the last decade. In the beginning the busy schedule of the clubs kept those thoughts away from reality, but the All-Star Game returned in the 2008–09 season and lasted for 3 seasons, featuring now the Great Britain All-Stars against the Rest of the World All Stars game. The slam dunk contest was moved to the BBL Cup final match, during its interval.
List of games Bold: Team that won the game. SeasonDateArenaCityTeamScoreTeamMVP 1991–92 March, 1992 Northern All-Stars defeated Southern All-Stars John Trezvant 1992–93 March, 1993 Northern All-Stars defeated Southern All-Stars John Trezvant (2) 1993-94 March, 1994 Granby Halls Leicester Northern All-Stars 140-148 Southern All-Stars Tyrone Thomas 1994–95 1995–96 Tony Dorsey 1996–97 1997-98 March 22, 1998 Sheffield Arena Sheffield Northern All-Stars 168-175 Southern All-Stars John McCord 1998-99 February 7, 1999 Utilita Arena Newcastle Newcastle Northern All-Stars 156-158 Southern All-Stars Ted Berry 1999-00 February 5, 2000 Manchester Arena Manchester Northern All-Stars 177-180 Southern All-Stars Shawn Myers 2000-01 January 20, 2001 Utilita Arena Newcastle Newcastle Northern All-Stars 161-148 Southern All-Stars Tony Windless 2001-02 January 20, 2002 Utilita Arena Newcastle Newcastle Northern All-Stars 142-196 Southern All-Stars Rico Alderson 2002-2008 Not held 2008-09 May 5, 2009 Arena Birmingham Birmingham Great Britain All-Stars 117-124 Rest of the World All-Stars Chris Sanders 2009-10 May 9, 2010 Arena Birmingham Birmingham Great Britain All-Stars 94-110 Rest of the World All-Stars Mike Cook 2010-11 April 30, 2011 Arena Birmingham Birmingham Great Britain All-Stars 115-119 Rest of the World All-Stars Kadiri Richard 2023–24 March 17, 2024 Copper Box Arena London North 116-149 South Teddy Allen
Wins by team 1989-2002 and 2023- Team WinsNorthern All Stars 7Southern All Stars 7
Slam Dunk Contest Season Slam Dunk Champion Team Runner-up Team1990-91 Leo Rogers Worthing Bears 1992-93 John Trezvant Leicester Riders Leo Rogers Thames Valley Tigers1993-94 John Trezvant (2) Leicester Riders Charlie Mandt Derby Bucks2009-10 Guy Dupuy Milton Keynes Lions Kadiri Richard Newcastle Eagles2010-11 Kadiri Richard Newcastle Eagles Stefan Gill Milton Keynes Lions2011-12 Nathan Schall Milton Keynes Lions 2013-14 Joe Ikhinmwin London Lions
Topscorers SeasonPlayerPointsTeam 1994 Tyrone Thomas 26 Birmingham Bullets 1998 John White 32 Greater London Leopards 1999 Ted Berry 29 Edinburgh Rocks 2000 Darrian Evans 33 Derby Storm 2001 Tony Christie 29 Thames Valley Tigers 2002 BBL (2001-02) - eurobasket.com John Thomas 26 Chester Jets 2009 Chris Sanders 30 Sheffield Sharks 2010 BBL (2010-11) - eurobasket.com Mike Cook 31 Sheffield Sharks 2011 BBL (2010-11) - eurobasket.com Anthony Rowe 22 Plymouth City Patriots 2013 BBL Rosters All-Star Game (2012-13) - eurobasket.com 2014 BBL Rosters All-Star Game (2013-14) - eurobasket.com 2024 Teddy Allen 31 Leicester Riders
Players with most appearances PlayerAll-StarEditionsMVP Nigel Lloyd10 1993-2002 - Peter Scantlebury8 1990-1997 - Tony Windless 7 1995-2001 2001 Tony Dorsey6 1995-2000 1996 Karl Brown 6 1991–1995, 1997 - Kevin St. Kitts 6 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 - Ted Berry 5 1998-2002 1999 Steve Bucknall 5 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 - Jason Siemon 5 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002 - Robert Skip Youngblood 5 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996 (DNP), 1995 - Terrell MyersTerrell Myers - ACBB.Com4 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 -
The new era of All-Star Games In the 2012–13 season the BBL in collaboration with the Irish league launched a joint All-Star Game featuring the best players from both leagues. The event took place on March 31, 2013. The following 2013–14 season the All-Star Game featured a battle between England and Scotland selects from the BBL.
External links Profiles at britball.com
References