In 2022, the NBA honored Kobe Bryant by renaming the All-Star MVP award in his memory, officially introducing the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is known as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. The 18-time NBA All-Star passed away in a tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. But, his legacy lives on, through his fans and via the NBA All-Star MVP Award, which was named in his honor in 2020.
The NBA decided to celebrate Kobe’s invaluable contributions towards the league and renamed the award as the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award after his death. The announcement came in February 2020, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced, “Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game.”
“He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world,” Silver added.
Throughout his two-decade long NBA career, Bryant had been a synonym for excellence. He brought several accolades to his franchise, and added several feathers to his cap. However, many highlights of his career came during the NBA All-Star Games.
When Kobe made his NBA All-Star debut in 1998 at the age of 19 years, he became the youngest player to ever play on the stage.
Over his glorious career, he was picked for the All-Star game for a total of 18 times, the third highest selections, only after LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Moreover, during his career, Kobe was adjudged the NBA All-Star MVP for a total of four times in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011. It tied him with Bob Pettit for most NBA All-Star MVP Awards with four.
In 2022, the NBA decided to personalize the award by announcing the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy. The trophy was designed by artist Victor Solomon, who added intricate details about Kobe’s career in it.
The memento has an octagonal base, representing Bryant’s number eight jersey he wore in the beginning of his career with the Lakers. It is then followed by three layers, surrounded by 18 stars, representing Bryant’s 18 All-Star selections.
The base of the trophy is two inches high, which is a representation of Kobe’s first All-Star MVP Award he won in 2002. The top layer is seven-inches high, which represents the 2007 MVP Award that he won. Moreover, it also comes with 24 stars which is the jersey number that Bryant later wore at the Lakers.
The second layer of the trophy is nine inches tall, which pays tribute to Kobe’s 2009 All-Star MVP Award. The third layer is 11 inches high for his 2011 All-Star MVP. It also has five stars, honoring the five NBA titles won by the late Laker legend.
In addition, the second layer has 10 stars, representing Bryant’s jersey number with the USA Team and the top layer is two inches high which celebrates his two NBA Finals MVP trophies.
Ever since the introduction of the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Award, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry are among the names who have won it.
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