Kawhi Leonard All-Star Masterclass
Kawhi Leonard delivered a historic performance at NBA All-Star weekend, scoring 31 points on 11/13 shooting (6/7 from three) with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in just 12 minutes. Leonard hit the game-winner and scored 15 straight points alone against Team World, with many calling it one of the greatest All-Star performances ever.
- This performance occurred during the NBA's new All-Star format, a three-team tournament featuring two American squads ("Stars" and "Stripes") and a "Team World." The event consisted of four 12-minute games. - Leonard's offensive outburst happened in the third game of the round-robin portion of the tournament, where his "Stripes" team eliminated "Team World." - The 2026 All-Star MVP, named the Kobe Bryant MVP Award, was ultimately won by Anthony Edwards of the "Stars," who led his team to victory in the final game against Leonard's "Stripes." - This was not Leonard's first All-Star MVP-caliber performance; he won the award in 2020, the first year it was named after Kobe Bryant. - In his 2020 MVP performance, Leonard scored 30 points and made eight 3-pointers, just one shy of the All-Star Game record. - While Leonard's 31 points in 12 minutes is an incredible rate, the record for most points in a single quarter of an All-Star game belongs to Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 31 in 2024. - The dominant showing aligns with Leonard's regular season play, in which he is averaging a career-best 27.9 points per game for the Los Angeles Clippers.
