SUMMARY
- The 2024 NBA All-Star Game ended with a historic victory for the Eastern Conference over the Western Conference at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
- The determination of the 2024 NBA All-Star MVP involved a panel of nine well-known media members.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game was like a Goliathan fight between the Eastern and Western Conferences, with starters like LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and Kevin Durant among others on the Western front. Starters on the East include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton.
It ended in a historic victory for the East at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The team achieved a record-breaking 211-186 win, marking the highest-scoring All-Star Game to date and establishing the Eastern Conference as the first to surpass the 200-point mark.
Damian Lillard, the remarkable guard from the Milwaukee Bucks, stole the limelight with an incredible performance, leading the East with 39 points, including two blinding half-court shots. Lillard’s excellence on the hard court saw him earn the Kobe Bryant MVP Award, the first one in his eighth All-Star appearance. Notably, in February 2020, Commissioner Adam Silver renamed the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award in honor of the late Kobe Bryant.
Tyrese Haliburton started the game 5/5 from 3-point range 🔥pic.twitter.com/cq4hQsmeEc
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) February 19, 2024
However, the MVP selection stirred a buzz of anger among Indiana Pacers fans and the host city, who had hoped to see their own Tyrese Haliburton claim the award. Haliburton’s performance last night featured 32 points, an incredible 10-for-14 on 3-pointers, along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Damian Lillard from 40 AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/NHFErEmSWS
— 🤍’ (@HeavenlyBuckets) February 19, 2024
Notwithstanding the compelling case for Haliburton, Lillard’s 39-point display, including 33 from beyond the arc, ultimately swayed the voters. Now, a question arises: How does NBA All-Star MVP voting work? The winner is decided by a panel of media members, casting their votes post-game.
And while 50% of fan votes are accounted for when choosing the roster for the All-Star game, the MVP fan voting accounts for 25% of the overall decision. Let’s take a look at who were the media members on the panel for the vote this time around.
Who were the members who voted for the 2024 NBA All-Star MVP
The determination of the 2024 NBA All-Star MVP involved a panel of nine well-known media members, who voted for either Damian Lillard or Tyrese Haliburton post-game. Comprising this panel was – Malika Andrews from ESPN. P.J. Carlesimo from ESPN Radio, Vince Goodwill from Yahoo Sports, Reggie Miller from TNT, Shaun Powell from NBA.com, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Marc Spears from Andscape, Joe Vardon from The Athletic and Jeff Zillgitt from USA Today.
According to NBA.com, among the media members, Miller, Powell, Reynolds, and Zillgitt cast their votes in favor of Haliburton. While the remaining members voted for Damian Lillard. The fan votes were split, with the first two going to Lillard and the third fan vote favoring Haliburton.