This was the last All-Star game to feature one of the original All-Stars from the 1951 game, with Bob Cousy making his thirteenth and final All-Star appearances. The East All-Stars won 115–108, with Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics winning the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award after logging 19 points and 24 rebounds.
The coaches were the Celtics' Red Auerbach for the East and the Los Angeles Lakers' Fred Schaus for the West, as their respective teams led their respective divisions entering the game. This was the second straight All-Star Game with Auerbach and Schaus as coaches.