The
1951 NBA All-Star Game was an
exhibition basketball game played on March 2, 1951 at
Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, home of the
Boston Celtics. The game was the first edition of the
National Basketball Association (NBA)
All-Star Game and was played during the
1950–51 NBA season. The idea of holding an All-Star Game was conceived during a meeting between
NBA President Maurice Podoloff, NBA publicity director
Haskell Cohen and
Boston Celtics owner
Walter A. Brown. At that time, the basketball world had just been stunned by the
college basketball point-shaving scandal. In order to regain public attention to the league, Cohen suggested the league to host an exhibition game featuring the league's best players, similar to the
Major League Baseball's
All-Star Game. Although most people, including Podoloff, were pessimistic about the idea, Brown remained confident that it would be a success. He even offered to host the game and to cover all the expenses or potential losses incurred from the game. The
Eastern All-Stars team defeated the
Western All-Stars team 111–94. Boston Celtics'
Ed Macauley was named as the first
NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. The game became a success, drawing an attendance of 10,094, much higher than that season's average attendance of 3,500.