MANILA, Philippines — The NBA All-Star game MVP award will be renamed the "Kobe Bryant MVP award" in honor of the late cager.
In an All-Star weekend abound with tributes to the Los Angeles star, the award — which he won a record-tying four times in his career — is now named after him.
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Apart from the renaming of the award, the format of the NBA All-Star game was also tweaked to become a tribute for Bryant.
A "target score" in an untimed fourth quarter of the All-Star game will be a nod to Bryant's No. 24 jersey where the teams will need to score 24 points more than the score of the team leading after three quarters.
The first three quarters will have their scores reset at the end of each quarter in a "mini-game" for charity.
Jerseys to be worn by the All-Stars will also feature tributes to Bryant.
The NBA All-Star game is set to kick off on Sunday, February 16 (Monday, February 17 Manila time).
Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California last January 26 (January 27, Manila time).