Los Angeles: NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the All-Star Game MVP award will now be called the Kobe Bryant Award as players lined up to pay tribute to the late NBA icon. "Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA all-star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game," Silver said. "He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world."

Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, were buried in a private funeral service in southern California last week after they were among nine people who perished in a horrific helicopter crash on January 26. The uniforms for Sunday's all-star game in Chicago will also honour Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter with LeBron James' team wearing the No. 2 for the basketball-playing Gigi and Giannis Antetokounmpo's team wearing No. 24 in a tribute to Bryant. Antetokounmpo was one of several all-stars who also spoke Saturday about their memories and the legacy that Bryant left behind.