Salt Lake City has a vibrant sports scene with professional basketball, hockey, baseball, and arena football teams. The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, also has a long tradition of sports excellence, especially in basketball, football and gymnastics. Here are the five most memorable moments in Salt Lake City sports.

5. 1993 NBA All-Star Game

The 1993 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 21, 1993. The only All-Star game ever held in Salt Lake City, the event was especially memorable since two members of the Utah Jazz earned Co-MVP awards. Karl Malone lead the West with 28 points while John Stockton was the only player to reach double digits in assists with 15. The game also featured other all-time NBA greats including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. Shaquille O’Neal made his first of 15 All-Star appearances. The West beat the East in overtime 135 to 132.

4. 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship Game

The final game of the 1978-79 NCAA men’s basketball season ended in Salt Lake City on March 26, 1979. Michigan State won the national title over Indiana State by a score of 75-64. The game was played on the University of Utah campus in the Special Events Center (now the Jon M. Huntsman Center). Indiana State came into the game with no losses on the season but failed make it a perfect season. Although it was controlled almost entirely by Michigan State, the game was especially memorable because it was the beginning of one of the most classic rivalries in basketball history, pitting Magic Johnson (Michigan State) against Larry Bird (Indiana State). Both players had solid games with Magic scoring 24 points and pulling down 7 rebounds while Bird had 19 and 13, respectively. Both players went on to have incredible professional careers. Larry Bird won three champsionships with the Boston Celtics and won the MVP award three times. Magic Johnson, meanwhile, won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and also was awarded the MVP three times.

3. 2004 University of Utah vs. BYU Football

Before the 2004 college football season, no team from a non-BCS conference had ever played in a BCS bowl. That all changed when the University of Utah finished their undefeated season against BYU in Salt Lake City on November 20, 2004. The game was played at the University of Utah in Rice-Eccles Stadium. In the third quarter, however, the Utes pulled away with 17 more points. They never looked back and went on to win easily, 52-21. Their next game was against Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2005 where the Utes won by a score of 35-7. Utah was lead that season by quarterback Alex Smith, the future number 1 draft pick in the NFL.

2. 2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City in February. The opening ceremony took place in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Olympics were the considered the most successful winter games ever held with records set in fundraising, broadcasting and marketing. The 2002 Olympics had many memorable moments including Australian Steven Bradbury capturing a gold medal in men’s speedskating after four of his competitors crashed on the final turn. Canada won gold medals in both men’s and women’s hockey by beating the United States. Speed skater Apollo Ohno of the USA won gold medal after the first place finisher, Kim Dong-Sung of South Korea, was disqualified for cross-skating Ohno on the final lap. Overall, Norway won the most gold medals with 13. Germany had the most total medals with 36. The United States had 34 total medals (2nd most) and 10 gold medals (3rd most).

1. 1998 NBA Finals Game 6

The 1997-98 NBA season was the first time the Utah Jazz ever made it to the NBA Finals. They were lead by Karl Malone and John Stockton and met up with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the rest of the Chicago Bulls in the Finals. Coming into Game 6, the Bulls were leading the series 3-2. Game 6 was played in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Scottie Pippen minorly injured himself near the beginning of the game and ended up being a non-factor as Michael Jordan took over. The Jazz lead by three with less than a minute to go. Michael Jordan then made a basket to put the Bulls within one point. On the next play, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone and drove the ball down the court. One of the most controversial no-calls in NBA Finals history happened next. Jordan had the ball near the Jazz free throw line and seemingly pushed Bryon Russel as he crossed over and rose to take the shot. Russell stumbled to the floor while Jordan’s shot went through the hoop to give the Bulls the one point advantage. John Stockton’s last second 3-point attempt missed and the Bulls went on to win the title. Jordan finished the game with 45 points.