NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award

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The NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player[1] (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player(s) voted best of the annual All-Star Game. 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.[2] The winner is voted upon by a panel of media members, who cast their vote after the conclusion of the game. The fan voting accounts for 25% of the voting. The player(s) with the most votes or ties for the most votes wins the award.[3] 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.[1]

As of 2024, the most recent recipient is Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard. 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. James became the youngest to win the award in 2006 at the age of 21 years and 1 month.[4] No All-Star Game MVP was named in 1999 since the game was canceled due to the league's lockout.[5] Four of the games had joint winners—Elgin Baylor and Pettit in 1959, John Stockton and Malone in 1993, O'Neal and Tim Duncan in 2000, and O'Neal and Bryant in 2009. O'Neal became the first player in All-Star history to share two MVP awards as well as the first player to win the award with multiple teams. The Los Angeles Lakers have had eleven winners while the Boston Celtics have had nine. Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kyrie Irving of Australia, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece are the only winners not born in the United States. Both Duncan and Irving[a] are American citizens, but are considered "international" players by the NBA because they were not born in one of the fifty states or Washington, D.C.[6] Antetokounmpo of Greece is the only winner to be trained entirely outside the U.S.; Irving lived in the U.S. since age two, and Duncan played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest.

Bob Pettit (1958, 1959) and Russell Westbrook (2015, 2016) are the only players to win consecutive awards. Pettit (1956), Bob Cousy (1957), Wilt Chamberlain (1960), Bill Russell (1963), Oscar Robertson (1964), Willis Reed (1970), Dave Cowens (1973), Michael Jordan (1988, 1996, 1998), Magic Johnson (1990), Shaquille O'Neal (2000), and Allen Iverson (2001) all won the All-Star Game MVP and the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in the same season; Jordan is the only player to do this multiple times.[7] Fourteen players have won the award playing for the team that hosted the All-Star Game: Macauley (1951), Cousy (1957), Pettit (1958, 1962), Chamberlain (1960), Adrian Smith (1966), Rick Barry (1967), Jerry West (1972), Tom Chambers (1987), Michael Jordan (1988), Karl Malone (1993), John Stockton (1993), O'Neal (2004, 2009), Bryant (2011) and Davis (2017); Pettit and O'Neal did this multiple times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the distinction of playing in the most All-Star Games (18) without winning the All-Star Game MVP, while Adrian Smith won the MVP in his only All-Star Game.

Winners[edit]

Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell (left) won the award in the 1963 NBA All-Star Game. Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain (center) won the award in the 1960 NBA All-Star Game.
head shot of Michael Jordan
Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan won the award three times in his career.
head shot of Charles Barkley
Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley won the award in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game.
Shaquille O'Neal preparing to shoot a free throw
Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal has won the award three times in his career. He is also the oldest MVP ever, at 36 years and 346 days old.
Kobe Bryant at a game
Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant won the award a record four times in his career, a feat he shares with Bob Pettit. The award was re-named after him following his death in 2020.
LeBron James as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James was the youngest player to ever win the award at 21 years and 51 days old and is the all-time leader in points scored in NBA All-Star Game history.[8]
Stephen Curry won the award in his eighth All-Star game appearance and is the all-time leader in three-point field goals made in NBA All-Star Game history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first and only non-American and Greek player to win the award.
^ Denotes player who is still active in the NBA
* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Player (#) Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the MVP award
Team (#) Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won
Season Player Position Nationality Team
1951 Ed Macauley* Center/forward  United States Boston Celtics
1952 Paul Arizin* Forward/guard  United States Philadelphia Warriors
1953 George Mikan* Center  United States Minneapolis Lakers
1954 Bob Cousy* Guard  United States Boston Celtics (2)
1955 Bill Sharman* Guard  United States Boston Celtics (3)
1956 Bob Pettit* Forward/center  United States St. Louis Hawks
1957 Bob Cousy* (2) Guard  United States Boston Celtics (4)
1958 Bob Pettit* (2) Forward/center  United States St. Louis Hawks (2)
1959[b] Elgin Baylor* Forward  United States Minneapolis Lakers (2)
Bob Pettit* (3) Forward/center  United States St. Louis Hawks (3)
1960 Wilt Chamberlain* Center  United States Philadelphia Warriors (2)
1961 Oscar Robertson* Guard  United States Cincinnati Royals
1962 Bob Pettit* (4) Forward/center  United States St. Louis Hawks (4)
1963 Bill Russell* Center  United States Boston Celtics (5)
1964 Oscar Robertson* (2) Guard  United States Cincinnati Royals (2)
1965 Jerry Lucas* Forward/center  United States Cincinnati Royals (3)
1966 Adrian Smith Guard  United States Cincinnati Royals (4)
1967 Rick Barry* Forward  United States San Francisco Warriors (3)
1968 Hal Greer* Guard/forward  United States Philadelphia 76ers
1969 Oscar Robertson* (3) Guard  United States Cincinnati Royals (5)
1970 Willis Reed* Center/forward  United States New York Knicks
1971 Lenny Wilkens* Guard  United States Seattle SuperSonics
1972 Jerry West* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (3)
1973 Dave Cowens* Center/forward  United States Boston Celtics (6)
1974 Bob Lanier* Center  United States Detroit Pistons
1975 Walt Frazier* Guard  United States New York Knicks (2)
1976 Dave Bing* Guard  United States Washington Bullets
1977 Julius Erving* Forward  United States Philadelphia 76ers (2)
1978 Randy Smith Guard/forward  United States Buffalo Braves
1979 David Thompson* Guard/forward  United States Denver Nuggets
1980 George Gervin* Guard/forward  United States San Antonio Spurs
1981 Nate Archibald* Guard  United States Boston Celtics (7)
1982 Larry Bird* Forward  United States Boston Celtics (8)
1983 Julius Erving* (2) Forward  United States Philadelphia 76ers (3)
1984 Isiah Thomas* Guard  United States Detroit Pistons (2)
1985 Ralph Sampson* Center/forward  United States Houston Rockets
1986 Isiah Thomas* (2) Guard  United States Detroit Pistons (3)
1987 Tom Chambers Forward/center  United States Seattle SuperSonics (2)
1988 Michael Jordan* Guard  United States Chicago Bulls
1989 Karl Malone* Forward  United States Utah Jazz
1990 Magic Johnson* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (4)
1991 Charles Barkley* Forward  United States Philadelphia 76ers (4)
1992 Magic Johnson* (2) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (5)
1993[b] John Stockton* Guard  United States Utah Jazz (2)
Karl Malone* (2) Forward  United States Utah Jazz (3)
1994 Scottie Pippen* Forward  United States Chicago Bulls (2)
1995 Mitch Richmond* Guard  United States Sacramento Kings (6)
1996 Michael Jordan* (2) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (3)
1997 Glen Rice Forward  United States Charlotte Hornets
1998 Michael Jordan* (3) Guard  United States Chicago Bulls (4)
1999 Not awarded as the game was canceled due to the league's lockout.[5]
2000[b] Shaquille O'Neal* Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (6)
Tim Duncan* Forward/center  United States[c] San Antonio Spurs (2)
2001 Allen Iverson* Guard  United States Philadelphia 76ers (5)
2002 Kobe Bryant* Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (7)
2003 Kevin Garnett* Forward/center  United States Minnesota Timberwolves
2004 Shaquille O'Neal* (2) Center  United States Los Angeles Lakers (8)
2005 Allen Iverson* (2) Guard  United States Philadelphia 76ers (6)
2006 LeBron James^ [d] Forward  United States Cleveland Cavaliers
2007 Kobe Bryant* (2) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (9)
2008 LeBron James^ (2) Forward  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (2)
2009[b] Kobe Bryant* (3) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (10)
Shaquille O'Neal* (3) [e] Center  United States Phoenix Suns
2010 Dwyane Wade* Guard  United States Miami Heat
2011 Kobe Bryant* (4) Guard  United States Los Angeles Lakers (11)
2012 Kevin Durant^ Forward  United States Oklahoma City Thunder (3)
2013 Chris Paul^ Guard  United States Los Angeles Clippers (2)
2014 Kyrie Irving^ Guard  United States[a] Cleveland Cavaliers (3)
2015 Russell Westbrook^ Guard  United States Oklahoma City Thunder (4)
2016 Russell Westbrook^ (2) Guard  United States Oklahoma City Thunder (5)
2017 Anthony Davis^ Forward/center  United States New Orleans Pelicans
2018 LeBron James^ (3) Forward  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (4)
2019 Kevin Durant^ (2) Forward  United States Golden State Warriors (4)
2020 Kawhi Leonard^ Forward  United States Los Angeles Clippers (3)
2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo^ Forward  Greece Milwaukee Bucks
2022 Stephen Curry^ Guard  United States Golden State Warriors (5)
2023 Jayson Tatum^ Forward  United States Boston Celtics (9)
2024 Damian Lillard^ Guard  United States Milwaukee Bucks (2)

