SALT LAKE CITY — Team Giannis only had Giannis Antetokounmpo for one play because of his sprained right wrist. Team LeBron only had LeBron James for one half because of a right hand contusion and a plan to save the 20-year veteran’s legs for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ post-break playoff push.
And so in Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game, the real competition ended up between Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell, as they vied for MVP while playing for the same team.
While Mitchell (40 points) had the Utah return narrative going for him for a bit, Tatum took home top honors, scoring 27 of his 55 points in the third quarter to lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 win. Tatum shot 22-for-31 from the field (10-for-18 from 3) with nine rebounds and six assists.
Tatum set the record for most points in an All-Star Game, topping Anthony Davis‘ 52 points in 2017.
Tatum, who grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant and trained with the Lakers legend early on in his Boston Celtics career, earned the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy.