Did Damian Lillard deserve All-Star Game MVP over Tyrese Haliburton? Can Lillard replicate his historic All-Star Weekend performance when it matters most in the playoffs? Many debates lit up the NBA world after Sunday’s contest.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game saw Damian Lillard win MVP honors for the first time in his career. However, many felt that Tyrese Haliburton was the rightful winner.
Lillard was met with jeers from the crowd at Gainbridge Field House in Indiana as he hoisted the Kobe Bryant trophy. His win put the cap on an All-Star Game that received much criticism for its lack of intensity.
Others also questioned whether Lillard is capable of reaching equivalent heights in the playoffs after he became only the second player in league history after Michael Jordan to win the All-Star Game MVP and a Saturday night event in the same year.
Lillard’s record-setting performance didn’t convince all viewers
Lillard won the 2024 Starry 3-Point Contest for the second consecutive time, beating out a talented field of sharpshooters in the process.
He then went off for 39 points behind 11 three-pointers as he led the East to a record-setting 211-186 win over the West and got named the Most Valuable Player as a result.
Though, Haliburton’s 32-point spectacle was appreciated by more than just his home crowd in Indiana. Fans couldn’t hold back their displeasure with the perceived snub, as they expressed under FS1 analyst Skip Bayless’ dig at Lillard:
insane dame won tyrese was really hooping
— mike v (@mikeventure) February 19, 2024
The four-year veteran channeled retired greats Jason “White Chocolate” Williams and Steve Nash with a pair of crafty passes that stole the show. He efficiently connected on 15 straight points in the first quarter that set the tone for the East the rest of the way.
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Lillard and Haliburton both piled on points and highlight plays, but the fans decided the game’s top dog in the end. As for Lillard’s unprecedented success, his two individual accolades will now be forever mentioned alongside Michael Jordan’s Dunk Contest win and All-Star Game MVP in 1988, as The Athletic accentuated on X/Twitter.
Damian Lillard and Michael Jordan are the only two NBA players to win an All-Star game MVP and an All-Star Saturday night event in the same year 🔥H/T @malika_andrews pic.twitter.com/FJqVGjwsyf
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 19, 2024
While Lillard’s achievement is impressive in and of itself, Jordan also won the regular season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in that same season. As is the case with any marquee player putting their names in the history books, Lillard garnered criticism and speculation as to whether he can channel his dominance in a deep playoff run.
The Weber State product has only been to the Conference Finals once as the Portland Trail Blazers’ vanguard in 2019. Lillard wound up getting swept by the Golden State Warriors in an underwhelming effort that saw him shoot a putrid 37.1 percent from the field and a substandard 36.8 percent clip from deep.
Because of said blunder and his other shortcomings, TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal issued a warning to Lillard to deliver in a secondary role next to Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Bucks this Spring:
Shaq's advice to Dame: "You and Giannis, you're being too nice… You're gonna have to grab some people by the necks and say, 'Hey, this is what I need you to do.'" pic.twitter.com/F00Bj0ID6z
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 19, 2024
O’Neal is known for being hard on the best players in the league when they fail to live up to expectations. It paid dividends for Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid, who won the 2023 NBA MVP award after Shaq stayed on his case about imposing his will on the opposition.
Should Lillard take heed to O’Neal’s comments, the eight-time All-Star can add champion to his resume, seal his Hall-of-Fame case, and be remembered for even more than his 2024 All-Star Weekend.