2010 NAIA football rankings
One human poll made up the 2010 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. Once the regular season was complete, the NAIA sponsored a 16-team playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2010 NAIA Football National Championship.


2010 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
Since the inception of the Coaches' Poll in 1999, the #1 ranking in the various weekly polls has been held by only a select group of teams. Through the postseason poll of the 2010 season, the teams and the number of times they have held the #1 weekly ranking are shown below. The number of times a team has been ranked #1 in the postseason poll (the national champion) is shown in parentheses.


2010 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll has been presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.


2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season was the sixteenth season of the third highest stock car racing series in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included twenty-five races, which ended with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2009 off season, NASCAR announced few calendar changes, returning to Darlington Raceway for the first time in six years. Kyle Busch Motorsports won the owners' championship in their inaugural season, while Todd Bodine won the drivers' championship during the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, one race before the final. Toyota won the manufacturers' championship with 193 points.


2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Schedule
The season marked the return of Darlington Raceway to the schedule for the first time since 2004, replacing the Milwaukee Mile. The series also raced for the first time at Pocono Raceway. After the closing of Memphis Motorsports Park, a second race was added to Nashville Superspeedway on the first of two weekends where the Nationwide and Truck Series raced but the Cup Series had off weekends. Kentucky Speedway's stand-alone date on the July Cup Series off weekend was moved to the Friday night of Labor Day weekend in September, the same weekend that the IndyCar Series had a race there.


2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Schedule
All 25 Truck races were aired on TV on Speed, with all of them being broadcast live except for the race at Dover, which was aired on tape delay by three hours (at 8 p.m.) after the race started at 5 p.m. (noted below with an * asterisk). Unlike the Cup and Nationwide Series Motor Racing Network had the radio coverage for all races.


2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Results and standings, Full Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was the fourth racing season since the buy out of the CASCAR Super Series.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Overview
In 2010 many procedures in the series remained the same, with all of the races airing on TSN, in tape-delayed one-hour segments excluding Montreal and the Toronto Indy. TSN and RDS provided live coverage of the NAPA Autopro 100 from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, August 29 and July 25 from the streets of Toronto. Major changes to the series included former CASCAR champion Dave Whitlock and his team closing down leaving many looking for rides. Mark Dilley joined up with Scott Steckly to run full-time and Internet superstar Pierre Bourque drove the 00 Aaron's Lucky Dog car full-time. Last year's champion Andrew Ranger did not compete full-time as his sponsors  backed out of a deal and he focused on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in America and elected to run only part-time in the Canadian Tire Series.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Overview
The series kicked off at Delaware Speedway with D. J. Kennington defending his win in a close battle with J. R. Fitzpatrick who would end up winning the race at Mosport International Raceway. Kennington won the third race of the year after leading only the last lap passing both Kerry Micks and Scott Steckly en route to victory at Autodrome Saint-Eustache. Ranger led the majority of the race en route to victory in Toronto while Fitzpatrick won in Edmonton starting the western road swing.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Overview
Kennington led the majority of the race at Motoplex Speedway but was overtaken by Scott Steckly late in the race for the win. Jason Hathaway finished second but was demoted to ninth for illegal tire changes. Kennington picked up where he left off, earning his third victory of the season at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, from pole position. As a result, Kennington returned to the top of the championship standings. Andrew Ranger won in Trois-Rivières, giving Fitzpatrick the points lead by one point over Kennington following the race.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Overview
Don Thomson Jr. got back to his old ways by winning at the Mosport Oval. At Montreal, Andrew Ranger bumped Jason Bowles in the last turn for his fourth win of the year, both Kennington and Fitzpatrick had problems. Kennington went on to win the next two races at Riverside and Barrie Speedway to take a lead of 40 points over Fitzpatrick, into the final round of the season at Kawartha Speedway. At Kawartha, Peter Shepherd III won the race, with Kennington finishing third to claim the championship.


2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Results, Standings
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series
The 2010 NASCAR Corona Series was the seventh season of the Corona Series, which was organized by NASCAR Mexico. The season was composed by fourteen races. Aguascalientes was venue of the kickoff and the final event. Germán Quiroga won his second championship in row.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series, Report
For first time Mazda took part in a series sanctioned by NASCAR. Mazda entered with the Mazda6. TeamGP was the first team to run with this car. Mazda won its first three races and the final race in the season.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series, Report
The season kickoff in Aguascalientes. Rafael Martínez began the year taking the victory. In the second race in Querétaro, Martínez won again. The third race was won by the Martínez's teammate, Jorge Goeters, in San Luis Potosí. But, Rafael Martínez had a chrash and finished in 27th place and lost the leadership of the season, and Antonio Pérez became in the new leader. The fourth race of the season was the first night race in the NCS. Tuxtla Gutiérrez was venue of this race. Salvador Durán took his first pole position and Germán Quiroga won the race. Pérez maintained the leadership of NCS. Homero Richards took the victory in the fifth race in the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez's oval. Richards again won in Puebla, meanwhile Pérez continued like leader.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series, Schedule
The schedule was presented in January comprised 14 races in 8 tracks. On May 22 Chiapas was the first night race in the NCS history. The Award ceremony was held on December 9.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series, Results and standings, Standings
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led.


2010 NASCAR Corona Series, Results and standings, Rookie of the Year
Only the best 10 results count in the final classification.


2010 NASCAR Mini Stock Series
The 2010 NASCAR Mini Stock Series season was the second to be run under this name. It is the feeder division of the NASCAR Corona Series.


2010 NASCAR Mini Stock Series, Cars
The Nissan made his NASCAR debut in the 2010 NASCAR Mini Stock Series' season.


2010 NASCAR Mini Stock Series, Results, Standings
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season was the twenty-ninth season of semi-professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included thirty-five races, which ended with the Ford 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Brad Keselowski clinched the drivers' championship during the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway, two races before the season finale at Homestead, while  Joe Gibbs won the owners' championship (for the No. 18 car, driven by Kyle Busch and Brad Coleman). Toyota won the manufacturers' championship with 240 points.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
During the 2009 off-season, NASCAR announced few calendar changes, including moving the race at Memphis Motorsports Park to Gateway due to the closure of Memphis. The short track of Milwaukee was also replaced with the road course at Road America, which hosted its first NASCAR race since a Cup race in 1956.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
This was also the last season where Cup Series drivers could run for points in the series. NASCAR implemented this change after Cup drivers were winning the Busch/Nationwide championships over the series regulars for five years straight (2006–2010).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Schedule
Schedule changes: Phoenix and Nashville moved ahead of Texas in April. The spring race at Dover preceded the Charlotte weekends due to the extra week in May before Memorial Day. Because of the closure of the Memphis track, Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, also hosted a second race in October. Milwaukee was dropped from the schedule due to issues with the promoters, as the Wisconsin State Fair was attempting to hire a new promoter following the previous promoter's sanctioning fee nonpayment. That date went to Road America.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Schedule
Note: all race dates, names, distances, television and radio stations and start times are subject to change.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Schedule
The total distance of the season will be 8,599.6 miles (13,839.7 km). ♣ – This race was run using the new Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Nationwide Car of Tomorrow
NASCAR announced in October 2009 that the Nationwide Series' Car of Tomorrow will make its debut in 2010 in four races. Those races were the July race at Daytona International Speedway, the August race at Michigan International Speedway, the September race at Richmond International Raceway, and the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Nationwide Car of Tomorrow
The new cars featured the new safety improvements of the Sprint Cup Car of Tomorrow including a larger greenhouse area, however they included a molded front splitter and a classic style spoiler (instead of the Sprint Cup's wing). The new cars also are designed to look more like their street counterparts than the Sprint Cup Car of Tomorrow. Chevrolet continued to run the Impala and Toyota continued to run the Camry nameplates, however Dodge ran the Challenger and Ford will run the Mustang.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, TV and radio, United States
ESPN held the broadcast rights for Nationwide Series races. Most events was broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2 in the United States. Practice and qualifying sessions was broadcast on SPEED or ESPN2 depending on their agreements.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, TV and radio, International
The Nationwide Series was broadcast in Australia on Network Ten's Digital sports channel, ONE, in Standard and High Definition. Broadcasts included both full races, typically on a Sunday morning, local time, and 1-hour highlights packages several times during the week. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the races in shown on SPEED for Latin America.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Drive4COPD 300
The DRIVE4COPD 300 was held February 13 at Daytona International Speedway. Tony Stewart won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Drive4COPD 300
Did not qualify: Jeremy Clements (#0), Kevin Lepage (#56), Johnny Borneman III (#83), Brett Rowe (#75), Derrike Cope (#73), Johnny Chapman (#92), Jason Keller (#35), Shelby Howard (#70).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Stater Bros. 300
The Stater Bros. 300 was held February 20 at Auto Club Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Stater Bros. 300
Did not qualify: Morgan Shepherd (#89), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#90), Stephen Leicht (#91), Johnny Chapman (#92), Andy Ponstein (#02), Jeremy Clements (#04).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Sam's Town 300
The Sam's Town 300 was held February 27 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski took the pole but Kevin Harvick won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Sam's Town 300
Did not qualify: Jason Keller (#35), Johnny Chapman (#92), Derrike Cope (#73), Jeremy Clements (#04), Stephen Leicht (#91), Johnny Borneman III (#83), Andy Ponstein (#02), Morgan Shepherd (#89).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Scotts Turf Builder 300
The Scotts Turf Builder 300 was held March 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski took the pole but Justin Allgaier won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Scotts Turf Builder 300
Did not qualify: Dennis Setzer (#96), Mark Green (#49), Scott Riggs (#09), Jason Bowles (#39), Brad Teague (#04), Parker Kligerman (#42), Chris Lawson (#52).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Nashville 300
The Nashville 300 was held April 3 at Nashville Superspeedway. Joey Logano took the pole but Kevin Harvick won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Nashville 300
Did not qualify: Chase Miller (#91), Dennis Setzer (#92), Tim Schendel (#52), Andy Ponstein (#02) Brett Rowe (#75).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Bashas' Supermarkets 200
The Bashas' Supermarkets 200 was held April 9 at Phoenix International Raceway. Carl Edwards took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, O'Reilly 300
The O'Reilly 300 was held April 19 at Texas Motor Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, O'Reilly 300
Did not qualify: Jason Keller (#35), Derrike Cope (#73), Josh Wise (#61), Morgan Shepherd (#89).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Aaron's 312
The Aaron's 312 was held April 25 at Talladega Superspeedway. Kevin Harvick took the pole but Brad Keselowski won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Aaron's 312
Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#56), Willie Allen (#05), Jeremy Clements (#04), Josh Wise (#61), Derrike Cope (#73).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Aaron's 312
NOTE: Brad Keselwoski suffered a 50-point penalty for infractions discovered during post race inspection.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, BUBBA Burger 250
The BUBBA Burger 250 was held April 30 at Richmond International Raceway. Kyle Busch took the pole but Brad Keselowski won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Royal Purple 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts
The Royal Purple 200 was held May 7 at Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Royal Purple 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts
Did not qualify: Willie Allen (#05), Johnny Chapman (#96), Morgan Shepherd (#89).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Royal Purple 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts
NOTE: Kasey Kahne suffered a 25-point penalty for an illegal shock found on his car.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Heluva Good! 200
The Heluva Good! 200 was held May 15 at Dover International Speedway. Kyle Busch took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Heluva Good! 200
Did not qualify: Brian Keselowski (#26), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#39).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, TECH-NET Auto Service 300 powered by Carquest
The TECH-NET Auto Service 300 was held May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, TECH-NET Auto Service 300 powered by Carquest
Did not qualify: Derrike Cope (#73), Parker Kligerman (#42), Brian Keselowski (#26).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
The Federated Auto Parts 300 was held June 5 at Nashville Superspeedway. Justin Allgaier took the pole but Brad Keselowski won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#56), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#6).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
NOTE: Tayler Malsam, who finished 11th, and Jason Leffler, who finished 34th, were given a 25-point penalty for an "illegal transfer of tires."


