A 24.2-second moment of cheers and name on MVP award to honor Kobe

CHICAGO — The moments of silence already had been held and tears had been shed in the wake of the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash. So when the introductions began Saturday night, Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker opted for a different approach.

They asked the crowd at the United Center to spend the 24.2 seconds on the clock by standing and cheering. The fans responded, tilting the mood from a somber recollection to a celebration.

Just before the crowd stood and cheered, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for Bryant. Sunday night’s All-Star Game will feature Team Giannis wearing Kobe’s No. 24 while Team LeBron will wear No. 2 for Gianna.

“We were thinking about what the best way is, one of the ways to honor Kobe,” Silver said. “It happened to be that his loss came shortly before we were moving into All-Star festivities. I think one of the things that stands out with Kobe, of course in addition to his five championships, is that he has the all-time record of 18 consecutive All-Stars and tied for the record of four MVPs. So we were thinking what is something special we could do at All-Star that had more permanence than changing the numbers on the jerseys?

“And I think the thought collectively of the league office and the discussions with some particular players was, what do you think of then taking this trophy that, while it has existed for a long time, it never had that particular player association, for example, in the way the Finals MVP is the Bill Russell Trophy. To all of us, it seemed like the appropriate way to bring honor to him.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.