Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and excellence in the NBA All-Star Game are synonymous with each other. And now, that will forever be represented in an elegant shiny piece of hardware, as the NBA has introduced the new All-Star Game MVP Trophy named after the Hall of Famer.

Via Nick DePaula of ESPN:

The NBA’s new Kobe Bryant Trophy for the All-Star Game MVP features an 8-sided base with 24 stars, and 4 levels of 2, 7, 9 & 11 inches in height — a nod to the 2002, 2007, 2009 & 2011 years in which Kobe won his record-tying 4 All-Star MVPs.

https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/1489248997965385732

Needless to say, it's only apt that the NBA dedicates the trophy in honor of the fallen basketball superstar. Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, had won MVP honors in the All-Star Game four times — tied for most all-time. The former Lakers shooting guard's fellow Hall of Famer Bob Pettit won it a total of four times as well during the 50s and 60s.

The designer of the trophy, VIctor Solomon, explained the design of the hardware, via Ben Pickman of Sports Illustrated.

“It needed to be as innovative and as groundbreaking as (Kobe) was as a player,” Solomon says.

The 2022 NBA All-Star Game will be held on February 20 in Cleveland, where it will also be known which player becomes the first-ever recipient of the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Trophy.