http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14622 ... -star-gameAssuming he plays, Bryant would be the fourth player to start an All-Star Game at age 37 or older, joining Michael Jordan, John Havlicek and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"It'll be a special All-Star because this is Kobe's last run,'' Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat said.
Are you gonna try and break his nose again, punk???New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was in line to reap additional millions had he been named a starter for the West. Now, in order to avoid losing out on a projected $24 million over the life of the five-year extension he signed last summer, Davis must win All-NBA honors or be named league MVP.
Davis' extension from his rookie-scale contract kicks in next season and carries with it a provision known as the "Derrick Rose Rule," which would allow him to receive a max salary for a seven- to nine-year veteran, instead of the max for a zero- to six-year veteran in the first year of his extension. The rule allows a player finishing his rookie contract to make 30 percent of a team's salary cap if he has twice been voted an All-Star starter, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award.
By failing to be named a starter for the West on Thursday, Davis can no longer qualify by virtue of having multiple All-Star starter selections. If he is the MVP this season or receives his second All-NBA selection, his total salary for the life of the extension is projected to be $144.54 million. Not achieving the benchmark would reduce his overall earnings to an estimated $120.45 million.
Davis shrugged off news that he had not been voted an All-Star starter.
"I don't care," Davis said after New Orleans' 115-99 win over the Detroit Pistons. "I'm worried about what's in this locker room."