Bucks Damian Lillard named 2024 All-Star Game MVP

Damian Lillard was named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday after scoring 39 points on 11 3-pointers.

INDIANAPOLIS — It was ladies time all weekend at the NBA All-Star Game.

Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks was named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game. Sunday after scoring 39 points with 11 3-pointers to lead the Eastern Conference to a 211-186 win over the West.

He joined Michael Jordan in 1988 as the only players in league history to win Saturday Night MVP honors. on the same All-Star weekend.

Lillard won the 3-point contest, defeating Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks in the final round. Jordan won the dunk contest in 1988.

“It’s an honor. “I’ve been here a few times, so to achieve something like this is pretty special.”Lillard told TNT in an on-court interview after winning the MVP award. “Anytime you have that experience, you want to have that experience, you want to be the All-Star Game MVP.”

Lillard in his first season with the Bucks became the fifth player to win All-Star Game MVP in his first season. with a new team, excluding newcomers.

He also became the 20th player to win All-Star Game MVP while playing for his coach that season; Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks led the East team. who scored the most points in the game’s 73-year history. Previous mark: 196 for the West in 2016.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics scored 36 points for the East, while Tyrese Haliburton of the hometown Indiana Pacers finished with 32 points. Lillard’s announcement as MVP was met with acclaim. the screams of the Indianapolis crowd who wanted to see Haliburton take home the trophy.

“I was going to keep shooting until I missed… just have fun, play basketball,” Haliburton said. “I didn’t know how many minutes I was going to play.I didn’t know how my leg would feel, but I felt good today, even after the single-leg dunk, so that’s a positive for me.

“It wasn’t high intensity at all, but I feel good

and I hope this will continue in the future.”

Towns scored 50 points for West in just 28 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 for the West.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.