Chicago (AP) - The LeBron team has won the 69th all-star game of the North American professional basketball league NBA. The selection for superstar LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly defeated Team Giannis with top player Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee Bucks with 157: 155 (83:92).
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers was the best thrower with 30 points and was honored with the award for the first time after the fatal accident Kobe Bryant as best player. The All-Star game was all about the 18-time All Stars Bryant. The Giannis team ran in jerseys with Bryant's long-standing number 24. The LeBron team chose 2, with which Bryants also played daughter Gianna, who died in the helicopter crash at the end of January.
"We will never see a basketball player like Kobe Bryant again," said Lakers legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson at the start of a long pre-game ceremony to honor Bryant. After eight seconds of silence with the players holding hands, the crowd at the United Center in Chicago started "Kobe, Kobe" calls. Long-time NBA Managing Director David Stern, who also died in January, was also honored.
The game itself was played in a new format, with the team winning in the last quarter without timing, the first to score 24 points more than the leading team after the third.
Statistics all-star game
NBA table