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Meijer 300
The Meijer 300 was held June 12 at Kentucky Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Bucyrus 200 presented by Menards
The Bucyrus 200 was held June 19 at Road America. It was the first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Road America in Wisconsin. Carl Edwards took the pole in the #60 Fastenal Ford Fusion and led 35 laps. Because of the unique layout of the track, Road course ringers such as Tony Ave, Ron Fellows, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Long, J. R. Fitzpatrick, Kevin O'Connell and Alex Kennedy were picked up by numerous teams to substitute for Nationwide Series regulars. Jacques Villeneuve was one of 2 road ringers to lead laps in the race (the other being Patrick Long), though Edwards was able to hold off Ron Fellows to win the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, New England 200
The New England 200 was held June 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Subway Jalapeño 250 presented by Coca-Cola
The Subway Jalapeño 250 was held July 2 at Daytona International Raceway. Brad Keselowski took the pole but Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola (Chicagoland)
The Dollar General 300 was held July 9 at Chicagoland Speedway. Kevin Harvick took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola (Chicagoland)
Did not qualify: Jeremy Clements (#04), Kevin Hamlin (#36), Brian Keselowski (#26), Jennifer Jo Cobb (#13).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 was held July 17 at Gateway International Raceway. Trevor Bayne took the pole but Carl Edwards won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
Did not qualify: Chris Lawson (#52), Derrike Cope (#73), Jeremy Clements (#04), Michael McDowell (#81).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
NOTE: Carl Edwards suffered a 60-point penalty after intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski on the last lap of the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children
The Kroger 200 was held July 24 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Trevor Bayne took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children
NOTE: Aric Almiorla suffered a 25-point penalty for unknown reasons.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, U.S. Cellular 250
The U.S. Cellular 250 was held July 31 at Iowa Speedway. Trevor Bayne took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, U.S. Cellular 250
Did not qualify: Eric McClure (#24), Daryl Harr (#02), Johnny Chapman (#89).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Zippo 200 at The Glen
The Zippo 200 was held August 7 at Watkins Glen International. Marcos Ambrose took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Carfax 250
The Carfax 250 was held August 14 at Michigan International Speedway. Brad Keselowski took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Food City 250
The Food City 250 was held August 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Elliott Sadler took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Food City 250
Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#56), Eric McClure (#24), Drew Herring (#43), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Ryan Hackett (#76), J. J. Yeley (#61), Chris Lawson (#52).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 was held August 29 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Marcos Ambrose took the pole in the #47 Toyota, and although he controlled the race early on, he lost a spark wire with less than 20 laps to go. Then the race was controlled by Robby Gordon who went on to run out of gas on the final restart, giving the race to road course ringer Boris Said. It was the first win by a road course ringer since Ron Fellows' victory at this track in 2008.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
Did not qualify: Stanton Barrett (#41), Kevin O'Connell (#31), Pierre Bourque (#61).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Great Clips 300
The Great Clips 300 was held September 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne took the pole but Jamie McMurray won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Virginia 529 College Savings 250
The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 was held September 10 at Richmond International Raceway. Kevin Harvick took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Dover 200
The Dover 200 was held September 25 at Dover International Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Dover 200
Did not qualify: Stephan McCurley (#51), Alan Tardiff (#39), Donnie Neuenberger (#52), Matt Carter (#82), Kevin Lepage (#56).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Kansas Lottery 300
The Kansas Lottery 300 was held October 2 at Kansas Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Kansas Lottery 300
Did not qualify: Andy Ponstein (#92), Johnny Chapman (#89), Daryl Harr (#02), Stephan McCurley (#51), Mark Green (#49), Willie Allen (#05).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, CampingWorld.com 300
The CampingWorld.com 300 was held October 9 at Auto Club Speedway. Kyle Busch took the pole and won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Dollar General 300 (Charlotte)
The Dollar General 300 was held October 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Clint Bowyer took the pole but Brad Keselowski won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, 5-Hour Energy 250
The 5-Hour Energy 250 was held October 23 at Gateway International Raceway. Justin Allgaier took the pole but Brad Keselowski won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, 5-Hour Energy 250
Did not qualify: Willie Allen (#05), Mark Green (#49), Tim Schendel (#52), Eric McClure (#24).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
The O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge was held November 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. James Buescher took the pole but Carl Edwards won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
Did not qualify: Chase Miller (#82), Carl Long (#94), Brian Keselowski (#26), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#90), Jeff Green (#36), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Mark Green (#49), Mike Harmon (#13).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional
The WYPALL 200 was held November 13 at Phoenix International Raceway. Joey Logano took the pole but Carl Edwards won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional
Did not qualify: Brett Rowe (#89), Eric McClure (#24), Daryl Harr (#02), Kevin Lepage (#52), Chase Miller (#82), Carl Long (#94).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Ford 300
The Ford 300 was held November 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Joey Logano took the pole but Kyle Busch won the race.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2010 season races, Ford 300
Did not qualify: Michael McDowell (#81), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#90), Tim Andrews (#79), Sean Caisse (#39).


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Final standings, Full Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Final standings, Declaring for points in one series: Rules change for 2011
This was the last season where Cup Series drivers could run for points in another series. NASCAR implemented this change after Cup drivers were winning the Busch/Nationwide championships over the series regulars for 5 years straight (2006-2010). If the change had been implemented for the 2010 season, Allgaier would have been the champion. The rest of the top 10 in the standings would have been Bayne in 2nd, Leffler, Steve Wallace, Brendan Gaughan (who finished 11th in points), Reed Sorenson (12th), Michael Annett (13th), Brian Scott (14th), Mike Bliss (15th), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (16th).


