Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will lead one of the NBA All-Star Game teams again after garnering the most votes in the All-Star Voting.
James notched his 18th All-Star selection, tying Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for second on the all-time list — and trailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 19.
Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic and Andrew Wiggins joined James among the Western Conference starters. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young have been selected in the East.
As the recipient of the most votes in the West, James has been named an All-Star captain for the fifth year in a row — leading all of his four previous sides to a victory. Team LeBron will face Team Durant again this year after the Brooklyn Nets superstar led the voting in the East.
But just as like year, Kevin Durant likely won’t feature in the All-Star Game in Cleveland on Feb. 20, as an MCL injury has sidelined the forward for the foreseeable future.
Next Thursday, the NBA will reveal 14 reserves for the All-Star game, which will be selected by the 30 NBA head coaches. Then, James and Durant will compile their teams during the All-Star Draft, broadcast by TNT on Feb. 10.
First, James and Durant will take turns to complete the starting fives from the pool of players selected as starters in the All-Star ballot. In the second round, James and Durant will pick their reserve players. Conference affiliation won’t matter during the process.
The coaches for each team will be determined based on the standings two weeks before the All-Star Game. The coaching staff of the two leading teams in the West and East will be matched with the All-Star captains in the respective conferences — unless one of them coached in last year’s All-Star game.
Then, the second-placed coaching staff will be selected.
Lakers Nation has revealed what jerseys Team LeBron will likely wear during the All-Star game in Cleveland.
NBA All-Star Game Western Conference starters:
LeBron James
Nikola Jokic
Andrew Wiggins
Ja Morant
Stephen Curry
NBA All-Star Game Eastern Conference starters:
Kevin Durant
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
DeMar DeRozan
Trae Young
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