The All-Star game in the national basketball association is an annual event that puts an end to All-Star Weekend and the All-Star break. It is an exhibition game in which two team captains (one from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference) select twelve players to their respective teams.
The team captains begin by selecting four players for their starting lineup, and then follow it up with selecting seven reserve players. At the end of this game, the player that put together the most impressive stat line or had the most impact on the game is selected to be that year’s NBA All-Star game MVP.
History of the Award
The first NBA All-Star game happened in the 1951 season. In the inaugural All-Star Game, the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference by a final score of 111-94, and Ed Macauley from the Boston Celtics was named the first All-Star game MVP.
Notorious Winners
Michael Jordan
There are a handful of players who have stood out from the rest through the history of the NBA All-Star game MVP. The first is Michael Jordan. There are few talks you can have about accolades in the NBA without bringing up Michael Jordan. Jordan won two MVP awards during his time with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan won All-Star game MVP in 1988, 1996, and 1998.
Kobe Bryant
The second player that has the record for All-Star game MVP wins is Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant got his four MVP awards in 2001, 2007, 2009, and 2011. Interestingly, one of those All-Star game MVP awards came in the form of a co-MVP that he shared with then Phoenix Suns‘ center, Shaquille O’Neal. They are one of the few winners of a co-MVP in NBA history.
Tim Duncan & Shaquille O’Neal
Another instance of this happening came in 2000. In this game, both Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal were named joint winners of the NBA All-Star Game MVP. Both Duncan and O’Neal are tied for fifteen All-Star appearances, this was Duncan’s only All-Star MVP while O’Neal retired with three.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader in NBA All-Star games with nineteen. Despite having the record for most All-Star games, Abdul-Jabbar was unable to ever bring home an NBA All-Star Game MVP.
Adrian Smith
While Kareem did not make the most of his opportunities in the NBA All-Star game, there have been others throughout the history of the NBA that have. Adrian Smith only made one All-Star appearance. Despite this, Adrian Smith won the NBA All-Star game most valuable player award in his only All-Star Game.
LeBron James
LeBron James historically is one of the best All-Star game performers of all time. He became the youngest player of all time to win the NBA All-Star game MVP while he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Along with this, he is the all-time leading scorer in the All-Star game. James and Kyrie Irving were the only players to ever win an All-Star game MVP in Cleveland Cavaliers’ history.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is another electrifying player to watch in the All-Star game. Although his final appearance may be behind him, he still went down as the only player in NBA history to win outright back-to-back NBA All-Star game awards.
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis has proven himself as one of the best players the NBA All-Star game has seen. Although he does not show up at the top of his game every year, in 2017, he arguably had the best NBA All-Star game performance the game has ever seen. In this game, he finished the contest with 52 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals in thirty-two minutes while shooting 66.7% from the field. This broke the previous NBA All-Star record of 42 points that was set in 1962 and had stood the test of time for over five decades.
2020-2021 All-Star Game and All-Star MVP
The most recent NBA All-Star game was a slight step back from the year before. In the 2019-2020 season, viewers could see the revitalized intensity that was put into the game after the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant. That year, one team wore number 24 to memorialize Kobe and the other team wore 2 to memorialize his daughter, Giana. The game came down to the wire and ended up being a one-point game. Kawhi Leonard took home the Kobe Bryant NBA All-Star Game most valuable player award.
While last year’s game was a slight step back from the year before it, it was still a great game. Team captains Kevin Durant and LeBron James took a backseat and functioned more as coaches than players for the contest. Despite this, we saw an incredible performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo. He finished the game with 35 points, 7 rebounds, and three assists in only 19 minutes. On top of this, he did not miss a single shot in the All-Star game. Team LeBron won the game by a final score of 170-150.
It will be very interesting to see if the game continues to become laxer after 2019 or if it will once again be an intense competition between the best players the NBA has to offer this season. Along with this, it will be great to see which players will receive the honor of being team captains and which young stars will break through, become an All-Star for the first time in their careers, and of course, which player will stand out among the rest and bring home the Kobe Bryant NBA All-Star Game MVP award.
Who has the most NBA All-Star Game MVP awards?
Kobe Bryant is tied with Bob Pettit – they each have four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards.
What is the NBA All-Star MVP award called?
In the 2020 All-Star Game, NBA officials decided to change the name of the most valuable player award to the Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award after his passing.
