With a historic display of otherworldly shooting, Stephen Curry won the 2022 NBA All-Star Game MVP.
Curry broke the All-Star Game record for 3-pointers made during the third quarter. The previous record was nine; Curry sunk eight at halftime and 16 overall. He finished with an All-Star Game career-high 50 points, two shy of Anthony Davis’ record set in 2017.
For a three-minute stretch in the third quarter, Curry turned the game into his own personal shooting contest. He canned four straight 3s, including a stepback from the logo and another pull-up from even deeper. And on the latter, he jogged back on defense while his trey was mid-flight.
In a game with optional defense, Team Durant halfheartedly double-teamed him. Curry’s attempts got increasingly preposterous and included a half court try that just barely missed.
Curry set a new record for 3s in a quarter with six in the second quarter, then broke his own mark in the third with seven. He hit 16 of 27 3-pointers overall.
During halftime, the two-time NBA MVP chopped it up with Michael Jordan in the tunnel before the 75th Anniversary team got announced. Many of the legends from previous eras got to see first-hand just how much Curry has changed the game.
Then the patented Steph Curry heat check happened, and the same Cavaliers fans who booed him during pregame introductions witnessed greatness. Curry had 39 points midway through the third quarter.
Curry opened the fourth quarter with the Kobe Bryant-inspired Elam Ending with another 3. Then he added a rainbow floater off one leg along the baseline for his 50th points.
Though Curry had several chances to break Davis’ record for points in an All-Star Game, his last few 3s rimmed out. LeBron James, in front of his home town, hit the game-winning shot.
But it was Curry who put on the show with one of the most memorable All-Star Game performances ever.