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race was the 26th running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the 2009 and 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races through the 2010 Autism Speaks 400 as well as Sprint All-Star Race 2000–2009 winners, when the event was known as "The Winston" and the "Nextel All-Star Challenge", and past Sprint Cup champions from the decade covering 2000 to 2009, including the "Winston Cup" (2000–2003) and "Nextel Cup" (2004–2007) eras. The event was run at the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Charlotte, North Carolina suburb of Concord on May 22, 2010. Speed provided television coverage in the US while MRN (over-the-air/terrestrial) and Sirius XM Radio (satellite) held radio rights.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format
Pits were open following the end of the first two segments, where drivers could have opted to take a pit stop, but could have sacrificed their position on the track should they chose to do so. After the first pace lap following the break, teams were required to take a four-tire stop. The order they come out determined the starting order for the last segment.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format
The qualifying session for eligible drivers was to have consisted of three laps instead of the standard two, including a pit stop after either of the first two laps, slowing to the speed limit of 45 mph entering pit road, but going full throttle as they exit. However, a rainstorm the night before (May 21) cancelled the event, and the first 19 positions were chosen by the luck of the draw for the cancelled qualifying; as a result, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano made up the front row.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers
The following drivers qualified for the race in these categories:


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, Past Series Champion drivers
The following six drivers were eligible in the Past Champions category:


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, Past All-Star race-winning drivers
The following five drivers were eligible as a past winner of the event in the last decade:


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, 2009 or 2010 race winners
The following eight drivers were eligible by winning a Sprint Cup points race in 2009 or 2010:


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, 2009 or 2010 race winners
§ – McMurray was the winning driver in the #26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the AMP Energy 500; that team would later be owned by Latitude 43 Motorsports, and McMurray became the driver of the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet for the 2010 season, also winning the 2010 Daytona 500. The #09 team for which Brad Keselowski drove to victory in the Aaron's 499, as well as the #26 team were not eligible unless:


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, 2009 or 2010 race winners
† – On May 13, Vickers was sidelined with blood clots in his legs and chest, and Casey Mears replaced him as the interim driver in the #83 Red Bull Racing Toyota. Mears would not have qualified for the event; NASCAR gave the team approval for the driver switch.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible drivers, 2009 or 2010 race winners
For those not listed above, a special race, The Sprint Showdown, consisting of two halves of 20 laps [30 miles (48 km)] each was held prior to the main event. The top two finishers – Martin Truex, Jr. and Greg Biffle – and a driver chosen by a fan poll – Carl Edwards – were promoted to the main event. Only winning drivers, not teams, are eligible to race in the All-Star Race.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Other events, Induction of the Charter Class to the NASCAR Hall of Fame
On October 14, 2009, the Charter Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced, consisting of Bill France Sr., the organization's founder, his son Bill France Jr., seven time series champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and former driver-owner Junior Johnson. The formal inductions were held on Sunday, May 23 on the Ceremonial Plaza of the new building.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Other events, Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge
The annual Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge competition was held on the Wednesday prior to the event at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Denny Hamlin's #11 team dethroned Jeff Burton's #31 team as champions, and earned the right to be the first team to choose their pit stall for the race.


2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Other events, Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge
The third annual Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge – judged by former driver Jimmy Spencer, TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith along with Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti from the rock group Creed – was held prior to the All-Star Race. Joey Logano won the event with 67 points.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 62nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 39th modern-era cup series, and the first Cup season of the 2010s, the 21st century's second decade. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included 36 races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2009 offseason, NASCAR announced a few calendar changes, including the standardized start time.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Rick Hendrick won the Owners' Championship, while Jimmie Johnson won the Drivers' Championship with a second-place finish at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 261 points. Johnson extended his record of consecutive championships with the 5th title in a row. 2010 is the first season without drivers Jeremy Mayfield since 1992 and Sterling Marlin since 1975.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Rule changes
It was announced in January as part of the annual preseason media tour in Charlotte that, after years of restrictions, drivers would be let loose as it were, popularly referred to as "Boys, Have At It". Rules were altered to allow for "bump drafting", especially at Daytona and Talladega. On February 10, the green-white-checker finish rule was altered in all three major series (including the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series) to allow for up to three attempts for said finish. Starting with the Shelby American, NASCAR extended its post-race inspections to include the first car out of the race that was not involved in a wreck; in other words, the first start and park.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Rule changes
At Martinsville, spoilers returned to the Car of Tomorrow after the finish of the 2009 Aaron's 499 that saw Carl Edwards' car becoming airborne and flying into the catch fencing after colliding with eventual winner Brad Keselowski on the last turn.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hall of Fame opens
On May 11, the NASCAR Hall of Fame was officially opened in Charlotte, North Carolina. The three-story building houses historic artifacts, interactive displays and the shrine for inductees. The Charter Class of 2010 — made up of seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., his son and owner/driver Junior Johnson — were inducted on May 23.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Schedule
The total scheduled distance of the season was 14,461.9 miles (23,274.2 km), but race distances could be shorter or longer depending on weather and green-white-checker finishes. The final schedule was released on September 15, 2009.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
Fox Sports, their corporate sibling Speed, TNT, and ESPN/ABC are in the fourth year of a seven-year television contract scheduled to expire after the 2014 season. Showtime is going to show a highlights show for the first time.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
Fox Sports broadcast the first 13 races, including the Budweiser Shootout, the 52nd Daytona 500, and the Coca-Cola 600. With Dover moving to mid-May, Fox ended their coverage with the 51st Coca-Cola 600. The Sprint All-Star Race XXVI along with the Gatorade Duels, practice sessions, and all qualifying and practice sessions (except for Daytona qualifying, which aired on Fox) were all broadcast on Speed. The network's Gopher Cam mascot, Digger, returned for on-screen displays.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
Time Warner's Turner Sports division (through TNT) broadcast the next six races, including the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in its limited commercial interruption wide open coverage format. That race will also be telecast in 3-D on both NASCAR.com and DirecTV. TNT's coverage will begin with the June Pocono race and end with Chicagoland. Qualifying and practice sessions will remain on Speed. Adam Alexander will be the new lead announcer, with Lindsay Czarniak hosting pre-and-post-race shows, replacing Bill Weber and Marc Fein respectively.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
ESPN carried the remaining races, beginning with the Brickyard 400. ABC, which formerly carried the last 11 races of the season, will carry the Saturday night races in Bristol, Richmond, and Charlotte. Although previously races could not be moved from ABC to ESPN, early start times and ABC's plans to expand its Sunday morning political shows meant that NASCAR had to allow most Chase races to move to ESPN. This was met from criticism from most of ABC's southern-based affiliates, who had originally counted on NASCAR on those Sundays for ratings gains against the NFL.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
Most qualifying sessions will air on ESPN2, practice sessions and some qualifying will be shared by SPEED and ESPN2. Qualifying for the Pep Boys Auto 500 and AMP Energy 500 air on Speed because they are Saturday afternoon sessions during the college football season. Additionally, Jerry Punch was replaced in the play-by-play position by Marty Reid; Punch will return to the pits where he worked at ESPN until 2000.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
CBS-owned pay cable premium service Showtime carried a weekly one-hour highlight show titled Inside NASCAR every Wednesday at 10 pm ET/PT, with the series premiere on February 10. Chris Myers, who also hosts FOX's NASCAR coverage, will serve as host, joined by SPEED's Randy Pemberton & Michael Waltrip, and ESPN's Brad Daugherty, with the shows taping at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Studio 43. 38 episodes are planned, covering the season.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, United States
On radio, Sirius XM Radio carried all races in the series. Terrestrial radio rights are being handled as follows:


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, Other North American channels
In Canada, TSN and TSN 2 will have full coverage for the 2010 season.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, International
In Australia, Fox Sports showed all Sprint Cup races live across their networks. Network Ten also showed races on its digital sports multichannel, ONE.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, International
In Portugal, all races from the 2010 season were telecast on SportTv 3, while in Sweden, Viasat Motor televised the races.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, International
In nearby Finland, Nelonen Sport Pro telecasted the season's events.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, International
In Latin America, Speed Channel broadcast all Sprint Cup races and Nationwide races live.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Broadcasting, International
In the United Kingdom, it was originally thought that Sky Sports had not secured the rights to the series for 2010. However, this changed in early February as Sky announced that they will show live coverage of the Daytona 500, with an hour-long highlights package for the rest of the races, on the Monday following each race. The remainder of the season, starting with the Shelby American, were shown on Open Access 3.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top 35 owner's points
Beginning at Martinsville, NASCAR used the 2010 owner's points standings. Teams in the top 35 positions were guaranteed entry into the race; those below had to qualify on time.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Results and standings, Drivers
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results. * – Most laps led. Bold italics – Drivers currently in "wild card" qualifying positions for the Chase.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Rookie entries
The Rookie of the Year Award winner was Kevin Conway. Conway ran 28 races with a best finish of 14th. The only other competitor, Terry Cook, managed to run only three races.


2010 NBA All-Star Game
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2010, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 season. It was the 59th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 141–139. The East's Dwyane Wade, who recorded 28 points on 75% shooting, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals, was named as the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. This was the second time that the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area had hosted the All-Star Game; the area had previously hosted the event in 1986. Dallas was awarded the 2010 All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on October 30, 2008.


