Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was named the recipient of the Kobe Bryant 2020 NBA All-Star MVP Award last night, the first winner of the honor with its new title and with the new All Star Game rules. Kawhi scored 30 points (on 11-18 shooting) while draining 8 threes, and contributed 7 rebounds and 4 assists as well. Leonard was the leading scorer in the contest, and was the primary driver behind team LeBron’s resounding 1st quarter victory.
The new format was widely considered a resounding success, with defense and real effort on display from the late 3rd quarter on. Kawhi was instrumental in the game’s competitiveness, working hard on the defensive end of the court and coming down with a couple huge rebounds. He was clearly one of the best players out there, and stood out amidst a loaded All Star crop.
In the grand scheme of things, the All Star Game (and Kawhi’s winning MVP of it) means nothing. It’s a meaningless game that will be forgotten about as soon as regular games begin again. However, it’s still a nice honor, and puts Leonard alone with Michael Jordan as winners of Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP, and All Star Game MVP. Not bad company to be in. Congrats to Kawhi, and hopefully this is not the last MVP award he will be receiving for the Clippers this year.
