Some fans believe Celtics star Jayson Tatum was robbed of the MVP award in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Was Jayson Tatum robbed of All-Star Game MVP?
Tatum tallied a combined 21 points across two games alongside five rebounds, four assists and a block on 9-11 shooting for the victorious Team Shaq OGs and scored the game-winning dunk in San Francisco.
Despite his efforts, hometown favorite Steph Curry was awarded the Kobe Bryant Trophy as All-Star Game MVP for the second time in his career.
Curry finished with 20 points on 7-17 shooting from the floor to go with ten rebounds, two assists and three steals.
12 of the media votes went to Curry, with Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receiving one apiece.
Tatum has been named All-Star Game MVP once before in his career, achieving the feat in 2023 with a record 55 points which is likely never to be broken if the league sticks with the new format.
WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s game-high 21 points for Team Shaq
Jayson Tatum’s phenomenal outing in his 6th #NBAllStar Game helps Shaq’s OGs secure 2 wins for the Championship! 🏆
🌟 21 PTS
🌟 5 REB
🌟 4 AST
🌟 9-11 FGM pic.twitter.com/MClsbDnCyg— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2025
Fan reaction says it all as Jayson Tatum was snubbed for All-Star MVP
Jayson Tatum in the “get robbed from winning MVP” competition pic.twitter.com/1chGiTGqWr
— . (@J0nesToChina) February 17, 2025
I thought Jayson Tatum had the MVP locked down lol
Good for the Bay though
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) February 17, 2025
Tatum is no stranger to snubs in this category having lost out on the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award to Jaylen Brown last season despite averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in Boston’s sweep of the Indiana Pacers.
The 26-year-old was also pipped to the Finals MVP award in spite of becoming the sixth player in league history to win a championship while leading their team in points, rebounds and assists in the playoffs.
As per the best online sportsbooks, the Celtics remain the outright title favorites so Tatum will have plenty more opportunities to get his hands on individual accolades going forward.
The NBA All-Star break comes to a close towards the end of this week and Boston are in action next on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