2010 NBA All-Star Game
The All-Star Weekend began on Friday, February 12, 2010, with the Celebrity Game and the Rookie Challenge, a game between the league's best rookies and second-year players. On Saturday, the event continued with the All-Star Saturday Night, which featured the Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, Slam Dunk Contest and H–O–R–S–E Competition. The D-League All-Star Game and the second D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, the latter of which was modeled after the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, also took place during the All-Star Weekend.


2010 NBA All-Star Game
The D-League Dream Factory Friday Night was held on Friday and the D-League All-Star Game was held on Saturday. In the Rookie Challenge, the Rookies defeated the Sophomores for the first time since 2002, with Rookies' Tyreke Evans named as the game MVP. In the All-Star Saturday Night events, Nate Robinson won his third Slam Dunk Contest while Paul Pierce and Steve Nash won the Three-Point Shootout and Skills Challenge respectively. Team Texas, the home team, won the Shootings Stars Competition. Kevin Durant repeated as champion in the H–O–R–S–E Competition.


2010 NBA All-Star Game
The announced attendance for the All-Star Game was 108,713, the all-time attendance record for the sport. The previous verified record for attendance at a basketball game was 78,129, set in a December 13, 2003 game between Kentucky and Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit. The final of the 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup between AEK Athens and Slavia Prague at Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens is believed to have had an attendance of 120,000 but that total was not verified at the time. The previous record attendance for an NBA All-Star Game was 44,735, set at the Houston Astrodome for the 1989 All-Star Game. This event also broke the record for the single largest attendance for an indoor event, previously held by WrestleMania III in 1987.


