Kevin Durant's 31 points were enough to secure him All-Star MVP honors, adding to the recent regalia of accolades he has obtained since joining the Golden State Warriors. His 2013-14 MVP, two championships, two Finals MVPs, and this, his second All-Star MVP award, put him alongside royal company — joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal as the only six players to have collected this cornucopia of awards in their careers:
Only six players in NBA history with at least 1 regular season MVP, 2 Finals MVPs, 2 All-Star MVPs: Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and now Kevin Durant.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 18, 2019
Durant's first MVP came in 2012 in Orlando, in what seems like ages ago in basketball years. Back then, Andrew Bynum was the Western Conference's starting center, and teammate Andre Iguodala was chosen as a first-time All-Star:
“In 2012, I felt like I started to hit that elite level,” Durant said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “All that stuff in one year was pretty exciting to me.”
#KevinDurant (31 PTS, 6 3PM) wins #KiaAllStarMVP in the #TeamLeBron #NBAAllStar victory! pic.twitter.com/55kGnd3Dva
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2019
Durant was effective in his 25-minute showing during the mid-February festivities, connecting on 10-of-15 from the field, 6-of-9 from deep and making all five of his free-throw attempts.
The Warriors forward put out the consummate Durant-like performance — effective, efficient, and flat-out deadly when the chips are down, providing the late-game spark to seal the game for Team LeBron, who coasted to a 178-164 win.
The Slim Reaper now joins a shortlist of players either in the Hall of Fame or destined to be in it, just as Durant surely is after a strong body of work throughout his 11 years in the league.
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