Russell Westbrook was selected the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. On September 30, 2013, the Raptors were named to the All-Star Game in an announcement. The NBA All-Star Game was held outside of the United States for the first time. Toronto was chosen by the Eastern Conference coaches as they voted for one team from the Atlantic Division and one team from the East.
Westbrook led all scorers with 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He became just the second player in All-Star Game history to finish with at least 10 rebounds and five assists, joining Michael Jordan who did so in 1992.
Westbrook earned these awards: MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team.
Here are the other nominees for MVP: James Harden, Houston Rockets; Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are the other candidates for All-NBA First Team: James Harden, Houston Rockets; Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs; DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans; Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors; Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls.
The Eastern All-Stars squad defeated the Western All-Stars team 111-94 in the inaugural All-Star Game. Ed Macauley of the Boston Celtics was chosen the first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, and the All-Star Game was a success, drawing a crowd of 10,094, well above the season's average attendance of 3,500.
Macauley earned all-star honors by averaging 28.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
Other East players selected as starters were Chick Chandler of the Philadelphia Warriors, Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics, and George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers. In the lineup for the West were Clyde Lovellette of the Chicago Packers, Edgar Martínez of the New York Knicks, Bill Sharman of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and John Wooden of the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the first year of the All-Star Game, coaches were not allowed to participate so Sam Jones of the Boston Celtics served as captain of the Eastern team and Johnny O'Brien of the Philadelphia Warriors led the Western squad. The East won the first All-Star Game 111-94.
Chandler was the only rookie on the East roster while Mikan and Wooden both had one previous season with their respective teams. The last time that a rookie had been voted MVP was in 1951 when Ralph Beard of the Rochester Royals received the honor.
This was the 54th North American National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game, held during the 2004–05 NBA season. The East beat the West 125-115 for the second time in six years, with Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers voted Most Valuable Player.
Iverson had a record-breaking year, winning the MVP award for the only time in his career. He also led the Sixers to their first Atlantic Division title and the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in five games.
Iverson finished the season with averages of 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He became just the third player in NBA history to score 3000 points during a single season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
Iverson joined Chamberlain and Jordan as the only players to average at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game throughout an entire season. He is also one of three players (along with Karl Malone and Kevin Durant) who have won the MVP award without making an All-Star team before the start of the season. The others are Walt Bellamy (1947-48) and Bill Russell (1956).
Iverson's teammate Andre Miller also had a very good season, finishing second in the MVP voting behind Iverson.
Willis Reed of the New York Knicks was the first player to earn the Big Three (All-Star, League, and Finals MVP) in 1970. Michael was the second All-Star MVP winner in 2000, although Shaq was not the only one. He had to tell Tim Duncan about it. The Most Valuable Player Award during the NBA All-Star Game is given to the player who performs best over the course of the season, which can only be done by someone who has been voted in by their peers.
The NBA began giving out individual awards at the end of the season, with the exception of the Rookie of the Year award which is given after the conclusion of the first season. Willis Reed is the only player who has won the All-Star Game MVP award twice; he did so in 1970 and 1980. Bill Russell was awarded the Finals MVP award three times, in 1955, 1957, and 1959 when his Celtics defeated the high-scoring, fast-breaking Milwaukee Hawks in five games. Larry Bird was also awarded the Finals MVP in 1984 when his Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
Michael's acceptance speech for winning the MVP award in 2000 made him a celebrity even before he became a basketball star. In it, he praised his teammates and coaches for helping him become a better player, then he gave credit to his family because he said they had helped make him who he is today.
He was selected the league's Most Valuable Player in 1993 while playing for the Phoenix Suns, and he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the NBA's 50th anniversary. He competed in the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996, winning two gold medals as a member of the United States' "Dream Team."
Barkley is also one of only three players to score 20 points or more in each game they have played in an Olympics career (the other two are Karl Malone and Michael Jordan). His 22.4 ppg average in those games is the highest by any player in that time period.
Barkley helped the United States win the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he scored 21 points per game en route to being named MVP. The following year in Atlanta, Georgia, he averaged 26.1 points per contest and led his team to its first gold medal in the history of the event. He became only the second American to be awarded MVP after Bill Russell who did it in 1957 and 1959 back-to-back seasons. The other person is Michael Jordan who has done it three times.
In addition to his national team duties, Barkley played on four NBA championship teams with the Suns, Philadelphia Sixers, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. He also won an NCAA title with the University of Kentucky in 1977.
Stephen Curry was the first Warriors player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1959-60 season, when the team was still based in Philadelphia. He also eclipsed his own NBA record with 279 three-pointers made in a season, finishing with 286. The AP voted him their MVP.
Curry led the Warriors to their second straight playoff appearance and third in four seasons. He averaged 28.4 points, 3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this past year.
Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder won his second consecutive MVP award, beating out Curry and Toronto's Kyle Lowry out of the Eastern Conference. It was the first time two players from the same team had finished 1-2 in MVP voting since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Bulls in 1989.
Durant averaged 26.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this past season. He became only the second player in NBA history (Jordan) to score 30 or more points in all 82 games.
Lowry finished with 19 votes, while Curry received 18.0 votes. James Harden of the Houston Rockets was named MVP last year.
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