2010 NBA All-Star Game
This marked the first All-Star game where neither team wore a white uniform. The East wore blue uniforms with silver trim, while the West wore red uniforms with gold trim.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, Venues
The Dallas Mavericks served as host of an All-Star Game for the second time in franchise history; they previously hosted the 1986 All-Star Game at their former home court, the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, Venues
The venue for the game on February 14 was Cowboys Stadium, home of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, while the Rookie Challenge and NBA All-Star Saturday Night events were held on February 12 and February 13, 2010, respectively, at American Airlines Center, home of the Mavericks. This marked the first time the All-Star events were split between two venues since 1989.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, Venues
The Mavericks were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement by NBA commissioner David Stern on October 30, 2008. This was the first All-Star Game to be played in a football stadium since 1996 when San Antonio's Alamodome hosted the event.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Coaches
The coaches for the All-Star Game are the head coaches of the teams with the best winning percentage in each conference through the games of January 31, two weeks before the All-Star Game. However, an NBA rule also prohibits a coach from being selected for consecutive All-Star Games. Because Phil Jackson and Mike Brown coached in the 2009 All-Star Game, they were not eligible for selection, even though their teams (respectively the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers) had the best winning percentages in their respective conferences at the January 31 cutoff date.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Coaches
The coach for the Western Conference team was Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl. This is the fourth time Karl was selected to be an All-Star coach, after previous selections in 1994, 1996 and 1998. At January 31, the Nuggets had 32–15 record, the second best winning percentage in the Western Conference, behind Phil Jackson's Lakers. The coach for the Eastern Conference team was Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy. This is the second time Van Gundy was selected to be an All-Star coach, after previously being selected in 2005. At January 31, the Magic had 32–16 record, the second best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference, behind Mike Brown's Cavaliers.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Players
The rosters for the All-Star Game are chosen in two ways. The starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards, two forwards and one center who receive the highest vote were named the All-Star starters. The reserves were chosen by votes among the NBA head coaches in their respective conferences. The coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. The reserves consists of two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. If a player is unable to participate due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Players
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers topped the All-Star Ballots with 2,549,693 votes, which earned him a starting position in the Eastern Conference team. Allen Iverson, who retired briefly before returning to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, earned his eleventh straight selection to the All-Star roster. Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard completed the Eastern Conference starting position. These five starters also started in the previous year's Eastern Conference team. The Eastern Conference reserves includes 4 first-time selections, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Gerald Wallace and Al Horford. Wallace became the first player to represent the Charlotte Bobcats in the All-Star game, while Rose became the first All-Star for the Chicago Bulls since Michael Jordan.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Players
The Western Conference leading vote-getter is Kobe Bryant with 2,456,224 votes. Two-time MVP Steve Nash returned after missing out on the All-Star roster the previous year. Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan and Amar'e Stoudemire completed the Western Conference starting position. Bryant, Duncan and Stoudemire all started in last year's game, although Stoudemire was listed as a forward then. Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki represented the home town after being selected as a reserve. The Western Conference reserves includes 3 first-time selections, Kevin Durant, Zach Randolph and Deron Williams, who grew up and starred in high school in the Dallas area.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Players
Four players missed the game: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Brandon Roy due to injury; Allen Iverson due to personal reasons. As a result, four more were named to the roster as replacements: Chauncey Billups for Paul, Chris Kaman for Roy, Jason Kidd for Bryant and David Lee for Iverson. Both Kaman and Lee are first-time selections. Eastern Conference coach Stan Van Gundy selected Joe Johnson to replace Iverson in the starting lineup, while Western Conference coach George Karl selected Dirk Nowitzki to replace Bryant in the starting lineup.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Roster
Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Brandon Roy did not participate due to injury. Allen Iverson did not play due to personal reasons. Chauncey Billups was named as a replacement for Chris Paul, Chris Kaman was named as a replacement for Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd was named as a replacement for Kobe Bryant, and David Lee was named as a replacement for Allen Iverson. Joe Johnson started in place of Allen Iverson. Dirk Nowitzki started in place of Kobe Bryant. Although the NBA listed Pau Gasol as a forward in the All-Star ballot, he was selected as a reserve center by the head coaches.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rookie Challenge
The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge featured a team of standout first-year players ('Rookies') against a team of standout second-year players ('Sophomores'). The game was divided into two twenty-minute halves, similar to college basketball. The participating players were chosen by voting among the league's assistant coaches. The Rookie team included five of the top ten picks from the 2009 NBA draft: Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, James Harden and Brandon Jennings. The Sophomores team featured seven players from the previous Rookie Challenge game: Michael Beasley, Marc Gasol, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, O. J. Mayo, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook. However, Rose was later replaced by Anthony Morrow due to Rose's selection to the Skills Challenge and the All-Star Game.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rookie Challenge
The head coaches for the Rookies and Sophomores teams were the lead assistants from the All-Star Game coaching staffs, Adrian Dantley from the Denver Nuggets and Patrick Ewing from the Orlando Magic. They were assisted by two All-Stars who served as assistant coach, Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh. Durant participated in his third successive Rookie Challenge game, after playing as a rookie and sophomore in the last two years. Bosh, a Dallas native, returned to his hometown where he grew up and starred in high school basketball. Dantley and Durant coached the Rookie team while Ewing and Bosh coached the Sophomore team.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rookie Challenge
At halftime, sophomore Eric Gordon and rookie DeMar DeRozan competed in the inaugural NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In, a single-round slam dunk competition to determine the fourth participant of the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday. DeRozan, who was not part of the Rookie team, earned 61% of the fans vote to defeat Eric Gordon and won a spot to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rookie Challenge
Derrick Rose was excused from the Rookie Challenge in consideration of being named to the All-Star Game and his participation in the Skills Challenge. Anthony Morrow was named as a replacement for Derrick Rose.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rookie Challenge
The Rookies won the game 140–128, ending the Sophomores' seven-game win streak and winning the Rookie Challenge for the first time since 2002. Rookie's Tyreke Evans was named MVP; he had 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. DeJuan Blair scored 22 points and notched a record 23 rebounds, becoming the first player to have a 20–20 game in the Rookie Challenge. Sophomore's Russell Westbrook had a game-high 40 points in a losing effort. It was the second time a player has reached the 40-point mark, since Kevin Durant had 46 points last year. The Rookies were up by 12 at halftime, the largest lead of the game. Westbrook, who had 11 points at halftime, took over and scored 29 points in the second half. But strong plays enabled the Rookies to keep the lead for the rest of the game.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Slam Dunk Contest
The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest was contested by defending champion Nate Robinson, All-Star Gerald Wallace, Shannon Brown and DeMar DeRozan. The fourth contestant was determined through the first ever NBA All-Star Dunk-In, a single-round slam dunk competition that was held at halftime of the Rookie Challenge game. The opening matchup between DeRozan and Eric Gordon ended with DeRozan winning 61% of the online fan vote and the final spot in the Saturday competition.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest was held the following night. Each of the four contestants performed two slam dunks in the first round. A panel of five judges, including former champion Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb, then scored the dunks to determine the final round pairing. DeRozan's scored 92 points in the first round, including a 50-point dunk to advance to the finals. Robinson scored 89 points and also advanced to the finals, in which he was narrowly victorious in his effort to repeat. Robinson incorporated the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders his final round dunks, which earned him 51% of the fan vote, thus making him the first three-time dunk contest winner. After accepting the trophy, Robinson announced his retirement from any future dunk contests.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Three-Point Shootout
The Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout featured six players: defending champion Daequan Cook returned to defend his title, competing against Chauncey Billups, Paul Pierce, Channing Frye, Danilo Gallinari and rookie Stephen Curry. Frye was the first center to participate in the three-point shootout since Sam Perkins in 1997. In this contest, contestants attempt to make as many three-point field goals as possible from five shooting stations behind the three-point arc in one minute. Players begin shooting from one corner of the court, and move from station to station along the three-point arc until they reach the other corner. Each station has four standard balls, worth one point each, plus one specially colored "money ball", worth two points.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Three-Point Shootout
Curry led the first round with 18 points as he advanced to the final round along with Billups and Pierce, who both scored 17 points. Cook failed to advance, finishing with 15 points along with Frye and Gallinari. In the second round, Pierce set the tone early by scoring 20 points, and both Billups and Curry were unable to match his score. Pierce, who could only manage to score 8 points in his first participation in 2002, became the first Celtic to win the contest since Larry Bird won it back-to-back in 1986 and 1987.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge
The Taco Bell Skills Challenge was contested by four players. Derrick Rose, the defending champion, was supposed to participate in the contest but he suffered an injury before the All-Star Break. He was replaced by Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. 2008 champion Deron Williams, 2005 champion Steve Nash and rookie Brandon Jennings also competed. In this contest, the contestants have to complete an "obstacle course" consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. The contestant who finishes the course with the fastest time wins the contest. All contestants must comply with basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge
The two former champions, Nash and Williams advanced to the second round with the 35.0 and 34.1 seconds respectively. Jennings missed the cut for the final round with just 35.7 seconds, 0.7 second slower than Nash. In the final round, Nash went quicker than his first round attempt to record 29.9 seconds, while Williams could only record 37.9 seconds. Nash became the second two-time winner of the event, joining Dwyane Wade who won it back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge
Derrick Rose was not able to participate due to injury. Russell Westbrook was named as a replacement for Derrick Rose.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
The Haier Shooting Stars Competition was contested by four teams of three players, with each team representing a city which has both NBA and WNBA teams (or in the case of Sacramento, had one during the 2009 season). Each team consisted of one current NBA player, one current WNBA player, and one NBA legend. In this competition, each team must make six shots from six shooting locations of increasing difficulties. The team who makes all six shots with the fastest time wins the competition.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
For the first time in the event's history, the TNT and NBA TV analysts participated in the event, as the NBA legend. Defending champion Team Detroit did not return to defend their title. A home team from Texas competed in the competition, representing Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, the three cities in Texas that have NBA franchises. Other participants in the event included Team Atlanta, Team Los Angeles and Team Sacramento.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
In the first round, Team Texas and Los Angeles both had the two best times and advanced to the final round. In the final round, Team Texas finished the course in just 34.3 seconds, defeating team Los Angeles who recorded 55.2 seconds. Team Texas only missed two shots in their first five shooting locations before hometown player Dirk Nowitzki scored the half-court shot in the team's sixth attempt. WNBA player Becky Hammon, who won the competition as part of Team San Antonio in 2008, became the second two-time winner, after Bill Laimbeer.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
Becky Hammon is a U.S. citizen by birth. She became a naturalized citizen of Russia in 2007 and has represented Russia in international competitions.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, H–O–R–S–E Competition
A H–O–R–S–E Competition, which was contested for the first time last year as an exhibition event before the All-Star Saturday Night, is now part of the All-Star Saturday Night events. The objective of this competition is to accrue as few of the five letters as possible. Players are given a "letter" every time they fail to duplicate a shot of another player. Each player is given 24 seconds to make or duplicate a shot—dunking is prohibited. Each player who fails to duplicate five shots is eliminated from the competition.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, H–O–R–S–E Competition
An NBA referee is assigned to rule whether the shot is performed properly. Defending champion Kevin Durant returned to defend his title, competing against Rajon Rondo and rookie Omri Casspi. All players started slow in the contest early on after failing to make most shots. Casspi was soon eliminated when he accumulated the five letters. Due to time constraint, the competition turned into a three-point contest. Durant made most of his shots, eliminating Rondo who missed two three-pointers.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Celebrity Game
The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was played on Friday, February 12 at the Dallas Convention Center. A total of 20 celebrities took part in the game, including several former basketball players. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and five-time NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning, served as coaches for the celebrity teams. Three former NBA players, Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Chris Mullin, along with Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, participated in the game. The West team won 41–37 over the East.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Celebrity Game
"Special K" Daley, one of the four Harlem Globetrotters player that participated in the game, scored game-high 18 points for the West. Actor Michael Rapaport, who scored 4 points, was named as the Celebrity Game MVP for his defense on football player Terrell Owens, the MVP of the last two Celebrity Games. Owens, who played both college basketball and football in Chattanooga, led the East with 10 points. The Globetrotters, joined by "Curly" Neal and "Bucket" Blakes, entertained the crowd during the timeouts with their signature ball-handling tricks.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League All-Star Game
Twenty of the NBA Development League's top players were selected to the D-League All-Star Game rosters by a combination of fan balloting on the official D-League website and voting by the 16 head coaches of D-League teams. Players who have been selected by coaches and fans must be on an active roster of a D-League team. Iowa Energy head coach Nick Nurse and Rio Grande Valley Vipers head coach Chris Finch were selected as the coach for the Red Team and the Blue Team respectively. Both coaches earned the honor by securing the best records in the D-League through January 26.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League All-Star Game
Alexis Ajinca, Dontell Jefferson and Antonio Anderson did not participate due to injury. Joey Dorsey did not participate due to a recall by the Houston Rockets, while Sundiata Gaines and Anthony Tolliver did not participate due to call-ups to the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors respectively. Romel Beck, Brian Butch, Joe Crawford, Desmon Farmer, Curtis Jerrells and Diamon Simpson was named as replacements for the unavailable players.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League All-Star Game
In the fourth annual D-League All-Star Game, the Western Conference team defeated the Eastern Conference Team 98–81. Bakersfield Jam center Brian Butch, who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, was named as the MVP of the game. Iowa Energy center Earl Barron scored the game-high 20 points, while Curtis Stinson recorded the game-high 11 assists for the East.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, Slam Dunk Contest
Dar Tucker won the third annual D-League Slam Dunk Contest, beating Alonzo Gee in the final round. Tucker scored four 50-point dunk, finishing with perfect score in both the first and final round. In his final dunk, Tucker jumped over his teammate Brian Butch, who is seven feet tall.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, Slam Dunk Contest
Deron Washington did not participate due to injury. Bill Walker did not participate due to a recall by the Boston Celtics. Alonzo Gee and Trey Gilder was named as replacements for the unavailable players.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, Three-Point Shootout
Andre Ingram won the third annual D-League Three-Point Shootout, beating defending champion Blake Ahearn in the final round by a score of 39–37. Ingram advanced to the finals having scored 18 points, while Ahearn scored 20 points in the first round. Morris Almond and Rob Kurz were eliminated in the first round.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, Shooting Stars Competition
The Haier Shooting Stars Competition was held for the first time in the D-League Dream Factory Friday Night events. A team of Pat Carroll, Trey Gilder and Carlos Powell won the inaugural competition by defeating of a team of Brian Butch, Desmon Farmer and Donell Taylor in the final round. Carroll, Gilder and Powell finished the course with a time of 15.6 seconds, with Powell made a half-court shot on their first attempt.


2010 NBA All-Star Game, D-League All-Star, D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, Shooting Stars Competition
Dontell Jefferson did not participate due to injury. Donell Taylor was named as replacements for Dontell Jefferson.


2010 NBA Development League draft
The 2010 NBA D-League Draft occurred on November 1, 2010. The first pick was Nick Fazekas by the Reno Bighorns.


2010 NBA Development League expansion draft
The 2010 NBA Development League expansion draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association Development League (NBADL). The draft was held on August 31, 2010, so that the newly founded Texas Legends could acquire players for the upcoming 2010–11 season. All 14 of the available players in the draft pool came from the 2009–10 Los Angeles D-Fenders roster, who had to place their team on hiatus for 2010–11. The Legends were allowed to claim the rights to 10 of Los Angeles' 14 players. Besides the dispersal of the D-Fenders' roster, Texas was also able to draft local talent from the greater Frisco area.


2010 NBA Development League expansion draft
Two of the players that the Legends chose had previously been named NBA D-League All-Stars: Joe Crawford and Diamon Simpson. Crawford had also been an NBA Draft selection back in 2008 for the Los Angeles Lakers. The four Los Angeles D-Fenders that were not selected by the Legends out of the pool of 14 were Lawrence McKenzie (G), Ray Reese (F), Rodney Webb (F) and Horace Wormely (G).


2010 NBA Europe Live Tour
The 2010 NBA Europe Live Tour was a basketball exhibition tour featuring teams from the NBA and the Euroleague, as a part of the NBA Global Games. The hosting countries were England, France and Spain.