Multi-time winners[edit]

Player Team No. Years
Bob Pettit St. Louis Hawks 4 1956, 1958, 1959, 1962
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011
Oscar Robertson Cincinnati Royals 3 1961, 1964, 1969
Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 1988, 1996, 1998
Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
2000, 2004, 2009
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 2006, 2008, 2018
Bob Cousy Boston Celtics 2 1954, 1957
Julius Erving Philadelphia 76ers 1977, 1983
Isiah Thomas Detroit Pistons 1984, 1986
Karl Malone Utah Jazz 1989, 1993
Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers 1990, 1992
Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers 2001, 2005
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 2015, 2016
Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder
Golden State Warriors
2012, 2019

Teams[edit]

Awards Teams Years
11 Los Angeles Lakers / Minneapolis Lakers 1953, 1959, 1972, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011
9 Boston Celtics 1951, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1963, 1973, 1981, 1982, 2023
6 Sacramento Kings / Cincinnati Royals 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1995
Philadelphia 76ers 1968, 1977, 1983, 1991, 2001, 2005
5 Oklahoma City Thunder / Seattle SuperSonics 1971, 1987, 2012, 2015, 2016
Golden State Warriors / San Francisco Warriors / Philadelphia Warriors 1952, 1960, 1967, 2019, 2022
4 Chicago Bulls 1988, 1994, 1996, 1998
Cleveland Cavaliers 2006, 2008, 2014, 2018
Atlanta Hawks / St. Louis Hawks 1956, 1958, 1959, 1962
3 Detroit Pistons 1974, 1984, 1986
Los Angeles Clippers / Buffalo Braves 1978, 2013, 2020
2 Utah Jazz 1989, 1993
Milwaukee Bucks 2021, 2024
New York Knicks 1970, 1975
San Antonio Spurs 1980, 2000
1 Charlotte Hornets 1997
Denver Nuggets 1979
Houston Rockets 1985
Miami Heat 2010
Minnesota Timberwolves 2003
New Orleans Pelicans 2017
Phoenix Suns 2009
Washington Wizards / Washington Bullets 1976
0 Indiana Pacers None
Brooklyn Nets
Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trail Blazers
Memphis Grizzlies
Toronto Raptors
Orlando Magic

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kyrie Irving was born in Australia to American parents who returned to the U.S. when he was two years old. He has dual U.S. and Australian citizenship, but has represented the United States internationally.[11]
  2. ^ a b c d Denotes All-Star Games in which joint winners were named
  3. ^ Because Tim Duncan is a United States citizen by birth, as are all natives of the U.S. Virgin Islands,[9] he was able to play for the U.S. internationally.[10]
  4. ^ James, at 21 years and 51 days old, is the youngest All-Star Game MVP in NBA history.
  5. ^ O'Neal, at 36 years and 346 days old, is the oldest All-Star Game MVP in NBA history.

References[edit]

General
  • "All-Star Game: Year-by-Year Results". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
Specific
  1. ^ a b "Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP Award named for Kobe Bryant" (Press release). National Basketball Association. February 15, 2020. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  2. ^ Steve Popper (February 5, 1998). "N.B.A. All-Star Weekend; Macauley's '51 All-Star Honors Came Late (but He's Not Complaining)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  3. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (February 12, 1990). "East Stars Put It Together, but Magic Has Hardware Pro basketball: Laker guard earns MVP in losing effort as rest of his West teammates are shut down, 130-113". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Boyer, Mary (February 17, 2014). "Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star MVP Kyrie Irving has his moment – with advice from LeBron James". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Steele, David (December 9, 1998). "NBA Drops All-Stars – What's Left? February game in Philly latest casualty of lockout". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  6. ^ "Bargnani becomes first European top NBA draft pick". People's Daily Online. June 29, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  7. ^ "NBA & ABA Most Valuable Player Award Winners". Basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  8. ^ "NBA All-Star Game Career Leaders | Basketball-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  9. ^ "Virgin Islands". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  10. ^ "All-Time USA Basketball Men's Roster: D". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  11. ^ Ward, Roy (July 3, 2013). "Irving a must for Boomers in Rio: Bogut". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014.