NBA All-Star Game: Anthony Edwards was named MVP in the Stars’ win over the Stripes

“It means a lot,” Edwards said of his MVP award. “I love Minnesota, and I know Minnesota loves me. I said I wouldn’t make them an offer but I made them an offer.”

The Stripes missed their first 10 shots in the final, as the Younger Stars took a 12-1 lead. The Stars later added a 15-0 run to take a 33-9 lead as the Veterans were well beaten.

LeBron James, the 41-year-old NBA all-time leading scorer, who was making his 22nd All-Star appearance, added five goals for the Stripes.

In the Los Angeles Clippers’ home opener at the Intuit Dome, Edwards scored 13 points as the USA Stars beat the World Team 37-35.

However, he then made sure to highlight the performance of San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, as the Frenchman recorded 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in his team’s defeat.

“I’m not going to lie, Wimpy set the tone,” Edwards said. “He came out strong and we had to follow through. We had to pick him up and we did.”

The global team was without injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic collected only two points, two rebounds and two assists.

They lost Game 3 48-45 to the Stripes, meaning they were eliminated and the final would be a repeat of Game 2, which the Stripes won 42-40.

The new format was considered a success after criticism of recent releases being lackluster.

Former US President Barack Obama, who was at the stadium, said: “I know a lot of people were worried about the All-Star Game, and they didn’t see a lot of effort. But we saw it.”