Bryant sparkles, earns record-tying 4th All-Star MVP trophy (Feature)

By Paul Levine Feb 21, 2011, 7:23 GMT

Los Angeles - The fans, 17,163 strong on Sunday night at the Staples Center, began chanting 'MVP, MVP' in the first quarter as hometown hero Kobe Bryant took over the annual NBA All-Star Game with 11 of his game-high 37 points.

And indeed they were jubilant as the Lakers star was named Most Valuable Player of the mid-season gala for the fourth time, tying an NBA All-Star Game record held by Hall of Famer Bob Pettit.

The West held on to defeat the East, 148-143, in what Bryant called the last All-Star Game of his career on his own home court.

He added a rare 14 rebounds on the evening, including a clutch pair defensively down the stretch and came within five points of matching Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star Game scoring mark of 42 set in 1962.

'I wanted to come out here and put on a good show,' Bryant said after commissioner David Stern presented him with the glass MVP trophy. 'It felt good to do this in front of my own home crowd. This will be my last All-Star Game in front of them and so this was great.'

Bryant came out roaring and scored 21 points in the first half, including a reverse dunk around Miami star Lebron James. He had four dunks and 34 points when he was taken out with 5:02 remaining in the third quarter, the MVP deal all but sealed.

'He was going after it right from the start,' said New York's Amar'e Stoudemire, who finished with 29 points for the East. 'You could see he wanted to get the MVP. He wasn't passing the ball at all. But that's Kobe.'

'He came out very aggressive,' said James, who posted a triple- double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. 'He did what Kobe Bryant does every night: he scored points. He's probably one of the best scorers the game has ever seen.'

When Bryant returned with 8:03 to go in the game, he was facing history, eight points shy of Chamberlain's All-Star Game record.

A little more than a minute later he was at the free throw line with a chance to add two. Bryant missed the first and clanked the second. But the ball rebounded off the rim directly to him and he sank a soft jumper from the free-throw line, pulling him within five of the record with 6:48 to play and plenty of time.

The scoring record wasn't to be, though. A combination of fatigue and some zealous defence by Atlanta's Joe Johnson held Bryant scoreless the rest of the way. Bryant said he was well aware that he was within reach of Chamberlain's record.

'In the fourth quarter, man, I had nothing left,' he said. 'Those dunks took my legs out from under me.'

Playing for the St. Louis Hawks, Pettit won his four MVPs from 1956-62 when the NBA and the All-Star Game were still in their infancy. Sunday night's game was the 60th.

Bryant has won all his MVPs since 2002, beginning with his first at Philadelphia, the town where he was born. He notched his second at Las Vegas in 2007 and shared the award with former Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal two years ago when the game was played in Phoenix.

A 13-time All-Star selection in his 15 seasons since joining the NBA straight out of high school, the 32-year-old Bryant admitted getting a lift from the young faces on the rosters.

'Just being around so many young players gave me so much energy just to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff,' he said. 'It just re-energized me. I've been there, you know what I mean?

Though Bryant isn't ready to pass the torch just yet, he notes the importance of the budding stars for the good of the game.

'It's important for the game to continue to have young stars emerge,' he said. 'It's important for me to step aside.

'It's about me coming out and performing and staying healthy and doing the right things after 15 years. But it's about them at this point.'

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