The modern NBA has to often endure the accusation of being too ‘soft’ and ‘scorer-friendly’. The astronomical numbers put up by some of the premier superstars in the league tend to promote the idea that the art of defense has become obsolete in the league nowadays. However, that can’t be farther from the truth.
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The fact that the Milwaukee Bucks just fired their head coach Adrian Griffin because of the team’s defensive struggles despite a 30-13 record, shows just how important defense is to win games, especially in the postseason. However, one game where defense has quite objectively become obsolete is the All-Star contest held every year in February.
The elaborate fanfare is pretty much a celebration of the skills of the league’s best offensive talents. Hence, players restrict their defense to the very minimum for long-range threes and fancy dunks to flourish for the fans’ entertainment. However, All-Star games weren’t always so offense-centric. Here are the top 6 players who have recorded the most number of blocks in All-Star history.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar – 6
Quite unsurprisingly, the most number of blocks comes from an All-Star game in the 1980s. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded a total of six blocks in the 1980 All-Star game, the most blocks in the history of NBA All-Star games. Defense has always been a strong component of the Lakers star’s repertoire. He showed in this game exactly why to his fellow stars looking for a quick slam.
Abdul-Jabbar would end up with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists playing for the West. What’s more interesting is, the veteran center would tally four blocks each in the 1981 and 1983 All-Star games as well.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 5
Now we go to the 90s for our next contender. Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon registered five blocks in the 1994 All-Star game in Minnesota. The game saw Scottie Pippen explode for 29 points, securing the All-Star MVP.
However, Olajuwon managed to play some good defense on the East. He also tallied the best score for the West with 19 points and 11 rebounds
Patrick Ewing – 5
Ewing’s presence on this list surprises nobody. The New York Knicks legend was known for his dominance in the paint during his playing days. In the 1990 All-Star game, Ewing showed up with 5 blocks, the same as Olajuwon, alongside 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Ewing would follow up his performance with four blocks in the next year’s edition.
Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, and Dikembe Mutombo – 4
Michael Jordan shares the record of the third-highest number of blocks in NBA All-Star Weekend history with two of the fiercest big men ever, Shaquille O’Neal and Dikembe Mutombo. Shaq registered four blocks in the 1994 All-Star game, showing why he’s regarded as the most dominant big man ever.
On the other hand, Michael Jordan is a rare feature as a guard on the list, registering four blocks along with 40 points in the 1988 All-Star game, eventually securing a well-deserved MVP.
Dikembe Mutombo, Kevin McHale, Jermaine O’Neal, Dirk Nowitzki, Alonzo Mourning and Elvin Hayes are others who have recorded four blocks in an All-Star game. Among these players, only McHale has done it twice, in consecutive years in 1986 and 1987.
