Kobe Bryant made sure that everyone in the NBA knew that Staples Center is his territory, leading the Western Conference All-Stars with 37 points in a 148-143 victory.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard had the 37 points and added 14 rebounds to earn MVP honors for the fourth time in his career. He tied Bob Pettit for most All-Star Game MVP awards and also broke a record for offensive rebounds with 10.
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Bryant was joined by fellow Laker Pau Gasol, who added 17 points to represent the team at their home court. It was Bryant’s highest scoring total for an All-Star Game. He got off to a quick start, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. The award was the first one since he shared the honors with Shaquille O’Neal at the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix.
By the end of the night, Bryant was hearing his usual chants of “MVP” by the Staples Center faithful and gave another performance worthy of their chants.
See Bryant’s MVP performance here:
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VIDEO: LeBron James On Kobe Bryant
