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Team LeBron get the better of Team Giannis in All-Star thriller
CHICAGO: Kawhi Leonard stole the show on the floor and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson took centre stage in an emotional pre-game ceremony on a night the NBA paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.
Chicago’s favourite son Anthony Davis sank one of two free throws to cap a thrilling fourth quarter and lift Team LeBron to a 157-155 win over Team Giannis in Sunday’s 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
Leonard finished with 30 points and seven rebounds and was awarded the new Kobe Bryant MVP Award.
The trophy was named after the former Los Angeles Laker, who perished along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a horrific helicopter crash three weeks ago.
“I want to thank Kobe for everything he has done for me, all the long talks and workouts. Thank you,” said Leonard, who grew up in Riverside, California east of Los Angeles.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Team Giannis who kept the game close right up until the nail-biting finish.
“We definitely felt his presence. Growing up, watching Kobe in those games, I felt like he was always competitive, and he was kind of the one who got the game going,” Antetokounmpo said.
“I think we kept that going tonight. I think he definitely would have loved to watch the way we went out there and competed tonight.”
With the score 156-155, and new format dictating that the winner needed to be the first to get to 157 points, Davis went to the line for two shots after being fouled by Team Giannis’ Kyle Lowry.
“I told my teammates I was going to go to miss the first one and put more pressure on myself to knock down the second one,” said Davis, who grew up in Chicago.
That’s exactly what he did to put a perfect ending on the night which began with another Laker icon Johnson making an emotional speech honouring Bryant in front of a crowd of 20,900 at the United Center in Chicago.
“We’ll never see another basketball player quite like Kobe,” said Johnson, who also paid tribute on Sunday to David Stern, the late NBA commissioner.
“Scoring 81 points in one game. Scoring 60 points in his last game. And then winning five NBA championships.”
James made his 16th all-star start breaking a tie with Bryant for the most all-time. Bryant holds the record for most all-star MVP awards with four.
“His legacy is living on every single day with us,” said James of Bryant.
The league also honoured Bryant by having Team Giannis wear his No.24 and Team LeBron wear his basketballplaying daughter’s No.2.
Team LeBron earned US$400,000 in prize money which they donated to the Chicagoland youth charity Chicago Scholars.
Before tip-off, singer and actor Jennifer Hudson, who is a Chicago native, sang with a montage of photos of Bryant and his daughter in the background.
Bryant made his NBA All-Star Game debut in 1998 at age 19 — the youngest player to ever play in an All-Star Game.
His 18 All-Star selections are the second-most in NBA history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at 19.
On Friday, Bryant, who is fourth alltime in league scoring, was named a finalist to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the AllStar MVP Award has been permanently named for Bryant.