2010 NBA Europe Live Tour
NBA Europe Live combined with the Euroleague American Tour to create a nine-game global preseason schedule.


2010 NBA Europe Live Tour, Teams
The NBA teams who participated in NBA Europe Live were:


2010 NBA Finals
The 2010 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also defending NBA champions), and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Lakers were favored to repeat as champions over the Celtics. They defeated the Celtics, four games to three, to win the franchise's 16th NBA championship. The 64th edition of the championship series was played between June 3 and June 17, was broadcast on ABC, and was watched by an average of 18.1 million people.


2010 NBA Finals
The Celtics earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the Atlantic Division. The Lakers won the Pacific Division to earn their berth. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference First Round, the Cleveland Cavaliers (were favored to beat the Celtics) in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals, and defending Eastern conference champion Orlando Magic (were favored to beat the Celtics) in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.


2010 NBA Finals
The Lakers reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best-of-seven Western Conference First Round, the Utah Jazz in the best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals, and the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals were scheduled in the Major League Baseball World Series 2–3–2 seven game format, with the Lakers possessing home-court advantage as a reward for finishing with better regular season record than the Celtics.


2010 NBA Finals
Repeated baskets from starters Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest brought the Lakers close to victory in Game 1. A record breaking performance from Ray Allen's eight three-point baskets ensured the Celtics a Game 2 win. Derek Fisher’s 11 points in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers win Game 3. The Celtics won Game 4; aided by the fact that they netted an excellent performance in baskets by the team’s reserves, while Paul Pierce led the team to a Game 5 win with 27 points on 57% shooting from the floor.


2010 NBA Finals
The Lakers avoided elimination by winning a decisive Game 6 with 24 points contributed by their bench. Although they trailed the Celtics by 13 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers rallied and won their second consecutive championship by taking over an exciting Game 7 aided by late contributions on offense by Pau Gasol and Artest and rebounding. Bryant was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals for his second consecutive trophy.


2010 NBA Finals
This was the first NBA Finals to go the full seven games since 2005 and only the fourth since the NBA Finals returned to a 2–3–2 format in 1985. Los Angeles added its sixteen title to move a step closer to the Celtics' league-leading seventeen championships and gain revenge for their defeat in 2008; the first time Los Angeles won Game 7 in the Finals against Boston.


2010 NBA Finals, Series summary
The Lakers had won the previous season's NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic for the franchise's 15th championship. The Celtics won their previous NBA Finals appearance against the Lakers in 2008. This was the 12th Finals played between the two rival teams. The Celtics won nine of their previous 11 Finals meetings against the Lakers, winning in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, and 2008, while the Lakers won in 1985 and 1987.


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Regular-season series
The regular season series was split, with each team winning on the opponent's court by only a point:


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Boston Celtics
The Celtics finished the regular season as the Atlantic Division champion with a 50–32 record. As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, they eliminated the No. 5 seeded Miami Heat in five games during the first round in the playoffs. Then in the conference semifinals, Boston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, the earliest that a top seed has been eliminated since the Dallas Mavericks' first round loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2007. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics went on to eliminate the Orlando Magic in six games.


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Boston Celtics
In reaching the Finals the Boston Celtics became the first team in NBA history to do so with a better regular season road record than home. Also, the Boston Celtics became the second team in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals after beating the team with the best record, Cleveland Cavaliers, and team with second-best record in the league, Orlando Magic, after the Houston Rockets did it in their championship season of 1995.


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Los Angeles Lakers
After the Lakers won the Finals in the preceding year, the team management wasted no time in making changes to the roster. Their most notable offseason player change was when Trevor Ariza departed to the Houston Rockets and was replaced by free agent Ron Artest. Longtime assistant coach and former head coach Kurt Rambis left the organization to pursue a head coaching opportunity with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers finished the regular season as the Pacific Division champion, compiling a 57–25 record. On February 1, Kobe Bryant moved past Jerry West into 14th place on the NBA's career scoring list. He also surpassed West to become the Lakers franchise scoring leader.


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Los Angeles Lakers
As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, they eliminated the No. 8 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in six games during the Western Conference First Round Playoffs, with the final game ending when Kobe Bryant missed a jumper but Pau Gasol grabbed the offensive rebound and made a layup to clinch the win. Then in the Western Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles swept the Utah Jazz in four games, earning their right to play in their third straight Western Conference Final.


2010 NBA Finals, Background, Los Angeles Lakers
In the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers won both of their first two games at home, but proceeded to lose the next two in Phoenix both by 9 points. In Game 5, Ron Artest made an off balance layup to beat the buzzer off a Kobe Bryant miss to give the Lakers the victory. The Lakers then proceeded to beat the Suns on their home floor in Game 6 led by Kobe Bryant's 37 points. The Game 6 victory gave the Lakers their 31st NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. The team also earned their third straight appearance in the Finals, the last team to do so being the Los Angeles Lakers themselves (during the three-peat of 2000–2002).


