Thanks to 50 points and a record 16 three-pointers by Steph Curry in the NBA All-Star game, Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 163-160 on Sunday, February 20, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Curry was named the 2022 NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player. The trophy is given to the best player of the annual All-Star Game.
Captained by James and Durant, Curry set the record for most three-pointers made in an All-Star quarter (6), half (8), and game (16). According to All-Star history, the award was established in 1953 when NBA officials decided to designate an MVP for each year’s game. The league also re-honored players from the previous two All-Star Games. Ed Macauley and Paul Arizin were selected as the 1951 and 1952 MVP winners respectively. The winner is voted upon by a panel of media members, who cast their vote after the conclusion of the game. The player(s) with the most votes or ties for the most votes wins the award.
In February 2020, Commissioner Adam Silver renamed the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in honor of four-time winner Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash a few weeks earlier.
As of 2022, the most recent recipient is Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry. Bryant and Bob Pettit are the only two players to win the All-Star Game MVP four times.
Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James have each won the award three times, while Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant have all won the award twice.
Michael Jordan Makes Special Appearance at All-Star Game for NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team:
Initially, there were rumors that Michael Jordan would not appear at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game ceremony for the 75th Anniversary Team. But just as in the past, Jordan was clutch, as he would make a surprise appearance to close out the ceremony just in time.
Cleveland fans were shocked to see Jordan in the building, as were his peers. The five-time league MVP received the loudest round of applause of all the NBA’s top 75 players of all time, including a standing ovation from most fans in the building.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
