On the other side, Mourning, Hill, Carter, Eddie Jones, and Iverson formed the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
Among the reserves, the older generation included Mutombo, Reggie Miller, and Dale Davis. Others like Ray Allen, Allan Houston, Glenn Robinson, and Stackhouse were considered newcomers to the All-Star stage.
The 2000 All-Star Weekend was held at the home arena of the Orlando Magic!
Since trading Penny Hardaway, the Magic had entered a rebuilding phase. They were currently surveying the entire league, preparing to make a big move this summer!
Hosting the All-Star Weekend not only drew more fans' attention to the Magic but also allowed the team's management to get up close and personal with potential players from around the league, especially those whose contracts were expiring this summer!
As per tradition, the first event of the All-Star Weekend was the Rookie Challenge!
However, the rules for this year's Rookie Challenge had undergone a slight change. It was no longer an East vs. West rookie game but a game between first-year and second-year rookies.
The first-year rookie team was led by Francis from the Rockets, with others including Andre Miller, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, James Posey, Adrian Griffin, and Szczerbiak... From the Spurs, the inconsistent Ginobili, hugging the baseline, made it onto the first-year rookie team. It was no small feat, thanks to He Xi Meng's constant feeding, encouragement, and care over the past few months...
The second-year rookie team was led by Nowitzki of the Mavericks and Pierce of the Celtics, with others including La Fleur, Cuttino Mobley, Jason Williams, Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, and Olouokandi.
Judging solely by the rosters of the two rookie teams, the first-year team seemed to have no hope of winning... The second-year team boasted two future legendary superstars in Nowitzki and Pierce. Could they possibly lose to a first-year team without a single future legend?
But the final result shocked all the fans.
Because not only did the first-year team win, but they won with no suspense. Elton Brand was a force in the paint, scoring 16 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, dominating the second-year team's interior, which was guarded by starting centers La Fleur and Nowitzki.
Francis went head-to-head with Bibby, Odom battled Pierce... In the end, the first-year team defeated the second-year team 92:83. Elton Brand, with his invincible performance in the paint, won the Rookie Challenge MVP.
The fourth player to compete was Bob Sura. Perhaps influenced by Iverson before him, Bob Sura's shooting touch was completely off once he took the court. He missed shot after shot, finishing with a score of 9 points!
The fifth player was Hubert Davis. Davis was on pace to match Ray Allen, but unfortunately, the last ball, a rainbow shot, rimmed out, leaving his final score at 14 points! Davis clutched his head in frustration. Although temporarily in third place, Davis knew his chances of advancing to the second round were extremely slim.
The sixth player was Mike Bibby. Bibby's situation was similar to Davis'. As the last ball bounced off the rim and out, his final score remained at 15 points! This was one point higher than Davis, but 1-3 points lower than Ray Allen and Nowitzki. He was temporarily in third place and would have to see how Hornacek and He Xi Meng, the last two competitors, performed to advance.
The seventh competitor, Hornacek, shot steadily in the early stages, which left him with insufficient time towards the end. However, with his consistent performance, Hornacek still scored 17 points, pushing past Bibby and also pushing Ray Allen down to third place. This brought Ray Allen to the brink of despair, as he had a bad feeling that He Xi Meng's score would not be lower than 16 points...