The 2020 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place tomorrow in Chicago, Ill., will include several tributes to late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
Like Bryant’s illustrious legacy, one of these tributes will live on forever.
The NBA has unveiled The Kobe Bryant Award, which will be presented to the MVP of All-Star Games starting tomorrow and going forward.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 16, 2020
During his 20-year NBA career, Bryant made 18 appearances in the league’s annual midseason classic. He trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 19 All-Star selections.
Bryant was named the game’s MVP four times, which is an all-time record he shares with Hall of Famer Bob Pettit.
The Lower Merion, Pa. native won his first All-Star MVP award in 2002, when the game was held in Philadelphia. His second MVP came in 2007 in Las Vegas, his third was in 2009, and his fourth and final happened in 2011 in Los Angeles.
This year’s All-Star game will also commemorate Bryant by virtue of some rule changes. During each 12-minute quarter, Team LeBron and Team Giannis will compete to win $100,000 for a designated Chicago-area charity.
The final quarter will have no clock – instead, there will be a “target score” that will be determined by adding 24 points to the leading team’s cumulative score to that point.
