Anthony Edwards Wins All-Star MVP
Anthony Edwards earned the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Award after leading Team Stars past Team Stripes 47-21 in the final of the new tournament-style format. The new All-Star Game format featuring multiple 12-minute games was praised as the best since 2020, with players showing significantly more competitive effort. Kawhi Leonard delivered the weekend's most memorable performance, scoring 31 points in one quarter in his home arena.
- This was the first year for the "USA vs. World" tournament format, which featured two American teams (Team Stars and Team Stripes) and one international team (Team World) competing in a round-robin of 12-minute games. - Anthony Edwards finished the three-game tournament with a total of 32 points, nine rebounds, and three assists to earn the MVP award. In the final game, he contributed eight points and four rebounds. - The MVP award was officially renamed the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award in February 2020, following the basketball legend's death. Bryant, along with Bob Pettit, holds the record for the most All-Star MVP wins with four. - Kawhi Leonard's 31-point performance came in a 12-minute game against Team World. He shot an efficient 11-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 from three-point range in his home arena, the Intuit Dome. - To increase the competitive nature of the event, players on the winning team each received $125,000. - The first three games of the tournament were highly competitive, with each being decided by three points or less. Two of these games were won on buzzer-beating shots. - Despite losing both of their games, Team World's Victor Wembanyama was praised for his competitive effort, scoring 14 points in the first game and 19 in the second.
