National Basketball Association

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Team LeBron find moment of joy in All-Star Game win

Updated Jul. 20, 2021 6:12 p.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Last month, Giannis Antetokounmpo said he didn't care about the All-Star Game.

He wanted to spend time with his family. He was looking forward to having five days off. And he wondered why a superfluous game needed to happen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But on Sunday, that sentiment quickly changed.

His one-year-old son Liam was sitting in the stands and Antetokoumpo wanted to make the toddler's first All-Star Game memorable.

"I just wanted Liam to see somebody that's having fun," he said. "Somebody that plays with joy."

Antetokounmpo went on to finish with 35 points on 16-for-16 shooting, including making all three of his 3-point attempts and grabbing seven rebounds. He led Team LeBron to a 170-150 win over Team Durant, helping his team win all four quarters and raise $1.25 million for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

After the game, he was presented with the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Award.

A beaming Antetokounmpo held the trophy during his entire 10-minute postgame interview. He said he couldn't wait to put an award in his home with his idol's name on it.

"I know he would be happy," Antetokoumpo said of Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash last January.

The league's 70th All-Star Game was unlike any other.

News broke Sunday morning that Philadelphia 76ers All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons wouldn't be able to play in the game because they had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 back in Philadelphia.

And hours before tipoff, some of the league's biggest superstars talked about how eerie it was to be confined to their hotel rooms in Atlanta amid the global pandemic, ahead of what's typically one of the league's biggest and flashiest spectacles.

Said LeBron James: "To be sitting here, sitting in my room isolated with no one, my family is not here, I'm by myself, it's just – it's just different, to say the least, compared to previous years."

Added Kawhi Leonard: "There's no people around, you know. There's no entertainment. Look what we're doing now, we're doing a Zoom call."

NBA All-Star weekend is usually a glitzy and glamorous affair where the best players in the world mingle with one another. There are nonstop appearances, parties and extravagant dinners. It's an event that players look forward to all season.

But this time around, things were very different.

All of the All-Star events were crammed into one day, players had to adhere to health and safety protocols, and the game was played in a nearly empty arena in what was really a made-for-TV event.

But after the game started, none of that really mattered.

There were plenty of highlights.

With 18.3 seconds left in the first half, Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer from just beyond the half-court line. Twelve seconds later, Stephen Curry did the same thing from pretty much the same distance. Curry then waved at Lillard, his teammate on Team LeBron.

Lillard finished with 32 points, including eight 3-pointers. Curry had 28 points, also making eight 3-pointers. Curry also won the 3-Point Contest earlier that afternoon.

James, who is now 4-0 as an All-Star captain, only played 13 minutes but he made them count.

In the second quarter, the 36-year-old made a right-handed jam that most guys his age couldn't even do on an eight-foot hoop. He also threw an alley-oop bounce pass to Rudy Gobert, who completed the dunk. James finished with four points and four assists.

Team Durant, which was without Kevin Durant (strained left hamstring), was led by Bradley Beal (26 points) and Kyrie Irving (24 points and 12 assists).

All in all, it was a successful evening.

And for Antetokounmpo, a five-time All-Star and two-time MVP, the night meant a lot.

Much more than he anticipated, in fact.

"I was just having fun," he said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.