NBA/NWBA All-Star Game Featuring Willie Hernandez of the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks
DALLAS (February 2, 2001) - The National Basketball Association (NBA) will be hosting All-Star 2001 in Washington, D.C., Feb. 5-11th. As part of NBA All-Star Week, 24 of the best wheelchair basketball players from 23 cities across the United States have been chosen to participate in the 2001 NBA/National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) All-Star Wheelchair Classic on February 8th at 7:30 p.m. (EST).
The 2001 NBA/NWBA All-Star Wheelchair Classic will feature the top wheelchair athletes selected from wheelchair teams that are members of the NWBA. The players, selected by the NWBA, are divided into East and West All-Stars. This year's East squad features Dallas Mavericks Wheelchair Maverick Willie Hernandez, and two former Mavs players, Rolando Blackman (East) and Lafayette "Fat" Lever (West), have been named honorary coaches for the game. The competition carries the same format of the 50th NBA All-Star Game, which will be held at the MCI Center Sunday, February 11th.
| East All-Stars | West All-Stars |
| Juan Woidtke (Cleveland) | Mike Schlappi (Utah) |
| Jeff Brafford (Charlotte) | Manny Steeber (Minnesota) |
| Willie Hernandez (Dallas) | Paul Lanciault (San Antonio) |
| Josh Fabian (Chicago) | Richard Castaneda (Atlanta) |
| John DeAngelo (Philadelphia) | Juan Rios (Houston) |
| Ahmad Karimzada (New York) | Mark Shepherd (Denver) |
| Ron Gendron (Boston) | Joe Booth (Sacramento) |
| Ed Tuthill (Orlando) | Kirk Parkhurst (Portland) |
| Raul Acosta (New Jersey) | Jim Miller (Phoenix) |
| Keith Lewis (Washington) | David Mollers (Seattle) |
| Carlos Ocasio (Miami) | Trooper Johnson (Golden State) |
| Ed Rua (Washington) | Chuck Gill (LA Clippers) |
| Head Coach: Roger Davis | Head Coach: David Kiley |
| Honorary Coach: Rolando Blackman | Honorary Coach:Lafayette "Fat" Lever |
In addition to the NBA/NWBA All-Star Game, the East and West All-Stars and their coaches will host a clinic for 50 disabled youth basketball players from New Life Group, Air Capital Junior and Fairfax Falcons Wheelchair Basketball Teams at the Gallaudet University Fieldhouse on Feb. 7th. Eddie McGee, the winner of CBS' Big Brother, and a wheelchair athlete himself, will also be on hand at the clinic and will participate in the game's halftime activities. Eddie is currently on a wheelchair basketball scholarship at the University of Texas and has contributed to his community as a coach for disabled youth.
The NBA/NWBA All-Star Game will be held at the 2001 NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Fleer on the Jam Session's Center Court. Jam Session, which features more than 300,000 square feet of interactive basketball games, activities and entertainment, will take place at the Washington Convention Center Feb. 8-11th. The hours of operation for the NBA All-Star Jam Session are as follows: Thursday, February 8th, 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Friday, February 9th, 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 10th, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Sunday, February 11th, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tickets for NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Fleer are on sale now and are available at all Ticketmaster ticket outlets, Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone and at the MCI Center box office. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-12) and senior citizens (62 and up). Tickets will be sold on a timed entry basis with availability for every hour on the hour. Once you are in Jam Session you are welcome to experience all of the sights, sounds and action of NBA All-Star 2001 for as long as you wish.
The 50th NBA All-Star game will feature the top players from the Eastern and Western conferences going head to head on Sunday, February 11th at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It is the culmination of a week of activities that will showcase the greatest athletes in the world playing basketball at the highest level of competition, present the excitement of NBA basketball on an international stage, and display the league's deep commitment to its community through events like Jam Session.
*Also During All-Star Week - Mavs Assistant Coach Rolando Blackman, former Mavs guard Lafayette "Fat" Lever and local winner of CBS' Big Brother Eddie McGee to lead clinic for disabled youth on Feb. 7th.
