Kobe Bryant took home the 2011 NBA All-Star Game MVP award with 37 points and 14 rebounds. But LeBron James almost stole the trophy from Kobe with the second triple-double in All-Star Game history, pumping out 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. (Michael Jordan had the first triple-double, by the way, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 1997. Glen Rice won the All-Star Game MVP that year.)
VIDEO: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James Dominate 2011 NBA All-Star Game Highlights
The two divisive stars led the way for their respective teams, but other studs like Kevin Durant (34 points) and Amar’e Stoudemire (29) contributed mightily to the 2011 All-Star Game highlight reel.
One player notably absent from the spotlight was Carmelo Anthony, who basically ran Los Angeles the rest of the weekend as trade rumors continued to circulate ahead of the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 24). ‘Melo had a rough game punctuated by Craig Sager’s attempt to make him say something interesting.
The All-Star rookies had mixed results. Russell Westbrook scored 12 points while looking like the most explosive player on the court during his stints. Blake Griffin, despite drawing chants from the Staples Center crowd, played just 14 minutes and finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. Kevin Love had the second least playing time on the West All-Star (he played four seconds more than Tim Duncan). The Timberwolf forward had two points, four rebounds and one Aaron Rodgers-like outlet pass.
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