For this year’s NBA All-Star Game under the new format, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo were tasked with drafting from a pool of 24 all-stars.
Both James and Antetokounmpo earned the captain designation after being the leading vote-getters in the Western and Eastern Conference respectively, and since James earned the most votes overall, he had the honor of utilizing the first overall pick in the draft. Here’s a full look at how James and Antetokounmpo decided to draft their squads:
Round 1 – Starters
1: Team LeBron – Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
2: Team Giannis – Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
3: Team LeBron – Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
4: Team Giannis – Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
5: Team LeBron – Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
6: Team Giannis – Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
7: Team LeBron – James Harden (Houston Rockets)
8: Team Giannis – Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)
Round 2 – Reserves
9: Team Giannis – Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
10: Team LeBron – Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
11: Team Giannis – Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
12: Team LeBron – Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
13: Team Giannis – Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers, traded to Team LeBron)
14: Team LeBron – Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
15: Team Giannis – Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)
16: Team LeBron – Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder, traded to Team Giannis)
17: Team Giannis – D’Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets)
18: Team LeBron – LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs)
19: Team Giannis – Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
20: Team LeBron – Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
21: Team Giannis – Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
22: Team LeBron – Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Round 3 – Special Additions
23: Team LeBron – Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
24: Team Giannis – Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
FULL TEAM ROSTERS:
Team LeBron
Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving
Kawhi Leonard
James Harden
Anthony Davis
Klay Thompson
Ben Simmons
Damian Lillard
LaMarcus Aldridge
Karl-Anthony Towns
Bradley Beal
Dwyane Wade
Team Giannis
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
Victor Oladipo – Injured
After many NBA players spoke out publicly about their desire to have the all-star draft televised, the NBA and the player’s association was able to make it happen, as it was televised on TNT before the start of their double header of NBA games tonight. Another first also happened tonight, as James and Antetokounmpo completed the first ever all-star draft trade when James traded Westbrook to Antetokounmpo for Simmons.
The 68th edition of the NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 17 from Charlotte.
Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
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