History of the NBA/WNBA 2Ball Competition
The NBA introduced the 2Ball Competition during the 1998 All-Star Weekend in New York City. The event replaced the traditional Slam Dunk Contest that year and gave the league an opportunity to showcase the newly established Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which had completed its inaugural season in 1997.
Each team consisted of one NBA player and one WNBA player representing the same basketball market. Eight teams competed, with the two players working together to score as many points as possible in a 60-second shooting challenge.
The competition was designed to reward accuracy, teamwork and strategic shot selection. Rather than shooting exclusively from the three-point line, participants could choose from seven marked locations on the court, each carrying a different point value.
Houston's Clyde Drexler and Cynthia Cooper won the first competition in 1998. After the 1999 All-Star Game was canceled because of the NBA lockout, the contest returned in 2000, when Jeff Hornacek and Natalie Williams captured the championship for Utah. Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield won the final edition in 2001.
The NBA replaced 2Ball with the Hoop-It-Up competition in 2002 and 2003. The Shooting Stars Competition, which debuted in 2004, continued the tradition of incorporating NBA and WNBA players into a team-based All-Star shooting event.
How the 2Ball Competition Worked
During each 60-second round, the two teammates alternated shooting from seven designated locations on the court. The locations were assigned point values ranging from two to eight points. Teams could select the shots they believed offered the best opportunity to accumulate points.
A team earned a 10-point bonus for making at least one shot from all seven locations. In the original format, a 10-point penalty could be assessed if a team failed to attempt a shot from every required location. A one-point penalty applied to starting before the official signal.
The teams with the highest scores advanced to the championship round. Unlike the Slam Dunk Contest, where judges awarded points for individual performances, 2Ball used the actual point values of successful shots to determine the winner.
The tables below preserve the original NBAHoopsOnline scoring breakdowns. Columns labeled 8P through 2P represent the points earned from each shooting location, while the violation and bonus columns reflect scoring adjustments.
NBA 2Ball Champions by Year
| Year |
Winning Team |
NBA Player |
WNBA Player |
Final Score |
Runner-Up |
| 1998 |
Houston |
Clyde Drexler |
Cynthia Cooper |
73 |
Utah (61) |
| 1999 |
No competition held due to the NBA lockout. |
| 2000 |
Utah |
Jeff Hornacek |
Natalie Williams |
68 |
Phoenix (61) |
| 2001 |
Sacramento |
Peja Stojakovic |
Ruthie Bolton-Holifield |
62 |
Cleveland (57) |
1998 NBA 2Ball Competition
Champion: Houston Rockets guard Clyde Drexler and Houston Comets star Cynthia Cooper.
The inaugural competition took place during the 1998 NBA All-Star Weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York. Eight teams participated, each representing one of the original WNBA markets.
Houston and Utah advanced to the final round after finishing first and second in the opening round. Drexler and Cooper scored 73 points in the championship round, defeating Karl Malone and Tammi Reiss of Utah, who finished with 61.
1998 First-Round Results
| Team / Players |
8P | 7P | 6P | 5P | 4P | 3P | 2P |
Violation | Bonus | Total |
| Houston — Clyde Drexler / Cynthia Cooper | 8 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 54 |
| Utah — Karl Malone / Tammi Reiss | 16 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 53 |
| Phoenix — Steve Nash / Michele Timms | 40 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10 | 0 | 49 |
| Sacramento — Mitch Richmond / Ruthie Bolton-Holifield | 16 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| New York — Allan Houston / Rebecca Lobo | 16 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| Charlotte — Glen Rice / Andrea Stinson | 24 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| Cleveland — Wesley Person / Merlakia Jones | 24 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Los Angeles — Kobe Bryant / Lisa Leslie | 8 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
1998 Championship Round
| Team / Players | 8P | 7P | 6P | 5P | 4P | 3P | 2P | Violation | Bonus | Total |
|---|
| Houston — Clyde Drexler / Cynthia Cooper | 8 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 73 |
| Utah — Karl Malone / Tammi Reiss | 24 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 61 |
2000 NBA 2Ball Competition
Champion: Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek and Utah Starzz forward Natalie Williams.
After the cancellation of the 1999 All-Star Game, 2Ball returned for the 2000 All-Star Weekend in Oakland, California. The competition once again featured eight NBA/WNBA combinations.
Hornacek and Williams dominated the first round with 75 points, the highest opening-round total in the preserved archive. They defeated Jason Kidd and Jennifer Gillom of Phoenix in the final, 68-61.
