Upon planting, LeBron James noticed the opening in front of him. He cocked the ball back with his right palm and then pounded it through the basket for a forceful slam.

It was during his 2004 All-Star Game debut. On his 20th Sunday night in Indianapolis, he pulled it off.

By defeating the West 211-186 in the end, the East broke records for both the most points scored by both teams and the most points by a team.

Even thоugh James agreed that players and the NBA needed tо wоrk оn the rules оf the All-Star Game, his recоrd-breaking 20th appearance was still spectacular in and оf itself.

“I think that when I was a child, I always had dreams and visions of being a part of that game someday if I could play the game at a high level and give everything to it,” James remarked prior to tip-off. “I think growing up and loving the game of basketball and watching the NBA All-Star weekend and seeing the Sunday game.” “To be able to grace the floor and compete against the best players in the world year after year has just been an incredible honor.”

Before giving up time to the rest of the West team, he played 14 minutes in the first half and scored 8 points.

In an attempt to increase the intensity of the game and reduce the amount of entertainment value in the production, the league reverted to the traditional East-West format. However, it was evident early on Sunday night that there would be more open shots than basketball games.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday, “I believe we sat down with the players and we listened to them, and we said, all right, we have to return to basketball, back to basketball, so to speak.” “The game is the focus. That will be the final standard by which we are evaluated.

The highlight of Sunday’s game may have been Luka Doncic’s self-alley-oop attempt that was denied by the rim early in the second half. The sequence that resulted in Damian Lillard’s three-pointer from half-court, the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP winner, brilliantly encapsulated the blend of brilliance and recklessness that has come to characterize the NBA All-Star Game.

At center court, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and Reggie Miller kicked off the game. And James found Robertson for a long hug as player introductions got underway.