In the Eastern Conference All-Star voting, Carter, due to his immense popularity, secured the top spot among forwards with no doubt. Trailing Carter were Hill, Sprewell, Brian Grant, and Jamal Mashburn, among others. Ultimately, Carter and Hill were selected to start. However, due to Hill's injury, he couldn't play, and Anthony Mason was selected as a reserve.
In the Eastern Conference guard positions, Iverson was undoubtedly ranked first. McGrady's breakout season with the Magic, marked by stellar performances, saw him successfully surpass veteran All-Stars like Tim Hardaway, Reggie Miller, and Eddie Jones to earn a starting spot in the All-Star game.
For the Eastern Conference center position, Mourning, who had temporarily left the team due to kidney issues, still garnered significant fan support, receiving the highest number of votes in the East. However, Mourning was unable to compete. Consequently, the player who would have ranked second, Rik Smits, was selected but was also sidelined due to injury. In the end, the Eastern Conference center spot went to the Raptors' center, Antonio Davis! This marked Antonio Davis's first and last All-Star selection of his career.
Antonio Davis's inclusion was partly due to Carter's star power, which drew considerable attention to him, and partly due to the injuries of Mourning and Smits.
In fact, this was also Smits's only All-Star appearance in his career, yet he couldn't play, leaving him to watch Antonio Davis and a constellation of top stars perform. This is fate; different people have different destinies.
The final Eastern Conference All-Star roster comprised Antonio Davis, Anthony Mason, Carter, McGrady, and Iverson.
Three of the league's "Big Four" shooting guards were present in the Eastern Conference starting lineup.
The Eastern Conference All-Star reserves included Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Glenn Robinson, Sprewell, Jerry Stackhouse, Dikembe Mutombo, and Allan Houston.
Overall, this was an All-Star event graced by a galaxy of stars. The "Big Four" guards all gathered, alongside legends like the "Coach," the "Big Wolf," the "Admiral," the "Glove," the "Roaring Lion," the "Gentleman Sword," the "African Mountain," and the "Mid-Range King."
Except for Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill (Jordan's successor), and Alonzo Mourning, who unfortunately missed out due to injuries, essentially the strongest players of that era were present on the All-Star stage.
Of course, there was now one more: He Xi Meng!
To compete alongside these luminaries was He Xi Meng's honor. However, for point guards like Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Stephon Marbury, and Allan Houston, it was likely their misfortune. He Xi Meng siphoned away much of the glory and honor that might have otherwise belonged to them.
The 2001 All-Star Weekend was held at the Washington Wizards' home arena! As the host, Michael Jordan was, without question, the most dazzling star present, bar none.
Before this, fans had assumed that Jordan would only appear during the All-Star Game. Unexpectedly, to promote the Wizards, Jordan appeared at the Rookie Challenge, wearing a specially made Wizards #23 jersey, to address the rookies participating in this year's challenge.
"You are the future of the league, the hope of the league! I eagerly anticipate seeing you on the main stage in the near future, bringing more spectacular games to the fans..."
The young players participating in this year's Rookie Challenge were divided into a freshman team and a sophomore team.
The freshmen included Kenyon Martin, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Zendon Williams, Morris Peterson, Mark Jackson, Darius Miles, Mike Miller, Quentin Richardson, and Mateen Cleaves.
The sophomores included Andre Miller, Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Marion, Richard Hamilton, Wally Szczerbiak, Baron Davis, Jason Terry, Lamar Odom, and Manu Ginobili.
The Spurs had two rookies participating in this year's Rookie Challenge: Ginobili and Al Harrington.
Ginobili represented the sophomore team, while Harrington represented the freshman team, essentially facing off against each other in a friendly rivalry.
However, due to the significant disparity in overall team strength, as evident from the rosters, the freshman team was far inferior to the sophomore team.
The freshman team had only about six players who were truly capable: Kenyon Martin, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Darius Miles, Mike Miller, and Quentin Richardson, barely enough to form a lineup.
On the sophomore team, every player was formidable. Even if they didn't all become top-tier stars in the future, they would at least be excellent second or third options, or top role players.
Therefore, this Rookie Challenge concluded with the sophomore team defeating the freshman team by an overwhelming margin.
In terms of individual statistics, Al Harrington outperformed Ginobili. Because the freshman team had fewer capable players, Harrington received more playing time and greater shooting opportunities. In contrast, Ginobili's sophomore team had many talented players, resulting in less playing time and fewer shooting opportunities for Ginobili, a situation of "too many wolves and too little meat."
Ultimately, Minnesota Timberwolves shooter Wally Szczerbiak, among the future second and third options, stood out and won the Rookie Challenge MVP trophy, thanks to his consistent outside three-point shooting!
When the shooting percentages are similar, three-point shots are always more efficient than two-point shots; this is an undeniable fact, assuming comparable shooting percentages.
After the Rookie Challenge came the Three-Point Contest.
Before the competition officially began, a media reporter interviewed He Xi Meng, asking if he was confident about defending his title.
He Xi Meng stated, "Yes, this will be my last time participating in the Three-Point Contest. I hope for a perfect outcome!"
"Wow, your last time participating? Unbelievable. For fans who enjoy the Three-Point Contest, your withdrawal will be a great disappointment... Why are you considering withdrawing?"
"In fact, I considered declining the organizing committee's invitation this year. I have already won two Three-Point Contest championships, and these trophies no longer hold much allure for me... However, for other sharpshooters in the league, this trophy remains a path and an opportunity to prove their skills. I hope more three-point shooters can prove themselves on this stage and then return to their teams to take on more responsibility and gain more shooting opportunities... Three-point shooting is not merely an appendage to two-point shooting! If used properly, three-pointers can dominate the future court..."