Hornacek's exceptional accuracy from the seven-point shooting location helped Utah secure the championship. He also won the NBA Three-Point Contest that evening, making him a winner of two All-Star shooting competitions in the same year.
2000 First-Round Results
| Team / Players | 8P | 7P | 6P | 5P | 4P | 3P | 2P | Total |
|---|
| Utah — Jeff Hornacek / Natalie Williams | 0 | 49 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 75 |
| Phoenix — Jason Kidd / Jennifer Gillom | 16 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 62 |
| Detroit — Grant Hill / Jennifer Azzi | 0 | 21 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 59 |
| New York — Allan Houston / Becky Hammon | 8 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 44 |
| Sacramento — Jason Williams / Yolanda Griffith | 24 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 42 |
| Houston — Steve Francis / Cynthia Cooper | 16 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 38 |
| Los Angeles — Derek Fisher / Lisa Leslie | 0 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
| Washington — Richard Hamilton / Chamique Holdsclaw | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 |
2000 Championship Round
| Team / Players | 8P | 7P | 6P | 5P | 4P | 3P | 2P | Total |
|---|
| Utah — Jeff Hornacek / Natalie Williams | 0 | 42 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 68 |
| Phoenix — Jason Kidd / Jennifer Gillom | 24 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 61 |
2001 NBA 2Ball Competition
Champion: Sacramento Kings forward Peja Stojakovic and Sacramento Monarchs guard Ruthie Bolton-Holifield.
The final NBA 2Ball competition took place during the 2001 All-Star Weekend in Washington, D.C. Eight teams participated, with Sacramento and Cleveland advancing to the championship round.
Stojakovic and Bolton-Holifield led the opening round with 66 points. In the final, Sacramento scored 62 points to defeat Cleveland's Trajan Langdon and Eva Nemcova, who finished with 57.
Following the 2001 competition, the NBA discontinued 2Ball as a standalone All-Star event. The concept of pairing NBA and WNBA players would later reappear in the Hoop-It-Up and Shooting Stars competitions.
2001 First-Round Results
| Finish | Team | NBA Player | WNBA Player | Score |
|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | Peja Stojakovic | Ruthie Bolton-Holifield | 66 |
| 2 | Cleveland | Trajan Langdon | Eva Nemcova | 49 |
| 3 | Charlotte | David Wesley | Dawn Staley | 46 |
| 4 | Utah | Bryon Russell | Natalie Williams | 44 |
| 5 | Washington | Richard Hamilton | Nikki McCray | 43 |
| 6 | Orlando | Tracy McGrady | Sales | 41 |
| 7 | Houston | Cuttino Mobley | Sheryl Swoopes | 35 |
| 8 | Phoenix | Jason Kidd | Brandy Reed | 20 |
2001 Championship Round
| Finish | Team | Players | Score |
|---|
| Champion | Sacramento | Peja Stojakovic / Ruthie Bolton-Holifield | 62 |
| Runner-Up | Cleveland | Trajan Langdon / Eva Nemcova | 57 |
NBA 2Ball Competition Records and Facts
First champions: Clyde Drexler and Cynthia Cooper of Houston in 1998.
Final champions: Peja Stojakovic and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield of Sacramento in 2001.
Most points in a championship round: Houston scored 73 points in 1998.
Highest first-round score: Utah scored 75 points in 2000.
Closest championship round: Sacramento defeated Cleveland 62-57 in 2001, a five-point margin.
Most appearances by an NBA player: Jason Kidd participated in 2000 and 2001, representing Phoenix both times.
Multiple appearances by WNBA players: Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Natalie Williams each appeared more than once.
Total competitions: Three, held in 1998, 2000 and 2001.
1999 cancellation: The NBA lockout resulted in the cancellation of All-Star Weekend, including the 2Ball competition.
The Legacy of NBA 2Ball
Although it lasted only three editions, 2Ball represented an important moment in NBA and WNBA history. Introduced shortly after the WNBA's formation, the competition placed male and female professional basketball players together on the same All-Star stage.
The event also demonstrated that an All-Star shooting contest could involve more than individual three-point shooting. Teammates had to coordinate their shot selection, move quickly between designated locations and balance higher-value attempts against the need to complete the required course.
The competition helped establish the foundation for later team-oriented All-Star events. Hoop-It-Up followed in 2002 and 2003, while Shooting Stars debuted in 2004 and continued the NBA/WNBA partnership in a revised format.
Related NBA All-Star Competitions
Historical Sources
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