Top 10 Greatest All-Star MVP Performances Of The Last 10 Seasons

Last night finally felt like an All-Star Game that meant something. The league leaned into the new USA vs. World mini-tournament setup, the effort actually stayed on the floor, and Anthony Edwards ended up with the Kobe Bryant MVP trophy after stacking 32 total points across three games.

The capper was a blowout in the championship round, with the Stars running the Stripes off the floor 47-21, the kind of finish that tells you one team came to hoop, and the other team thought it was still warmups.

Now that the break is over, it’s the perfect time to zoom out and rank the best All-Star MVP performances from the last 10 All-Star Games, from 2017 through 2026. This isn’t just a points list. It’s about the full “MVP night” package: raw production, shotmaking difficulty, the moment, and how much a guy bent the game even in an environment where nobody’s running real coverages.

We’re going 10-to-1, and we’re not being polite about it.

10. Stephen Curry (2025 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 20 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 0 BLK, 41.2% FG, 37.5% 3P

This MVP was basically a Stephen Curry homecoming movie, but with a new format that actually gave it stakes. The 2025 All-Star switched to an untimed, first-to-40 mini-tournament, and Curry’s team had to win twice to take the trophy.

The semifinal was the only time Team Shaq looked even slightly vulnerable. Candace’s Rising Stars hung around, and Curry’s shooting was messy (3-of-9, 2-of-8 from three), but he still did the “gravity does the work” thing and chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds while the vets survived 42-35.

Then the final felt like Steph flipping a switch in front of his own crowd. Team Shaq beat Team Chuck 41-25, and Curry’s line was clean: 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and every make was a loud one. Four threes, including the half-court bomb that turned the building into a concert, plus the classic walk-off vibe where he starts celebrating before the shot even lands.

The game itself was basically over early. Team Chuck opened 0-for-10 from the field and fell into an 11-0 hole, and from there it was just Curry and Jayson Tatum trading highlights until the target score got hit.

It’s only No. 10 because the raw totals aren’t on the 50-point tier. But as a “moment + format + winner-take-all” MVP, this one absolutely lands.

9. Kevin Durant (2019 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 31 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 66.7% FG, 66.7% 3P

This one is the blueprint for a “quiet avalanche” MVP. The final score was 178-164 for Team LeBron, but the game story is what makes Kevin Durant’s night pop: his side rallied from a 20-point hole to win it.

Durant’s line tells you everything about the pace and the shot diet. He went 10-for-15 overall and 6-for-9 from three. That’s not “caught fire on a few heat-checks.” That’s controlled, repeatable scoring in an All-Star environment where nobody wants to get embarrassed on an island.

Durant was the steady hand while the game turned into a shooting contest in the second half, leading to a comeback. Team LeBron got hot in the third, and once that happened, Durant’s scoring felt like the metronome. Every time Team Giannis tried to keep it loose and run, Durant answered with a clean jumper or a three that killed the momentum.

And the defense matters more than people remember. Two blocks and a steal in a game like this is usually a sign the guy was dialed in, not just hooping for highlights. That little extra edge is why he separated from the pack of guys who also scored a bunch.

It lands at No. 9 because the game didn’t have the late-game tension of other years, and the scoring record tiers above it are historic. But as a “complete MVP package,” Durant was basically perfect.

8. LeBron James (2018 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 29 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 70.6% FG, 50.0% 3P

This was the first captain-draft All-Star, and it actually played like a real game down the stretch. Team LeBron won 148-145, and the signature moment was LeBron James scoring the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds left.

That’s why this MVP ages so well. The stat line is strong, but the context is stronger. LeBron wasn’t just filling it up in the first half while everyone took turns. He was the guy who organized the chaos when the fourth quarter tightened and possessions started to matter. The game had that “uncommonly entertaining” feel, and it’s accurate: the contest had actual stops, actual urgency, and a real finish.

LeBron’s efficiency was nasty for a game that had this much talent on the floor. 12-for-17 overall, 4-for-8 from three, plus the 10 boards and 8 assists that show he was doing everything. The assists also undersell his control, because a lot of his impact was tempo: when to push, when to slow it, when to hunt a mismatch.

This one is No. 8 because the box score doesn’t scream “record breaker.” But as a performance that actually shaped the outcome, this is one of the most “MVP” MVPs of the decade.

7. Kawhi Leonard (2020 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 30 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 61.1% FG, 57.1% 3P

This was the All-Star that actually changed the event. The 2020 game debuted the ‘Elam Ending’, reset the first three quarters like mini-games, then turned the fourth into “first to the target score.” Team Giannis led 133-124 after three, so the target became 157, and the whole thing suddenly felt like real basketball instead of a layup line.

The final score was Team LeBron 157, Team Giannis 155, and it came down to actual stops and late-game possessions. Kawhi Leonard’s MVP case is pretty clean: he was the best scorer in a game where the scoring pace wasn’t the whole point anymore. He poured in 30, drilled 8 threes, and did it without the usual All-Star coasting feel.

What makes this performance age well is the mix of shotmaking and moment. A bunch of guys had numbers, but Kawhi looked the most comfortable once the game got tight. And that matters because the Elam Ending created pressure. You could see the defensive intensity spike, the switching got sharper, and the possessions started to look like playoff reads. Kawhi wasn’t just hunting highlights; he was hunting the same shots he’d take in April, and he kept hitting them.

