NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced on Saturday that the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP Award would be renamed Kobe Bryant MVP Award. The move was made in honour of late NBA Superstar who died on January 26, 2020 after a helicopter crash on his way to a basketball tournament.

The change is considered permanent and not only for the All-Star game this year. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star in his 20 seasons as a player in the NBA. He is also a Slam Dunk Contest winner, the youngest player to play in an All-Star Game, and a four-time winner of the All-Star MVP award. He is tied with Bob Pettit with the most All-Star MVP awards won in the history of the NBA.

As a player, Bryant has five championships, two finals MVP awards, one regular-season MVP, two scoring champion awards, and three international gold medals. He is the fourth all-time scorer in the NBA. He was overtaken by LeBron James, falling from third to fourth place, on the eve of his death.

According to CNN, Commissioner Silver said "Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game." Silver added that "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."

Bryant's unfortunate early passing aside, he has accumulated more accolades in All-Star Weekends as an individual compared to most NBA teams. Renaming the award after the future Hall of Famer is a fitting honour.

In the All-Star Game, team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will wear number 24 and 2 jerseys to honour Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, who also died in the crash. Singer Jennifer Hudson will also perform a tribute to all the crash victims before the player introductions at the start of the game. Seven others died with Bryant and his daughter in the crash, which saw no survivors.

The All-Star MVP award is given at the end of the game to the player who performed statistically and entertained the fans the best. The first Kobe Bryant MVP award will be presented this Sunday in the NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

Kobe Byrant
Fact file on basketball star Kobe Bryant, died Sunday in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles, US media reports said. Photo: AFP / Thomas SAINT-CRICQ