Basketball All Star Game 2009 Highlights

In case you missed the annual All-Star game, here are a few of the best basketball All-Star game 2009 highlights. In 2009, the All-Star game was played in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Phoenix Suns. The All-Star game featured several of the hottest players, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Derrick Rose. Here's a taste of what you missed.

1. Eastern Conference v. Western Conference Game The premiere event at the NBA All-Star game is the showdown between the Eastern and Western Conference. Monopolizing on their home court advantage, the Western Conference dominated the court scoring a whopping 146 points compared to 119 points for the Eastern Conference. Leading the charge for the west was the LA Lakers' very own Kobe Bryant with 27 total points. Bryant was also the leading scorer for the game and was named joint MVP with former Laker teammate Shaquille O'Neal. Leading the east in scoring was LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers with twenty total points. Big name coaches led each of the conference teams throughout the weekend: Phil Jackson of the Lakers for the West and Mike Brown of the Cavaliers for the East.
2. Rookie Game The All-Star game also gives rookies a bit of time in the spotlight. Featuring first-year players in the league, the Rookie Game gives newcomers a chance to prove themselves against the sophomore team comprised of second year players. Leading the rookie team was Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley with 29 total points, while Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder led the sophomores with an amazing 46 points. Ultimately, the sophomores came out on top with a slim victory of 122 to 116. Durant was named MVP for the game.
3. Slam Dunk Competition One of the most difficult skills in basketball is the slam dunk, so a slam dunk contest is a must at any All-Star game. In the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition, 2008 champion Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic took on Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers, Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies, J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets and Nate Robinson of the New York Nicks. While Howard scored a perfect 100 in the first round, advancing him to the finals, opponent Nate Robinson received a larger percentage of the vote in the final round to take home the victory for the second time.
4. Shooting Stars Competition This unique All-Star competition features cities that house both a men's and women's professional basketball team in a timed basket shooting event. Each team in the competition is composed of three players: one from the NBA, one from the WNBA and one retired NBA player. The 2009 All-Star Shooting Stars competition featured teams from San Antonio, Los Angeles, Detroit and Phoenix. The final round came down to Detroit and Phoenix, and with a time of 58.4 seconds to complete six shots, Detroit was named the winner.
5. H-O-R-S-E Competition In 2009, a game of H-O-R-S-E was added to the basketball All-Star weekend events. Competing in the first ever All-Star game of H-O-R-S-E was Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, O.J. Mayo from the Memphis Grizzlies and from the Atlanta Hawks, Joe Johnson. After several rounds of shooting, Kevin Durant was named the winner of the H-O-R-S-E competition sponsored by Geico.