This lands at No. 7 because it’s not a historic point total. But as an MVP performance that helped legitimize a new format and actually swung the tone of the night, it’s one of the most important “best” All-Star MVPs of the decade.

6. Anthony Edwards (2026 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 32 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, N/A STL, N/A BLK, 59.1% FG, 40.0% 3P

Anthony Edwards’ MVP was a format win and a star-making flex at the same time. The 2026 All-Star went to a tournament setup, and in the championship game, Team Stars absolutely wiped Team Stripes 47-21. That’s not “close late.” That’s a team treating the final like it mattered.

Edwards’ case wasn’t just the final, though. He scored 32 total points across the three games he played, which is the tricky part of ranking a tournament MVP: you’re not stacking 48 minutes of stats, you’re stacking impact in sprints. And he did the MVP thing in this format, which is hitting the shots that decide who advances. He was combative all night, and his team cruised in the final, with Team Stripes featuring vets like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

The reason this sits at No. 6 is simple: it was a “control the day” performance, not a single-game explosion. Edwards turned a new, pressure-packed All-Star into his personal stage, and the blowout finish made the trophy feel earned instead of handed out.

5. Damian Lillard (2024 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 39 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 53.8% FG, 47.8% 3P

The 2024 All-Star was shameless offense, and Damian Lillard still managed to stand out in a game where everyone had green lights. The final score was East 211, West 186, the kind of number that looks fake until you remember nobody guarded anybody for long stretches.

Lillard’s performance was pure volume shooting dominance: 39 points, 11 threes, and he did it on 14-of-26 from the field and 11-of-23 from deep. That matters because it wasn’t just “I got hot.” It was “I took over the entire shot economy of the game.” When a guy attempts 23 threes in an All-Star and still hits almost 48.0%, that’s not normal, even in a no-defense environment.

The other concrete piece is the weekend context. He won the Three-Point Contest and then won All-Star MVP, which is rare air because it means he basically owned the whole event from Saturday to Sunday.

Why No. 5 and not higher? Because the game itself had zero tension, and the defense was basically a suggestion. But as a shooting clinic with a ridiculous final score backdrop, Lillard’s MVP is one of the loudest “this is my night” performances of the last 10 All-Star Games.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2021 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 35 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 100.0% FG, 100.0% 3P

This is the purest efficiency flex of the modern All-Star era because it wasn’t “I got hot.” It was “you cannot stop this.” Giannis Antetokounmpo went 16-for-16 from the field, hit his threes (3-for-3), and basically turned the event into a rim-run clinic with a couple of punchline jumpers sprinkled in.

The final score was Team LeBron 170, Team Durant 150, and the game never really found a point where the outcome felt in doubt. The funny part is that Giannis didn’t need to dominate the ball to dominate the night. His impact came from the stuff that’s hardest to defend even in a real game: sprinting the floor, sealing early, cutting behind ball-watching defenders, and finishing everything. No wasted possessions, no settling, no “let me try something.” Just automatic points.

That’s why it lands at No. 4. A lot of All-Star MVPs are volume awards in games where everyone scores. This was different. Perfect shooting turns the whole conversation into a one-liner. You can debate the intensity, but you can’t debate perfection.

3. Anthony Davis (2017 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 52 PTS, 10 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 66.7% FG, 0.0% 3P

The final score was West 192, East 182, and this was the night the “All-Star scoring record” became a real thing people tracked. Anthony Davis dropped 52, which at the time was the most points ever in the event, and he did it in the most All-Star way possible: sprint, catch, finish, repeat.

What makes it special is that it wasn’t a guard getting loose for a barrage of threes. It was a big winning the pace game. Davis kept beating everyone down the floor, sealing deep, and turning broken matchups into layups and dunks. The 26 field goals made were the loudest part of the box score because it shows how constant the pressure was.

This sits at No. 3 because the defense was basically optional, and the game was a track meet. But in terms of a single-night scoring takeover, Davis set the bar for the decade.

2. Jayson Tatum (2023 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 55 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 71.0% FG, 55.6% 3P

Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175, and Jayson Tatum didn’t just break the record. He buried it. He went 22-for-31, hit 10 threes, and still found time to fill the rest of the stat sheet like it was a real game.

The most important detail is how fast the scoring came. He had 27 points in the third quarter alone. That’s a “game breaks open because one guy decided it would” stretch, even in an All-Star setting. And it didn’t feel like empty calories, because the efficiency was ridiculous, and the shot mix wasn’t just standstill bombs. It was pull-ups, rhythm threes, straight-line attacks, and quick decisions before the defense could load up.

He’s No. 2 only because one other MVP performance still feels more iconic when you picture it in your head.

1. Stephen Curry (2022 All-Star Game MVP)

Stats: 50 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 56.7% FG, 59.3% 3P

Team LeBron won 163-160, but the scoreboard almost doesn’t matter because the night became a Stephen Curry shooting exhibition that nobody could interrupt. Sixteen made threes is the kind of number that sounds like a typo, and it’s still the cleanest “this event is mine” MVP of the last decade.

The key is that it wasn’t just hot. It was loud. Walk-up threes, pull-ups from deep, quick-hitters off movement, the whole catalog. And because the game finished close, it didn’t feel like empty highlight hunting. The score stayed in range, the possessions still mattered late, and Curry kept launching anyway.

That’s why it’s No. 1. Records are one thing. Owning the entire vibe of the night, and doing it with shots that still look impossible on replay, is another.