INDIANAPOLIS – On Thursday night, LeBron James made history by becoming the first player ever to be selected to 20 All-Star teams. The announcement came as the NBA unveiled the 10 starters for next month’s All-Star Game, set to take place in Indianapolis. James’s milestone surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the most All-Star nods in NBA history.
The Western Conference starting lineup for the All-Star Game features James, along with Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the Eastern Conference, the leading vote-getter was Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is joined by Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Both Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander will be making their All-Star debut, with Haliburton representing the host team, the Pacers. LeBron James, who is currently in his 21st NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, continues to defy expectations by maintaining impressive statistics. He is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.
The voting process for the All-Star Game was not filled with much suspense, as the fan voting remained consistent throughout. Antetokounmpo, Embiid, and Tatum were clear favorites in the Eastern Conference frontcourt, while Haliburton led the way among East guards. In the Western Conference, James, Jokic, and Durant were the top vote-getters in the frontcourt category.
There were only a few areas where some competition emerged. In the East, Trae Young and Damian Lillard were in a close battle for the second guard spot, ultimately won by Lillard. In the West, the three guard spots were closely contested by Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Stephen Curry, with the former two emerging as the winners.
The coaches for the All-Star Game will be determined by the standings on February 4. Last year’s selections, Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics and Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets, are ineligible for this year’s game. Currently, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and LA Clippers are within one game of each other in the West, while the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are tied in the East.
The game, scheduled for February 18, will mark a return to the traditional East vs. West format, after the NBA abandoned the captain’s structure used in recent years. The reserves for each conference, chosen by the NBA’s head coaches, will be announced on February 1.