Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, and his trophy that broke during the post-game ceremony nearly stole the spotlight from his splendid game which saw him posting 30 points and a record 25 rebounds.
"It happened last year too so I wasn't expecting anything less," Drummond said during a post-game press conference as quoted by Associated Press and published by Yahoo! Sports. "Usually a slip-up happens every year with the trophy so I wasn't too shocked about that."
According to SI.com, the minor mishap happened when BBVA chief operating officer Angel Cano was about to present the trophy to Drummond. But before Drummond could get hold of the trophy which has a black base and glass top design, it separated into pieces. The glass fell off the base but did not shatter. Drummond was cool however in holding the trophy together, raising it so that the crowd would be able to see it.
The awkward situation was made lighter by a wisecrack from Knicks guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. who grabbed the microphone and said: "ESPN Not Top 10."
Despite the embarrassing end to the game, it was still a night to remember for Drummond who led Team Hill to a 142-136 win over Team Webber. The emerging dominant post presence for the Pistons shot 12 for 21 from the field and added 25 rebounds, the highest ever in the history of the event.
As he told Yahoo! Sports: "It was my mindset to come out and play with energy like I had been all year. I had my mindset to win the MVP and win the game, and I went out there and did it."
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