Sink the winning shot — Gottlieb’s All-Star Basketball is an electromechanical single-player that brings the fast-break excitement of the hardwood to the flippers, and it comes from the legendary team of designer Wayne Neyens and artist Roy Parker, one of the most beloved creative partnerships of pinball’s golden woodrail age. With light-based scoring and a confirmed run of 1,000, it’s a handsome early Gottlieb celebrating America’s favorite indoor sport.
The layout is a lively, engaging spread: two flippers, three pop bumpers, a generous five passive bumpers, a pair of slingshots, and a kick-out hole. That hearty helping of pop and passive bumpers promises a wildly bouncy, energetic ball that caroms across the playfield and demands active nudging and quick reflexes, while the kick-out hole offers a captured-ball award to chase. It’s a clean, bumper-rich design in the classic Gottlieb mold, all bounce and energy, rewarding a player who keeps the ball moving through that busy field of bumpers, all in service of its exciting basketball theme.
All-Star Basketball is a lovely showcase of the celebrated Neyens-and-Parker team’s craft, pairing an evergreen sports theme with a satisfying, bumper-heavy playfield and Parker’s warm artwork. The basketball motif was a perennial favorite, universally appealing and easy to enjoy, and this machine translates it into lively, chiming fun. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its greatest creative teams, it’s a rewarding find. Ride that busy field of bumpers, work the kick-out hole, and drive to the basket. Some machines just capture the energy of the game they celebrate, and this Gottlieb hardwood classic runs a fast break every time. Take the shot and drop a coin.