NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Saturday the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named after the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards.
The NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be presented at the conclusion of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago, where the league is celebrating the lives of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26.
Bryant made his NBA All-Star Game debut in 1998 at age 19 – the youngest player to play in an All-Star Game.
That appearance marked the first of his 18 All-Star selections, second-most in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).