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Tim Bontemps
The NBA revealed its All-Star Game starters for next month on Monday, and, in a surprising turn of events, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was not included.
His teammate, Luka Doncic, topped the voting in the Western Conference, joined by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. In the East, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo led the votes and will be accompanied by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
Nonetheless, the most significant story of the selection was the absence of James, who has been picked as a starter in an unprecedented 21 All-Star Games throughout his career – every single one since the 2005 game in Denver. However, this year he was far from garnering sufficient votes to secure a spot in the starting five out West. James missed the initial 14 games of the season due to sciatica and struggled to regain his form upon returning, which included the end of his incredible streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points in Toronto last month. This has positioned his potential selection for this year’s All-Star Game to be determined by the league’s coaches.
Even though James was not chosen as a starter, Curry was named to the roster, marking the 12th time in his illustrious Hall of Fame career he has made the All-Star Game, currently averaging 27.6 points per game as his 38th birthday approaches. Another player achieving double-digit All-Star appearances was Antetokounmpo, who was at the forefront for East starters and is in the midst of a staggering statistical season (28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists), despite his Bucks sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Enfin, Doncic resumed his All-Star streak after missing last year due to a calf injury that contributed to his unexpected trade to the Lakers. He is leading the fan voting with averages of 33.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. It’s been another phenomenal season for Jokic, who, prior to missing the last few weeks due to a bone bruise in his knee, was producing extraordinary numbers: 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the league, is also shining, with averages of 31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for the league-leading Thunder.
Wembanyama claimed the other Western Conference All-Star position, marking his first All-Star start after earning his initial selection last season, averaging 24.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and leading the league with 2.6 blocks per game.
In the East, Antetokounmpo was partnered with Cunningham, who is making his second appearance and first start as the leader of the top-ranked Pistons, a team on track to win 60 games after a remarkable ascendancy for two consecutive seasons. Maxey, another two-time All-Star making his first start, is averaging over 30 points for the first time in his career and has been instrumental in Philadelphia’s resurgence in the East playoff picture after a disastrous season last year. Brunson will make his third consecutive All-Star appearance for the Knicks, averaging 28.2 points and 6.1 assists per game.
The final East All-Star position was awarded to Brown, who is delivering a career-high 29.7 points per game for the unexpected Celtics, entering Monday’s clash with the Pistons sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, trailing Detroit by 4½ games.
The voting procedure consists of three groups: fan voting, accounting for 50% of the total; a panel of media voters, contributing 25%; and player voting, also making up 25% of the total votes.
The reserves will be revealed on Sunday, selected by the NBA’s coaches.
This year, the All-Star Game has adopted a «Team USA versus the World» structure, breaking the All-Star pool into three rosters; two will consist of American players, and the remaining one will feature international players.
The starters announced on Monday included five American and five international players. If, after the announcement of the 14 reserves, there are fewer than either 16 American or eight international players selected for the All-Star Game, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will add additional All-Stars until there are at least 16 American and eight international players to complete the three rosters in the game.
