The All-Stars put on a show Sunday night in a competitive showdown between the best players in the league, Team LeBron came out with the 157-155 win over Team Giannis.
Kawhi Leonard led Team LeBron in scoring with 30 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the win. The Clippers Forward dedicated his MVP to the award’s namesake Kobe Bryant.
“I want to thank Kobe for everything he done for me, all the long talks and workouts. Thank you. This one’s for him,” Kawhi said while accepting the MVP trophy.
Leonard would also share details on teaming with LeBron and AD.
“It was fun. I played with Bron and A.D. last year, and I think the year before that or so,” Leonard said. “But it’s always fun just to get around guys that are very competitive, see what they do on an everyday basis. Just talking, just being their teammate. We go at each other all year round, and just, like I said, it’s great to be able to pick their brain and just be around them and joke and laugh.”
The All-Star game did not disappoint this year with the new format of “the first team to 157 wins.” Despite the high point total, both teams displayed more effort on defense especially in the 4th quarter with players like Kyle Lowry even taking charges. Leonard finished the game with 2 steals as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Team Giannis with 25 points 11 boards and 3 blocked shots.
The final voting totals:
Kawhi Leonard: 7 votes (Winner)
LeBron James: 3 votes
Anthony Davis: 1 vote
Chris Paul: 1 vote
Below is the list of voters and their MVP selections:
Jon Barry, ESPN Radio – Kawhi Leonard
Vincent Goodwill, Yahoo Sports – Kawhi Leonard
Lisa Hsu, Tencent – Kawhi Leonard
K.C. Johnson, NBC Sports Chicago – Chris Paul
Reggie Miller, TNT – Anthony Davis
Rachel Nichols, ESPN – Kawhi Leonard
Shaun Powell, NBA.com – Kawhi Leonard
Tim Reynolds, Associated Press – LeBron James
Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports – Kawhi Leonard
Fan Votes (3) – LeBron James (2) and Kawhi Leonard (1)
