The 65th edition of the All-Star Game is already part of history with endless records achieved in the farewell of legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant, from the Los Angeles Lakers, who was the center of attention of the match that ended with victory (196- 173) of his Western Conference team against the Eastern.
Bryant, 37, ended a weekend full of emotions and tributes to his 18 participations in the All-Star Game, the most after the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with a hug to each of the players who participated and a standing ovation from the fans who packed the Air Canada Centre, Toronto.
The legendary player of the Lakers, who played in the last All-Star Game, before the match began, saw how the organization presented two videos of tribute and recognition of his brilliant professional career.
Then Bryant thanked the fans for always giving him their support and trust that allowed him to be in the All-Star Game 18 times and receive 30 million votes.
Bryant also had the honor of making the first jump of the game alongside forward LeBron James and starting 26 minutes as a starter, the 15th time in the 18 teams he has started an All-Star Game, the most in the history of the event. .
The Lakers star, who was the center of attention throughout All-Star Weekend, enjoyed, like the rest of the 23 players who participated in the game, the lack of defense, but he did not have his best scoring inspiration by contributing 10 points, he distributed seven assists and captured six rebounds.
Bryant made 4 of 11 shots from the field, missed 4 of 5 3-point attempts, and was 1 of 2 from the free throw line, recovering one fumble and fumbled another.
“It has been something unforgettable, memories and memories that I will keep forever,” Bryant said at the end of the game. “Now the time has come to let the youth raise the level of professional basketball even higher.”
One of those youngsters is point guard Russell Westbrook, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who was in charge of leading the overwhelming offense of the West by scoring 31 points, after scoring seven triples, of the 31 that the team added, a new record in the All-Star Party history.
Along with Westbrook, chosen Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second year in a row, eight other Western Conference players had double-digit numbers.
The East team had as its leading scorer forward Paul George, of the Indiana Pacers, who scored 41 points, and tied the mark achieved last year by Westbrook.
George fell one point short of tying the best individual mark achieved in an All-Star Game and which belongs to the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, since 1962.
The Pacers forward did manage to set a new record by scoring nine triples.
While another legend, Michael Jordan, took over the organization of the 2017 All-Star Game that will be held again in the United States, this time in Charlotte, home of the Hornets team, owned by the former Chicago Bulls player. .
Bryant will no longer be present for the first time since in 1998, his debut in New York in the All-Star Game, a competition in which he shone in a special way by getting no less than four MVP awards and 290 points, the second best scoring mark of all time. EFE
Bryant was the legend; Westbrook the MVP
