NBA to Name All-Star Game MVP Award After Kobe Bryant

The NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP) award will now be Kobe Bryant MVP award. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Saturday that the award will be permanently named after the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.

“Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game,” Silver said. “He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around
the world.”

In 1998, Bryant became the youngest player to feature in an NBA All-Star game at the age of 19. The next season, he was not a part of the All-Star team. It remains the only season where he wasn’t a part of the All-Stars in his 18-year career. Over the 17 appearances, Bryant has earned the MVP award for a record four times- in 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011.

Kemba Walker pays homage to Kobe Bryant

As Silver made the announcement, many All-Stars came forward to speak about the legacy of Kobe Bryant. Among them was Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker. He not only remembered Bryant but also former NBA commissioner David Stern, who died on New Year’s Day.

“With the tragic death of Kobe and Gigi and the rest of the families on the plane and David Stern, it’s definitely going to be a very emotional weekend, and we’re going to celebrate those guys and everyone else as best as we can,” Walker said.

“They meant so much to our game. They grew the game so much. We all just have a lot of respect for them.”