They may face long odds to ever becoming teammates, but Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James will again get to share the court in an NBA All-Star Game. However, the Los Angeles Lakers forward selected Kevin Durant with the first pick in the 2019 All-Star Draft for a second straight year.
Irving was James’ second selection. Then with his first pick amongst the reserve pool, James opted for Davis. The picks will invariably fuel speculation heading into the offseason and Davis will still seek a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, and Irving is on track to become an unrestricted free agent.
Davis, Irving and James were also teammates in the 2018 All-Star Game, though in that instance the three were starters. It’s also unclear how James drafted his team as the NBA didn’t yet televise the event.
Another intriguing layer came when Klay Thompson was drafted to Team LeBron. Thompson reportedly may have interest in signing with the Lakers this summer should matters with the Golden State Warriors go a bit wayward.
As for the special roster additions in this season’s exhibition game, James predictably drafted close friend Dwyane Wade over Dirk Nowitzki.
As the second-leading vote-getter behind James, Giannis Antetokounmpo had the No. 2 overall pick in the All-Star Draft, which he used on Stephen Curry. He previously hinted at taking the Warriors guard with his first pick, returning the favor of Curry taking Antetokounmpo with his first selection last year.
Antetokounmpo revealed he promised Milwaukee Bucks teammate Khris Middleton that he would be picked first amongst reserves. That loyalty paved the way to James being in position to select Davis.
By default, hometown hero Kemba Walker was the final starter drafted. Antetokounmpo drafted Ben Simmons, much to James’ dismay, but they agreed to work out a trade after the draft was complete. The deal put Russell Westbrook on Team Giannis.
Team LeBron roster (ordered by pick selection)
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bradley Beal, Dwyane Wade
Team Giannis roster (ordered by pick selection)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, D’Angelo Russell, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry, Dirk Nowitzki
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