CLEVELAND — LeBron James entered the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as the betting favorite to win the MVP award. But in the end, it was another "Kid from Akron" who was hoisting the Kobe Bryant Trophy.
Making an All-Star Game record 16 three-pointers en route to scoring a game-high 50 points, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was named the All-Star Game MVP at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday night. While Curry was initially greeted with boos from the home crowd in Cleveland, he was ultimately cheered by the majority of the fans in attendance by the end of of the night.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Curry -- who was born in nearby Akron -- reflected on his historic night.
"Shooters shoot!! S/o to Cleveland for the boos…and then the love," the two-time NBA MVP tweeted. "Amazing weekend and @KingJames with the Game winner. Something in that Akron water. An incredibly special trophy in the birth state… Humbled and Honored."
James, who was also born in Akron, retweeted Curry's post with his own nod to the duo's shared birth city.
"Definitely something in that water," wrote James, who hit the game-winning shot in Team LeBron's 163-160 win over Team Durant. "Hahaha! Congrats my brother! Incredible!!!"
Curry's history with Cleveland has been well documented.
While his father, Dell Curry, played for the Cavs from 1987-1988, the younger Curry would go on to become one of the franchise's fiercest rivals. From 2015-2018, Curry's Warriors faced the James-led Cavs in four straight NBA Finals, with Golden State clinching two of its three titles in Cleveland.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Curry -- who was also honored as a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team on Sunday -- acknowledged the unique setting of his historical performance.
"Obviously, I have a lot of history in this building, won a lot of games, lost a lot of games, everywhere in between," Curry said. "It, obviously, means there's history here, and the fans I think appreciate it, but it comes out in the form of boos, and I enjoy it because it's not the first time, not the last time. And it takes some energy to boo, so you got to care a lot to do that.
"I tried to channel that into the performance tonight and just have fun with it. I got hot early and kept it going, and tried to put on a little bit of a show. The joy started to come out, and hopefully everybody appreciated it."