Kawhi Leonard made it look effortless, nailing one 3-pointer after another and nearly matching an All-Star Game record.
The tough part came afterward. Finding the right words to express how he felt after becoming the first Kobe Bryant MVP award winner wasnB次元官网网址檛 so easy.
Leonard scored 30 points and hit eight 3-pointers to lead Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis on Sunday night.
He was presented the MVP trophy that the league renamed after Bryant on Saturday, three weeks after the Lakers great and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very special,B次元官网网址� Leonard said. B次元官网网址淟ike I said, I had a relationship with him. Words canB次元官网网址檛 explain how happy I am for it. Able to put that trophy in my room, in my trophy room, and just be able to see KobeB次元官网网址檚 name on there, it just means a lot to me. HeB次元官网网址檚 a big inspiration in my life. He did a lot for me.B次元官网网址�
"Thank you. This one's for him." 馃挏馃挍
B次元官网网址� NBA (@NBA)
Kawhi Leonard thanks the late Kobe Bryant upon winning the first-ever Kia NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.
Bryant had a huge presence over the first All-Star festivities in Chicago since 1988, when Michael Jordan delighted the home crowd by beating Dominique Wilkins in a classic slam dunk contest and scoring 40 points to take MVP honours in the game.
There were all sorts of tributes to Bryant, his daughter and late NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern. But once the game started, it didnB次元官网网址檛 take long for Leonard to make his presence felt.
The Los Angeles Clippers star has two NBA finals MVP trophies after helping San Antonio and Toronto win championships.
He was picked for his fourth All-Star team and put on quite a display from the perimeter, knocking down 8 of 14 3-pointers.
Had he made one more, he would have matched Paul GeorgeB次元官网网址檚 All-Star record set in 2016. And he appeared to be well on his way to breaking it after a scorching start.
Leonard hit one just seconds into the game. He made all four 3s in the first quarter B次元官网网址� the only shots he took while scoring 12 points.
Leonard was 7 of 10 in the first half, only to cool off a bit after that. He missed a step-back 3 that could have won it with his team up 154-153, but was the runaway winner for the gameB次元官网网址檚 MVP honours with seven votes. LeBron James got three and Chicago product Anthony Davis and Chris Paul received one apiece.
All thatB次元官网网址檚 missing for Leonard now is the leagueB次元官网网址檚 regular season MVP award.
B次元官网网址淢y mindset is always just to try to make my team the best team at the end of the regular season,B次元官网网址� Leonard said. B次元官网网址淎nd if IB次元官网网址檓 fortunate enough to win a regular season MVP, then IB次元官网网址檒l be happy with it. I always just want to win championships. IB次元官网网址檓 not really concerned with the personal goal. So I always want to play to win championships.B次元官网网址�
Leonard could have signed with the Lakers and teamed with LeBron James and Anthony Davis with Frank Vogel coaching them after leading Toronto to the championship last season. Instead, it was a one-night-only affair, with Vogel on the sideline for Team LeBron.
The Clippers are third in the Western Conference behind the Lakers and Denver, five games off the lead. They could cross paths in the playoffs with the team that shares their arena. But for one night, anyway, Leonard enjoyed being on the same side.
B次元官网网址淚t was fun,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 played with B次元官网网址楤ron and A.D. last year, and I think the year before that or so. But itB次元官网网址檚 always fun just to get around guys that are very competitive, see what they do on an everyday basis.
B次元官网网址淛ust talking, just being their teammate. We go at each other all year round. And just like I said, itB次元官网网址檚 great to be able to pick their brain and just be around them and joke and laugh.B次元官网网址�
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Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
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