The 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago is underway with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant expected to be honored over the course of the three-day period.
On Feb. 14, Bryant was officially announced as one of the eight finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2020.
And on Feb. 16, commissioner Adam Silver renamed the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award to the Kobe Bryant award.
The upcoming 69th edition of the NBA All-Star Game will also serve as a tribute to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who tragically passed away in last month’s helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Team LeBron James will wear No. 2 jerseys in honor of Bryant’s daughter and Team Giannis will wear No. 24 jerseys to honor him. The final target score in the fourth quarter will also be calculated by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through the first three quarters and adding 24 points.
Bryant was a staple of the NBA All-Star Game throughout his illustrious 20-year career, participating in the exhibition contest 18 times and being named MVP on four occasions.
Bryant got his first taste of All-Star Weekend during his 1996-97 rookie season, playing in the Rookie Challenge before becoming the youngest player in NBA history to win the Slam Dunk Contest.
He was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game the following season and from 2000-16, he was a constant presence on the Western Conference team.
Bryant participated in his final NBA All-Star Game in 2016, earning the most votes of any player on the ballot (1,891,614).
He scored 10 of the Western Conference’s 196 points, adding six rebounds and seven assists to complete his night.
Bryant’s 290 points in the All-Star Game ranks second in NBA history behind only James’ 362.
