The All-Star Game MVP award, a trophy that recognizes the best basketball player in the NBA All-Star Game each year, will now be named Kobe Bryant Award in honor of former Los Angeles Lakers player killed in helicopter crash in January, NBA President Adam Silver announced on Saturday.
"Kobe Bryant is synonymous with the NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our sport," said Adam Silver. "He has always taken the opportunity to compete against the best of the best and to play at the highest level for millions of fans around the world," he added.
All players will wear the numbers 2 and 24
The entire NBA is meeting in Chicago this weekend for an All-Star Game specially dedicated to Kobe Bryant, who died with his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter accident in California on January 26. On Sunday, the 24 players selected from the 500 or so in the North American professional basketball league will be there for "Kobe", who has played this All-Star Game 18 times, the second total behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
All players on the team whose captain is LeBron James will wear the same number, number 2, that of Gianna Bryant, who played the same sport as his father. The opposing team, that of the best player of last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will sport for only number 24, that of Kobe Bryant during the last ten seasons of his career (he initially wore 8).
The ten incumbent players were chosen after a mix of votes from fans (50%), players (25%) and journalists (25%). The fourteen replacements have been nominated by the coaches of the 30 NBA teams. The All-Star Game MVP award is awarded after a vote to one or more players of this tournament. Kobe Bryant has won four times in his career.
- NBA
- Basketball
- Sport
- Kobe Bryant
- All star game