Jayson Tatum Named All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP: “Means The World To Me”

Jayson Tatum set an All-Star Game record with 55 points to win the MVP award, which has been named after his idol, Kobe Bryant. In doing so, Tatum led Team Giannis to a 184-175 victory over Team LeBron. Tatum truly took over after the start of the second half, scoring 27 of his 55 points in the third quarter. He ended the game shooting 22-for-31 from the field with 10 rebounds and six assists. The previous record for most points scored in the All-Star game was 52, as held by Anthony Davis since 2017.

“It means the world to me,” he told reporters. “… Everybody knows how much [Kobe] meant to me. My favorite player, my idol. So it’s an honor to take this home.” Tatum has been vocal about the impact Bryant had on him for years. Bryant won the award himself a total of three times, in 2002, 2007, and 2011. The legendary Los Angeles Lakers star died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Earlier in the night, the league celebrated LeBron James for setting the new all-time scoring record after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, earlier this month. They played a video from Jay-Z to congratulate James. “Being able to perform at a high level for a long period of time, that’s excellence,” Jay-Z said. “Long after you’re gone, people may look at your name and like, ‘That’s what greatness is. There’s not many you can compare LeBron to. A 19-time All-Star, a remarkable feat. The all-time leading scorer, all-time! I mean, what can you say? He’s been through many iterations of the game and in each era, he’s been the best. ‘The Chosen One’ and that’s it.” James ended up injuring his finger during the game, but says he’ll “be fine.” He has until Thursday night, when the team takes on the Golden State Warriors, to be ready.

Jayson Tatum’s Comments

“It means the world to me. … Everybody knows how much [Kobe] meant to me. My favorite player and my idol. It’s an honor to take this home.”@jaytatum0 on winning the Kobe Bryant Trophy for the #KiaAllStarMVP pic.twitter.com/y40pvEnsD5

— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 20, 2023