Leonard’s 30 points helped Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 157-155 in Chicago on Sunday night.
The award was renamed in honor of Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people last month.
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Leonard thanked Bryant, telling “The NBA on TNT”: “It means a lot to me. Words can’t even explain, just making this the first Kobe Bryant MVP trophy. I want to thank Kobe for everything he (has) done for me, all the long talks, the workouts, thank you.
“This one is for him.”
Leonard added: “(The NBA) did a great job with the format this year. They had us come out playing hard in the fourth quarter and competing for a total points score.
“That’s pretty much how we got to competing out there.”