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
Both teams started strong, playing a close game for most of the 1st quarter until a 7–2 Los Angeles run inspired by bench players Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown to end the quarter. Boston again started the 2nd quarter strong. However, Los Angeles managed to extend the lead 50–41 at the end of the first half with another run led by Ron Artest and Pau Gasol. More of the same came in the 3rd quarter, as Los Angeles matched nearly all of Boston's attempts to get back in the game.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
To end the 3rd quarter, Los Angeles went on a 15–4 run to give L. A. a 20-point lead going into the 4th quarter. While the Celtics would try to get back into the game with Nate Robinson and 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce, they never got closer than 11 points. The game was capped off with a three-pointer by Kobe Bryant with 3.6 seconds left, securing his 10th 30-point game in his last 11. Boston was outplayed by Los Angeles in nearly every statistical category, most notably in rebounding (31–42) and second-chance points (0–16). Much of the Celtics' performance came from Kevin Garnett, who finished with 16 points (on 16 shots) and 2 rebounds. Ray Allen, who was hampered by foul trouble, finished with 12 points and 5 personal fouls.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
Boston came out much more aggressively to begin game 2. Los Angeles fought back (Pau Gasol had nine points in the quarter) and managed to reduce Boston's lead to seven points at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter, Ray Allen hit an impressive five three-pointers (only missing once) to add to the two that he hit in the first quarter. This explosive offensive output pushed Boston forward and allowed them to lead by as many as 14 points.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles put up a quick 7–0 run to end the first half to cut it to a 54–48 Boston lead. Foul trouble plagued players of both squads, with many players having three fouls going into the break. The Lakers would continue their attack and managed to take the lead 57–56 early in the 3rd. Both teams fought hard, leading to the 72–72 tie going into the 4th. The final quarter was dominated by the Celtics, though, as Rajon Rondo's 10 points in the quarter helped tie the series 1–1.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
Rondo finished with an impressive triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Allen hit eight of 11 three-pointers to secure the NBA Finals record. The last Finals series to be tied at 1–1 after two games was the 2004 NBA Finals which involved the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
Prior to the start of the game, singer Monica performed the national anthem. Kevin Garnett scored the first six points of the game to give the Celtics a 6–0 lead and eventually helped the team to a seven-point lead (12–5) early in the first quarter. Following the first full timeout of the game, the Lakers scored 13 straight points thanks in part to free throws by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. After the score was tied at 16–16, the Lakers outscored the Celtics 10–1 for the remainder of the first quarter.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
The Lakers' 32–8 run continued well into the second quarter when Bryant completed a free throw after being fouled by forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis en route to making a layup 43 seconds into the game. Further helping to widen the gap was Shannon Brown who made a 20-foot jumper from a Lamar Odom assist. Odom, Farmar, and Bynum also made shots to widen the score to 17 points above Boston. The Celtics would soon create their own comeback with an 11–4 run before the Lakers called for a full timeout. Bryant made jumper on a Gasol assist while Pierce shot another three-pointer on a Rondo assist. The final two minutes of the first half ended in a shootout both Celtics and Lakers starters resulting in a 52–40 Los Angeles lead.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
The first few minutes of the second half proved to be a slow start for both teams as Boston piled 2–8 shooting while Los Angeles posted 2–11 shooting before the first full timeout. Gasol made a 20-foot jumper to give the Lakers their first points of the third quarter; Garnett responded by a 20-foot jumper. Shortly after making his third shot from beyond-the-arc, Pierce received his fourth foul sending him to the bench. Odom, who replaced a limping Bynum, also earned two fouls of his own in addition to bad passing. The Celtics soon took advantage of the Lakers problems when Davis, Tony Allen, and Rasheed Wallace managed to successfully hit several critical shots to end the quarter on a six-point deficit.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
The Celtics continued their momentum into the fourth quarter eventually pulling to within one point after two minutes. After coming off the bench to replace a struggling Gasol in the fourth quarter, Derek Fisher made a 12-foot jumper in what would be another of his finest postseason performances in his career. He then made four consecutive shots to give the Lakers a 78–73 lead before earning a foul on Ray Allen. With 1:40 left in the game, Bryant made his lone shot of the quarter despite posting 25 points in the first three periods combined.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
Foul troubles for both Garnett and Pierce hurt the Celtics chances of closing the gap with the Lakers. Pierce made one final layup with five seconds left in the game, but the Lakers edged the Celtics with a 91–84 victory to take a 2–1 lead in the series. Bryant was the leading scorer of the game with 29 points; Garnett's 25 points bested all other Celtics players for Game 3. Derek Fisher scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Compared to his record eight three-point field goals in Game 2, Ray Allen went a near-record 0–13 in field goals for this game.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
After the first quarter, the Celtics held a 19–16 lead; Paul Pierce scored eight points in the quarter for Boston, while Pau Gasol had eight points for Los Angeles. The Lakers rebounded to take a three-point lead entering halftime. Los Angeles maintained a two-point lead following the third quarter, in which Kobe Bryant made three three-point baskets. Early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics went on a run that gave them control of the game; with a lineup that featured four reserves, Boston outscored the Lakers 13–2 over nearly half the quarter.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
The Celtics held an 11-point lead with 3:57 remaining, but the Lakers mounted a late comeback bid behind Bryant, who posted 10 of the final 12 points for Los Angeles. Three free throws with 1:08 remaining pulled the Lakers within 92–86, and they had an opportunity to get closer in the final minute; however, a Bryant pass was stolen by Rondo, who subsequently made a layup to extend the Celtics' lead. Pierce led Boston with 19 points in the game. The Celtics benefitted from strong bench play, as their reserves doubled the scoring of the Lakers' backups. Davis scored 18 points (nine in the fourth quarter) and Nate Robinson added 12. For the Lakers, Bryant and Gasol, with 33 and 21 points respectively, accounted for most of the team's scoring. Andrew Bynum was unable to play in the second half because of a knee injury.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Boston started the game with a 6–0 run, and ended the first quarter leading by 2 on a strong performance by Paul Pierce. After a short Laker run, the Celtics pushed the lead to 6 by the end of the half, with Pierce shooting 7–10, scoring 15 points, despite the Celtics only getting to the free-throw line six times.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Pierce's three-pointer pushed the Celtics' lead to double digits, 50–39, early in the third quarter, but the Lakers chipped away at that lead to bring it down to 8, as the Celtics went into the fourth quarter attempting to maintain a 73–65 advantage. With the Celtics leading by 12 with less than three minutes to play, seven straight free throws by the Lakers cut the lead to 87–82 with a little over 40 seconds in the game.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
On an inbounds play, Garnett lobbed the ball to Pierce, who, while falling out of bounds, hurled it toward a streaking Rondo, who laid it up and in, essentially icing the game with a 7-point lead with 35 seconds to play. Garnett chipped in with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rondo played well, shooting 9–12 from the floor for 18 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. The game featured a 38-point performance by Bryant (hitting numerous shots in the 3rd quarter), being the only Lakers player to score over 12 points and one of only two in double figures. Pierce, on the other hand, would dominate the game with 27 points on 57% shooting from the floor.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
The Lakers returned to Los Angeles with a 3–2 deficit in the series. This was an elimination game for them, and the Celtics were one game away from the championship. Boston starting center Kendrick Perkins suffered a serious knee injury in the first quarter, rendering the Celtics more vulnerable on defense and rebounding. The desperate Lakers opened up a massive lead, peaking at 27. The Lakers' bench had outscored Boston's bench 24–0 entering the fourth quarter.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
It was later revealed that Perkins tore both his PCL and MCL, and he was ruled out for Game 7. His Lakers counterpart, Andrew Bynum left the game early in the third quarter due to swelling in his knee from a torn meniscus. He, however, was not ruled out for Game 7.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
This game was the first Game 7 in an NBA Finals since 2005 five years earlier. Both the Celtics and Lakers kept the game close early in the first quarter with each team holding a one-point lead. Suddenly, the Lakers offense began to falter with starters missing field goals and easy layups. The Celtics utilized their opponents struggles to widen their lead. After the team's first full timeout, the Celtics managed to outscore the Lakers 6–1, with Davis scoring four points on questionable calls. Boston held the Lakers to only 14 points and took a 23–14 lead ending the first quarter.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
At the start of the second quarter, the Lakers got back in the game by scoring 11 straight points to take a two-point lead over Boston. The lead proved to be brief, however, as Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett scored two-pointers to regain control of the game. Nevertheless, the Lakers continued to score points, with Ron Artest hitting 3 of his 4 free throws in the quarter to maintain a four-point deficit. Before the second quarter concluded, Paul Pierce sunk a pair of free throws to end the first half with a 40–34 Celtics lead.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
The Celtics opened the second half going on a 9–2 run which widened their lead over the Lakers by as much as 13 points, 49–36. The turning point for the Lakers however arrived after the team took a twenty-second timeout. Bryant made a running jumper on a Lamar Odom assist in what would turn out to be a 6–2 run by the Lakers cutting their deficit to six points behind Boston. Pierce then scored hit a three-pointer to restore the lead to nine. As the third quarter drew to a close, the Lakers continued their momentum as Bryant completed a 4-foot jumper while Gasol hit two free throws. Lakers reserve Lamar Odom made a tip shot to make the score 57–53 at the end of the quarter.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
The Lakers' fortunes rode high midway through the fourth quarter as Fisher sunk a three-point field goal from 26-feet to tie the game at 64. Despite having a poor night offensively, Bryant hit two free throws and followed through with a 17-foot shot to give the Lakers a 68–64 lead, the team's first lead since early in the second quarter. Gasol hit two more free throws on a Garnett foul to extend that margin to six.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
The Celtics would not give up, however, as with Lakers leading by 6 with a minute-and-a-half remaining, Wallace hit a three-pointer to cut the Lakers' lead to 76–73. Although Artest exhibited shooting difficulties throughout the game, he answered in spectacular fashion by sinking a three-point goal to restore his team's lead back to six with a minute remaining in the game. It would prove to be the lethal blow for the Celtics. The Celtic offense suffered heavily in the fourth quarter as four key players (Garnett, Davis, Pierce, and Wallace) earned four or more personal fouls.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Wallace would later depart from the game after fouling out. After Artest's three, Allen would respond with a three-pointer of his own to cut the Lakers' lead to three again. In the ensuing play, Bryant attempted a three, but the three missed. Fortunately for the Lakers, Gasol was there to get the crucial offensive rebound. Gasol then passed the ball to Bryant, who was then fouled by Wallace, fouling him out. Bryant attained two more free throws on Wallace's foul to extend the lead to five, 81–76. After a Celtic timeout, Allen attempted a three-pointer but he missed it.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Rondo grabbed the offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer to bring the Celtics within two, 81–79. However, the Celtics were forced to foul Sasha Vujačić, consequently enabling the Laker guard to complete two free throws and help his team take a four-point lead, 83–79, over Boston. With 11.7 seconds left in the game, Rondo made one last-ditch effort to revive the Celtics' hopes by attempting a three-pointer. The ball missed the basket enabling Gasol to make a defensive rebound. Gasol passed the ball to Odom who quickly threw it to the opposite end of the court as the buzzer sounded.


2010 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. He was named the Finals MVP for the second straight season. Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points and ten rebounds, but he shot 5–15 from the field. The Lakers had 23 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded the Celtics, 53–40. Gasol had 18 rebounds and Bryant added 15. Los Angeles shot 37 free throws to Boston's 17. After the game, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson hailed Artest, who scored 20 points in Game 7 including his last-second three-pointer, as the "Most Valuable Player" of the game.


2010 NBA Finals, Broadcasting
For the eighth consecutive year in the United States, ABC televised the Finals. Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson provided commentary for the games. The Finals was also broadcast on ESPN Radio, with Jim Durham, Hubie Brown and Jack Ramsay calling the action. Game 1 was watched by 14.1 million viewers, the most watched Finals opening game since 2004. The viewership for the opening game resulted in a ratings percentage of 8.6% of households in the United States.


