Kawhi Leonard said winning the first Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP was “very special” and “means a lot” after scoring 30 points in Team LeBron’s win over Team Giannis in Chicago.
Leonard made it look effortless, nailing one three-pointer after another and nearly matching an All-Star Game record.
The tough part came afterwards. Finding the right words to express how he felt after becoming the first Kobe Bryant MVP award winner wasn’t so easy.
Leonard scored 30 points and hit eight three-pointers to lead Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis on Sunday night.
He was presented the MVP trophy that the league renamed after Bryant on Saturday, three weeks after the Lakers great and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles.