Chris Paul posts touching Kobe tribute after All-Star Game victory

Paul shared a clip from a Kobe Bryant interview in which the late Lakers star discussed changes he wanted to see in future All-Star Games.

Chris Paul admitted that at times, the All-Star Game was tough.

Not because the best in the league were competing like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but because they were playing, in part, in memory of Kobe Bryant.

The league made sure to honor the late Lakers great throughout the weekend. They renamed the MVP award to the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy, both Team Giannis and Team LeBron wore No. 24 and No. 2 jerseys for Kobe and his daughter Gianna, Magic Johnson delivered a eulogy and Jennifer Hudson sang. To name a few.

But it was Paul that pointed out that the best way that the NBA honored the legacy of Kobe is the way both teams competed in the All-Star Game.

And on Monday, Paul posted a touching tribute to Bryant, linking a video from a portion of an interview that Kobe gave on the Knuckleheads podcast back in September 2019.

You ALWAYS pushed us to be more competitive!!! I’m grateful to be in a position to make players voices heard and honor you as a fierce competitor. We’re ALL fans of the game after all!!! #MambaMentality

On the podcast, Bryant talked about improvements he had wanted to see in future All-Star Games and how he and Paul had discussed their ideas for possible changes.

“The All Star Game in general needs a little revamping, because it used to be competitive. Fans want to see the best pick-up game in the world…Me and CP used to talk all the time—I don’t think me and CP ever lost a game. And we used to look at each other and say OK, ‘Let’s go. 4th quarter, let’s go get em.”

The NBA announced changes to the All-Star Game format on Jan. 30, four days after Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Among those changes was the new Elam ending that was suggested by Paul over the summer.

Paul said Sunday night that he was constantly checking with players throughout the game to see how they liked the format, with LeBron James telling USA Today that it was “extremely fun and a great way to end the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend”.

Love and Miss you Bean!! Was the first time I’ve played in the All-Star game without you. But one thing WE ALWAYS did was COMPETE!!! Hope we didn’t let you down!! #MambaMentality #Mambacita #ASW2020

In his 10th All-Star Game, Paul made a case for winning the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP, scoring a career-best 23 points to go along with six assists as Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 157-155.