2010 NBA Finals, Broadcasting
Game 7 had the highest average number of viewers with 28.2 million, since 1998 when 35.9 million watched the Chicago Bulls defeat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of that year's Finals. The average number of viewers of 18.1 million, was the highest since 2001. The flagship radio stations of the respective teams broadcast all Series games with their local announcers. In Los Angeles, KSPN carried the Lakers' English-language broadcasts, with Spero Dedes and Mychal Thompson announcing, while KWKW aired the team's Spanish broadcasts. In Boston, WEEI carried the Celtics' English broadcasts with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell announcing.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson earned his 11th title, further extending his record for most championships earned by either an NBA coach or any coach/manager in a major North American professional sports league. It was also his 13th title, as he had won two as a player with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Bryant won his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP Award. He later said that this championship win was the "sweetest" because it was against the longtime, storied rivals and was the toughest series by far.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath
Furthermore, Lakers forward Luke Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the only (as of 2011) father and son to both have won multiple NBA championships Bill in 1977 and 1986 and Luke in 2009 and 2010. Lastly, this would become Kobe Bryant's final championship, and, as of the 2020–21 season, the most recent Finals meeting between the Lakers and the Celtics.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Lakers
The series win brought the Lakers' franchise NBA championship total to 16, second only to the Celtics' 17 championships. This also marked the 11th title for the team since moving from Minneapolis in 1960, and it was the franchise's fifth Finals win in eleven seasons. Notably, this was the Lakers' first Game 7 win over the Celtics in Finals history, Boston had won all previous matchups. Moreover, the Lakers were now 3–9 against Boston since the two teams first competed against each other in the 1959 NBA Finals.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Lakers
On June 21, a victory parade took place for the Lakers. Unlike like previous years, however, there was no pep rally that followed after the end of the parade due to both security and financial reasons. The team was transported around on an open-air float equipped with loudspeakers enabling the players to talk to the spectators. The parade began at 11 a.m local time at Staples Center, turned east on Chick Heart Court, turned south onto Figueroa Street, then east onto Jefferson Boulevard before entering beneath Interstate 110.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Lakers
The parade concluded at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Grand Avenue near the University of Southern California's Galen Center. Occasionally, Ron Artest led the crowd in chanting "Boston sucks!" Over 65,000 people were estimated to have attended the parade. Most of the 2009–10 Lakers team were on hand to receive their championship rings before the start of the season opener against the Houston Rockets on October 26. They also visited U.S. president Barack Obama at the THEARC Boys and Girls Club in Washington, DC. in December 2010, presenting him with a banner declaring the Lakers as 2009–10 NBA World Champions.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Lakers
In November, Time Capsule Press published a book entitled Journey to the Ring: Behind the Scenes with the 2010 NBA Champions Lakers. The book, written by coach Jackson, featured various photographs from sports photographer Andrew D. Bernstein chronicling the Lakers 2009–10 season en route to their triumph against the Celtics.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Lakers
The Lakers struggled since the 2010–11 season, missing the playoffs for multiple years. They did not return to the Finals until 2020, defeating the Miami Heat and winning their 17th title, which tied the Celtics for the most in league history.


2010 NBA Finals, Impact and aftermath, Celtics
Allen departed for the Miami Heat in 2012, while Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets the following offseason. Also in the 2013 offseason, Rivers took over as the Los Angeles Clippers head coach, and the last remaining piece of the “Big Four”, Rondo, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks early in the 2014–15 season.


2010 NBA Summer League
The 2010 National Basketball Association Summer League (NBA Summer League) was a pro basketball league ran by the NBA in the United States just following the 2010 NBA draft. Teams consisted of players who have been in the league for three years or fewer as well as newly drafted talent. It gives rookies a chance to practice against other players that are new to the NBA. All 30 NBA teams participated besides an NBA D-League Select team so the total number of teams is 31 with each team playing 5 games except Sacramento Kings which played 6 games. It was held in Las Vegas, Nevada and Orlando, Florida from July 5 through July 18. 2010.


2010 NBA draft
The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. This draft set a record with five players being drafted from the same school in the first round. The players were John Wall (first), DeMarcus Cousins (fifth), Patrick Patterson (fourteenth), Eric Bledsoe (eighteenth), and Daniel Orton (twenty-ninth), all from the University of Kentucky. This draft also marked the second time an NBA D-League player was drafted, with the first case coming in 2008.


2010 NBA draft
The Washington Wizards, who won the draft lottery on May 18, 2010, used their first overall draft pick to draft John Wall from the University of Kentucky. The Philadelphia 76ers, who also beat the odds in the draft lottery to obtain the second pick, selected Evan Turner from Ohio State University. The New Jersey Nets, who had the worst win-loss record in the previous season, used the third pick to select Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech.


2010 NBA draft
The 2010 NBA draft is the last draft conducted at Madison Square Garden. The 2011 and 2012 NBA drafts were temporarily moved to Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, while the 2013 NBA draft would be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as the Garden underwent renovations during those summers of 2011–2013. After 2014, the draft would continue being hosted at the Barclays Center despite the renovations being done by the 2014 deadline.


2010 NBA draft
This draft class had no Rookie of the Year because Blake Griffin, who was drafted first overall in the previous year's draft, missed his first season with an injury, but played in the 2010-2011 season and won the award.


2010 NBA draft, Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 2010 NBA Draft, but have played in at least one NBA game.


2010 NBA draft, Eligibility rules
The basic requirement for automatic eligibility for a U.S. player is the completion of his college eligibility. Players who meet the CBA definition of "international players" are automatically eligible if their 22nd birthday falls during or before the calendar year of the draft (i.e., born on or before December 31, 1988). U.S. players who were at least one year removed from their high school graduation and have played professionally with a team outside the NBA (either top-level basketball in another country, or minor-league basketball in North America) were also automatically eligible. Former high school player Latavious Williams meets these criteria, having graduated high school in 2009, skipped college basketball and then played professional basketball in NBA D-League.


2010 NBA draft, Eligibility rules
A player who is not automatically eligible must declare his eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2010 draft, this date fell on April 25. Under NCAA rules taking effect with this draft, they only had until May 8 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility. Previously, players who declared for the draft could withdraw as late as 10 days before the draft (the withdrawal deadline under the CBA) and still maintain college eligibility. This year, a total of 80 collegiate players and 23 international players declared as early entry candidates. At the withdrawal deadline, 48 early entry candidates withdrew from the draft, leaving 50 collegiate players and five international players as the early entry candidates for the draft.


2010 NBA draft, Eligibility rules
A player who has hired an agent will forfeit his remaining college eligibility, regardless of whether he is drafted. Also, while the CBA allows a player to withdraw from the draft twice, the NCAA mandates that a player who has declared twice loses his college eligibility. This second provision affected Mac Koshwal, Gani Lawal, and Patrick Patterson, all of whom declared for and withdrew from the 2009 draft.


2010 NBA draft, Eligibility rules
This draft was expected to see an unusual influx of underclassmen, even compared with recent years, for reasons explained by ESPN.com columnist Eamonn Brennan in an April 2010 piece:


2010 NBA draft, Eligibility rules
Because of a potential NBA labor dispute and the threat of an impending lockout in 2011, lots of current college basketball underclassmen have a more drastic decision to face. In addition to the traditional risk of injury, future pros will now have to decide if they want to risk the possibility of there not even being an NBA draft in 2011. Expect lots of these guys to cash in as early as possible, and expect this year's draft to be full of players testing the waters and going all-in a year or two before they should.


2010 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The first 14 picks in the draft belonged to teams which had missed the playoffs; the order was determined through a lottery. The lottery determined the three teams that would obtain the first three picks on the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the second-round picks were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win-loss record in the previous season. As it is commonplace in the event of identical win-loss records, the NBA performed a random drawing to break the ties on April 16, 2010.


2010 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The lottery was held on May 18, 2010 in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers beat the statistical odds by winning the first and second overall picks respectively. The New Jersey Nets won the third overall pick.


2010 NBA draft, Draft lottery
Below were the chances for each team to get specific picks in the 2010 draft lottery, rounded to three decimal places:


2010 NBA draft, Draft lottery
^ 1: New York Knicks' pick was conveyed to the Utah Jazz via the Phoenix Suns.


2010 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Pre-draft trades
Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.


2010 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Draft-day trades
The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.


2010 NBA playoffs
The 2010 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2009-10 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.


2010 NBA playoffs
For the 2nd time in 3 seasons and the first time since 2008, all Western Conference playoff teams had at least 50 wins. The 7 games separating 1–8 was tied for the smallest margin, also from 2008.


2010 NBA playoffs
Cleveland's 61 wins in the NBA was the smallest win total for best record since the Pacers won 61 in 2004. The Cavaliers' second round playoff exit (4–2 vs. Boston) was the earliest for the top seed since the Dallas Mavericks' first round loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2007.


2010 NBA playoffs
Many teams avenged previous losses by defeating teams who defeated them in recent years. The Spurs defeated the Mavericks, who beat them twice in the previous 4 seasons. The Cavaliers beat the Bulls for the first time since The Shot. The Suns defeated the Spurs, who won the previous 4 meetings in the last decade. The Lakers beat the Suns, who defeated them in the first round in 2006 and 2007. The Celtics defeated the Magic, who eliminated them in 2009. And in the finals, the Lakers beat the Celtics who defeated them in the 2008 NBA Finals.


2010 NBA playoffs
Game 5 of the Magic-Celtics series was the last game played at Amway Arena (formerly known as Orlando Arena and TD Waterhouse Centre). The Magic, who last year upset the top-seeded Cavaliers in 6 after they went 8-0 through the first two rounds, also went 8-0 through two playoff series, only to suffer the same fate as the Cavaliers last year, losing to Boston in 6. The Cavs loss led to the LeBron James decision to join the Miami Heat. This was the last playoff appearance for the Cavs until 2015 when James returned to Cleveland and faced again his common rivals the Celtics and Bulls.