No matter what’s ailed the
It could have easily been a weekend for the young ones, a chance for
The
All-Star success was nothing new to Bryant, who had made headlines at the event since becoming the youngest All-Star ever, playing at age 19 in 1998. He won the MVP award in 2002, 2007 and 2009, sharing it with
“”Just being around so many young players gave me so much energy to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff,”” Bryant said before laughing. “”But the fourth quarter, man, I had nothing left. I exceeded my dunk quota for the game.””
Bryant finished five points behind
On one play, he went around Rose for a double-clutch dunk. On another, he scored on a reverse dunk after a feed from Manu Ginobili. He helped clinch the award by beating a fast-closing
Bryant also moved to fourth in All-Star points, 18 behind career leader
James gave Bryant a run at MVP honors, posting only the second triple-double in All-Star history: 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
“”I wish the East would have won,”” said
The game ended a weekend filled with intrigue (Griffin’s dunk over a parked car) and drama (the
Griffin has elevated the future of the
The game had some humorous moments, including
Bryant was jovial with media members afterward, though he became serious when asked if the
“”We are up for the challenge,”” Bryant said. “”Pau and I have been talking this whole time about looking forward and getting back at it. We have been in communication with the rest of the fellas, and we all can’t wait to get started.””