Who opted out due to injury The 1997 NBA All-Star Game, who currently serves as a color commentator for Houston Rockets home games?
1997 NBA All-Star Game The 1997 NBA All-Star Game was the 47th edition of the All-Star Game and commemorated the 50th anniversary of NBA. The game was played on February 9, 1997, at Gund Arena (now known as Quicken Loans Arena) in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The winner of the MVP award was Glen Rice of the Charlotte Hornets who played 25 minutes and scored 26 points while breaking two records in the process, 20 points in the third quarter and 24 points in the second half. Rice's 20 points in the period broke Hal Greer's record (19), set in 1968. Rice's 24 points in a half surpassed the previous mark of 23, owned by Wilt Chamberlain and Tom Chambers. Michael Jordan's 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists were the first and, until the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, the only triple-double in NBA All-Star Game history (LeBron James (2011), Dwyane Wade (2012), and Kevin Durant (2017) have also achieved this). Five players (Charles Barkley, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Shaquille O’Neal) who were voted or selected for the team opted out due to injury, opening the doors for the annually neglected and the new stars—Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Chris Webber, Chris Gatling and 20-year-old second-year man Kevin Garnett took their spots.
1997–98 Cleveland Cavaliers season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. In the offseason, the Cavaliers acquired All-Star forward Shawn Kemp from the Seattle SuperSonics in a three-team trade, and Wesley Person from the Phoenix Suns in another three-team trade. The Cavs went on a ten-game winning streak early into the season, and finished 5th in the Central Division with a 47–35 record, qualifying for the playoffs after a one-year absence. Kemp led the team in scoring and rebounding and was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, which would be his sixth and final All-Star appearance. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Brevin Knight were both selected to the All-Rookie First Team, while Derek Anderson and Cedric Henderson both made the All-Rookie Second Team. However, the Cavaliers would lose in four games in the Eastern Conference first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, and they would not make it back to the postseason until 2006.