The First NBA All-Star Game: Ed Macauley Leads The East To Victory In 1951

Ed Macauley leads the East to a 111-94 victory over the West in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951.

Credit: Fadeaway World

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 19, 2023. This year, the All-Star Game will be held in Salt Lake City, the first time in Utah since 1993.

This year's All-Star Game will be the 72nd game played. There's been a long, glorious All-Star history, with incredible performances by players.

Since the All-Star Game will see its 72nd game, we at Fadeaway World wondered about the very first All-Star Game. When was it played? Who won? Which player was named the MVP?

These questions will be answered in our article today.

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1951 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA was looking to bring fans in while getting fans to forget about the recent college basketball point-shaving scandal. So, NBA President Maurice Podoloff, NBA publicity director Haskell Cohen, and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown decided to get the best player together for an exhibition game.

The game was played on March 2, 1951, at the Boston Garden, the home of the Celtics. At this time, sports writers chose the roster of the All-Star Game, not the fans like today. 

The starters for the Eastern Conference team were Bob Cousy, Joe Fulks, Ed Macauley, Andy Phillip, and Dolph Schayes. The reserves were Paul Arizin, Vince Boryla, Harry Gallatin, Dick McGuire, and Red Rocha. The alternate was Ken Murray.

The starters for the Western Conference team were Ralph Beard, Bob Davies, Alex Groza, George Mikan, and Jim Pollard. The reserves were Frank Brian, Dwight Eddleman, Larry Foust, Vern Mikkelsen, and Fred Schaus. The alternate was Arnie Risen.

The coach for the East was Joe Lapchick, the head coach of the New York Knickerbockers. The West was coached by John Kundla, the head coach of the Minneapolis Lakers.

With the coaches and rosters set, the first NBA All-Star Game was ready to be played. The East took control of the game from the beginning, and they didn't look back. 

The East outscored the West in the first three quarters and was only outscored by two points in the fourth by the West. The final score saw the East earn a 111-94 victory.

The East was led by Ed Macauley, who scored 20 points. Macauley was named the first All-Star Game MVP, but he was honored two years later during the 1953 All-Star Game. 

The league didn't start giving out MVPs for the All-Star Game until the 1953 game. They went back to honor the previous two players who had the best performances in the 1951 and 1952 All-Star Games.

Joe Fulks scored 19 points, Dolph Schayes added 15, while Bob Cousy only managed to score 8 points, but he did add 8 assists. For the West, Alex Groza led the way with 17 points, while Bob Davies scored 13, and George Mikan added 12 points.

The NBA started a new annual game that would blossom into the spectacular event we all know and love today. We honor the players who began this tradition, and this February 19, we'll get to watch the 72nd All-Star Game in NBA history.

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