NBA All-Star Game Draws Record Crowd of 108,713

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was a folded-up piece of stationery with "NBA Entertainment'' printed at the top that contained the record number.

Late in the third quarter of Sunday night's All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium, an NBA employee handed Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that piece of paper with 108,713 scrawled on it.

Cuban announced the record-breaking basketball figure to the crowd at the end of the quarter, and the fans roared their approval. Cuban then was asked if he wanted to donate the piece of stationary to the Basketball of Fame.

For a second, Cuban looked as if he would comply. But then he put it back in his pocket.

"I'm going to frame it and put it on my wall,'' said Cuban, then indicating he might be one day willing to loan it to the Hall of Fame.

For months and months, Cuban and Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys who built the cavernous stadium, had said to each other, "Can we pull it off?''

So what happened Sunday?

They pulled it off.



"This is beyond my expectations,'' Jones said. "We knew we had the capacity. I've got to give a lot of credit to the fire marshal and everybody involved. It just shows you the interest in sports [in Dallas].''

The All-Star Game, won 141-139 by the East over the West, broke the all-time basketball attendance record of 78,129 set when Michigan State faced Kentucky at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 13, 2003. It crushed the previous record for an NBA All-Star Game of 44,735, set in 1989 at the Astrodome in Houston.

"That's crazy. I almost fell over when they gave me the number,'' said Cuban, who had just been hoping to hit the century mark. "The walk up was phenomenal. We had like 10,000 people wanting to get in.''

"I thought it would be spectacular and amazing. But it was even more so than I had imagined. Everybody had a great time. You could just see people's eyes bugging out.''
- Mark Cuban When Cuban got the crowd number, he said he "gave [Jones] a hug like we were big kids.''

"Just amazing,'' Cuban said. "I thought it would be spectacular and amazing. But it was even more so than I had imagined. Everybody had a great time. You could just see people's eyes bugging out.''

It was unclear if Buffalo wide receiver Terrell Owens' eyes were doing that since he was wearing sunglasses. But Owens, a former Cowboys star who has high standards when it comes to superlatives, was very impressed as he looked on from the stands.

"It was astronomical,'' Owens said of the crowd figure. "But this venue is so big, and the NBA has a great following of fans in Texas.''

Plenty of them came to see Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who got one of the biggest cheers of the night when he was introduced as a starter.

Nowitzki didn't win the MVP, with it instead going to Miami's Dwyane Wade, and his team didn't even win. But Nowitzki, who scored 22 points, couldn't stop raving about the atmosphere.

"I've never been in a gym this big,'' said Nowitzki, who had never previously been to the venue, having not attended a Cowboys home game since the stadium opened last fall. "It was amazing how many people came out to support us and see this game and be part of history.''

Jones had put much of his trust in Cuban when it came to the All-Star Game in the $1.2 billion palace Jones built. Cuban previously had not wanted an All-Star weekend in the Dallas area because some of his season-ticket holders would not have gotten seats due to the NBA controlling the vast majority of tickets in traditional basketball venues.

"He's the engine,'' Jones said of Cuban. "He's the man that made this happen. ... He's tremendously influential to me. When he said we want to do this, we immediately bought into it.''

So does Jones want another All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium? You better believe it.

"Yes,'' he said. "I don't want to be presumptuous. I want to be so gracious and grateful for letting us have this game here. ... I hope it was positive. I think it was big for the NBA, but it was bigger for us than it was for them.''

Still, it was pretty darn huge for the NBA.

"Thank you, Texas,'' Stern said after the game. "A spectacular host of the All-Star Game.''

Plenty of the NBA's biggest stars seemed in awe as they gazed at the massive crowd.

"It's an historical event,'' said Wade, who totaled 28 points, 11 assists and six steals in winning his first All-Star MVP. "It's going to be in our hearts and minds for a long time. ... Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban really put on a fabulous event.''

There's no doubt Wade one day will be in the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Whether Cuban's folded up piece of paper one day joins him remains to be seen.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson