Staples Center is the host of the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, and the Los Angeles fans will be rooting for their favorite son today. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has been named a starter for the 13th time, and he will play his 12th All-Star Game. Kobe has been steadily moving up the all-time NBA scoring chart this season, and is currently in eighth place with 27,222 points in his illustrious career. Already this season, Kobe has passed John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kobe is also moving up the list of all-time scorers in All-Star history as well. Bryant has scored 207 points in his 11 career All-Star Games, which is good enough for seventh place in NBA history. With a good game, Kobe could be in fourth place by the end of the day.
| Most Points In NBA All-Star Game History | ||
| Player | Games | Points |
| Michael Jordan | 13 | 262 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
18 | 251 |
| Oscar Robertson |
12 | 246 |
| Bob Pettit |
11 | 224 |
| Julius Erving |
11 | 221 |
| Elgin Baylor |
11 | 218 |
| Kobe Bryant |
11 | 207 |
|
Shaquille O'Neal |
12 | 202 |
Kobe has taken home the All-Star MVP trophy three times in his career: 2002 in Philadelphia, 2007 in Las Vegas, and 2009 in Phoenix (shared with Shaq). Those three games are also the only All-Star Games in which Kobe has taken more than 20 shots. The lesson here: if Kobe is shooting early and often, don't be surprised if the hometown favorite takes home his fourth All-Star MVP award.
For more news and Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.