LeBron James made history Thursday night by earning his 21st All-Star selection, extending his own record. At 40 years old, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19 selections last season. He will be joined in the Western Conference starting lineup by Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who is the reigning MVP; Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, who has 15 All-Star selections; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder; and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks led all players in fan voting for the second straight year. He will be joined in the Eastern Conference starting lineup by Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
NBA ALL-STAR STARTERS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Stephen Curry, Warriors
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Kevin Durant, Suns
LeBron James, Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
LeBron, who was set to play against Tatum and the Celtics later Thursday in Los Angeles, is averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 9 assists for the Lakers, who are in sixth place in the Western Conference. Durant, with 15 All-Star selections, joins legends like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Shaquille O’Neal, trailing only LeBron, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant.
Jokic, earning his seventh All-Star selection, continues to dominate for the Nuggets, averaging 30.1 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.9 assists. Curry returns to the starting lineup for his 11th appearance, having edged out the injured Luka Doncic for the spot.
There was no surprise about Gilgeous-Alexander returning to the starting lineup after his strong season. Coming off his first 50-point game against the Utah Jazz, he is averaging 32 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists for the Thunder, who lead the West.
In the East, Giannis, making his ninth All-Star appearance, led the voting. Tatum and Mitchell, both making their sixth appearances, were expected to be starters. Towns will be making his first All-Star start in his first season with the Knicks after making four appearances as a reserve with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The starting lineups were chosen through a hybrid voting system, with 50% of the vote coming from fans and 25% from both media and players.
The second East starting spot, which seemed uncertain, was between Brunson, LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets, and Damian Lillard of the Bucks. In the end, Brunson got the spot.
The seven reserves from each conference will be revealed next Thursday on TNT, based on voting by each conference’s coaches. The coaches for this year’s All-Star Game will be Mark Daignault of the Thunder and Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers. Due to changes in the format, assistant coaches from both teams will coach two of the three teams, along with the winning team from the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.
