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The NBA All-Star Game MVP Award Has Been Renamed After Kobe Bryant

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Tied for the most All-Star game MVP awards all time, the NBA announced they would rename the award after the late, great Kobe Bryant.

The league couldn’t have named the award after a player more deserving than Bryant, who was an 18x All-Star, winning the MVP 4x.  At this point it would, I think the only thing left for the league to do is retire the numbers “8” and “24” (won by Bryant) throughout the entire league. It’s not really feasible to rename the other two major trophies: the championship (Larry O’Brien) or the MVP (Maurice Podoloff) trophies.

Tonight we’ll see the second installment of Kobe-related tributes this All-Star weekend, as the game rules were changed to honor the Black Mamba. In tonight’s game, the “Final Target Score” (as they’re calling it) will be determined by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points (Kobe’s number). I said I thought it would make both teams play harder, and I still hold that belief. But with emotions high and the cloud of Kobe’s untimely death present as ever, these players are going to have to dig deep to put on a show Kobe would be proud of. Now that the damn MVP award is named after him, whoever wins it better be deserving of the honor.

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Did Giannis Pick the Worst All-Star Team of All-Time?

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Yes.

A look at the most lopsided draft in sports draft history.

This years All-Star game is bound to be one of the most lackluster in recent memory. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so underwhelmed at the sheer names on the rosters alone. Not even to mention the lopsided teams. This lack of entertainment value came as a bit of a surprise to me but I was able to break it down.

Here are the 3 reasons why this All-Star game is the opposite of “Must Watch TV”

1: Pure Lack of Talent

This year, stars like Curry, KD, Kyrie, Oladipo & Klay are all out with injuries. Two of which, are top 5 players in the NBA. Not seeing Steph and Klay launch 40 footers and the KD drama is just upsetting. These five players alone would be a better team than Team Giannis but that’s for my next point.

2: GIANNIS PICKED THE WORST TEAM EVER

I don’t know what happened here, at all. On paper this isn’t even close. How did he not come out with Kwahi, Davis, Harden or Doncic??? That’s insane! Can Giannis team win? 100% but that’s only Bc the whole thing is bs anyway. But seriously, like it’s so lopsided that it makes you wonder if he has beef/ other agendas with the players he picked. Was he blind folded? Does he owe someone money? Was he muddying the water to guarantee an All Star MVP?? Did Giannis do the 100% chemistry thing in FIFA?? Idk but something is fishy. I’m sure Giannis has forgotten more basketball knowledge than I’ll ever know, but I can personally guarantee a loss for his slapdick team.

3: The Kobe Effect

This years All Star game will feature a pretty shitty end game in order to honor Kobe. Am I for honoring Kobe? Absolutely. I think they should change the goddamn logo, but this? Nah, this ain’t it. It’s over complicated and not fulfilling at all.

All in all, the NBA All Star weekend is fun, it’s highlighted by the skills comp, and the dunk contest. The All Star game is just a background contest for charity (which is great).

Prediction: Lebron 188 | Giannis 160

Pecks

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NBA Is Changing All-Star Game Format to Honor Kobe Bryant

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We have officially received word on how the NBA will honor Kobe in this year’s All-Star game. There will 100% be a pre-game tribute and I’m sure much more, but for now we have this. They have restructured the game in a way that I think would make Kobe proud:

At first glance this just seems like a weird format that came from the mind of a 14-year-old 2K addict who drinks too much Monster, but I think it could really work! Of course the NBA could’ve just decided to make the East wear the number “8” and the West, “24” (which were the two numbers Kobe wore in his career), but they chose to take a more complicated route. One of the biggest complaints about the NBA All-Star game is that no one plays hard, which makes it boring. The big men can only shoot so many 3’s before it’s not funny anymore. But this makes it interesting. Guys will actually try to win this thing now. To be fair, with Kobe passing, I think we would’ve seen a spike in effort regardless, but these changes confirm they’ll try harder than usual. Obviously, teams are always supposed to put as much space as possible between them and their opponents, but now they have a goal to reach. And that goal for the leader after three full quarters is 24 points – in honor of the late, great Kobe Bryant.

We all know how a basketball game works: basically, you score as many points as possible in 48 minutes. There’s no limit to how many points you can score in a traditional basketball game…but in this game there is. Like I said, they will have a goal to attain – just 24 more points in the fourth quarter and the game is over. Remember running the mile back in middle school gym class and you got that little burst of energy on the last leg before the finish line? That’s basically what the best players in the world will get to experience (probably for the first time) on a basketball court.

Unless it’s a blowout (which I highly doubt) by the fourth quarter, the first three quarters should have the intensity of a playoff game. And if it’s a close game going into the fourth? Wooo is that gonna be exciting to watch. And that’s exactly what Kobe would’ve wanted. He never took a game off – even the All-Star game – so having the NBA honor his legacy by making this year’s All-Stars play as hard as they would in a playoff game is the perfect tribute.

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Mourning the Death of Kobe Bryant & The Legacy He Left Behind

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This is something I never thought I’d be writing, nor would I ever wish to cover, but Kobe Bryant died this morning in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Also on board was Kobe’s daughter Gianna, Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, daughter Alyssa, and others. This is news that has rocked the NBA and sports world as a whole. I truly believe this is the most significant and devastating death the sports world has ever suffered. Personally, I have never been this upset over the death of someone I didn’t know, but it really feels like a family member died.

Growing up in Los Angeles, and being alive for Kobe’s entire career in the NBA, I was blessed to be able to witness him come to embody the city. In a time where so many players are often traded or sign as free agents with other teams, it made it all the more special that Kobe spent the entirety of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Things really weren’t supposed to happen this way. I was convinced Kobe was invincible. He deserved to live to see his daughters grow up. If not busy with some other business venture, we all thought he would come to own or at least be the GM of an NBA franchise one day…that was the future we all saw for the Black Mamba. Kobe was so much more than an athlete; he was the first athlete to ever be nominated for and win an Academy Award for his animated short, Dear Basketball. He was also a fantastic father that clearly (reference video below) would do anything for his wife and children. (I’m now quoting my Instagram caption) His impact on the game of basketball and sports as a whole are unparalleled. He left behind a legacy that has inspired an entire generation of athletes (and city) to strive to be better both on and off the court/field. Seeing the love that has been expressed for him online truly shows how much he will be missed:

Let’s also take a look back at some of the best “Kobe” moments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My prayers are with the Bryant family, the Altobelli family, and those others on board. May your families find peace in this tough time, and in the words of Kobe Bryant:

 

 

I realize I posted way too much Kobe stuff but his life is worthy of ALL the recognition. Mamba out.

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