LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named captains of the Western and Eastern Conference teams for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19, following a vote that saw Philadelphia star Joel Embiid fail to secure a spot. of holder.
James will therefore tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – the man he is on course to overtake in February as the leading scorer in NBA history – for the most appearances in the All-Star Game, 19.
The four-time NBA champion, who is averaging 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7 assists this season, has served as captain in each of the six years the league has used the format where captains choose their team. among all available players.
Antetokounmpo, the double best player in the NBA, will be captain for the third time in his career, after 2019 and 2020.
Alongside James, the players selected in the Western Conference are Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, Serbian Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Slovenian Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The latter sprained his ankle Thursday night during a game against the Phoenix Suns.
The holders in the East are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who both play for the Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The fan vote accounted for 50% of the vote, while those from NBA players and a media panel each accounted for 25% of the vote.
Jokic, the reigning two-time MVP, will play in his fifth consecutive All-Star Game. He’s averaging 25.1 points, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists for Denver, which leads the Western Conference.
Williamson is averaging 26 points, seven rebounds and 4.6 assists for New Orleans, but has been out with a hamstring injury since Jan. 2.
Durant was named the All-Star for the 13th straight time, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for the Salt Lake City game on Feb. 19.
He hasn’t played since spraining a knee on January 8 and could miss the mid-season showpiece through injury for the third year in a row.
Irving will be part of an All-Star team for the eighth time while Tatum will participate in his fourth such meeting, his first as a starter.
Mitchell will also start for the first time, and this within the confines of the Utah Jazz who sent him to Cleveland as part of a trade last September.
Replacement All-Stars, selected by NBA coaches, will be announced next week and captains will choose their teams shortly before the game.
That’s a change from years past, when incumbent selection was done ahead of the All-Star Game weekend.
Alongside Embiid, Ja Morant (Memphis), Damian Lillard (Portland), James Harden (Philadelphia) and Anthony Davis (Lakers) are among the big-name players who have not been selected as starters, although each of them between them could be selected as a replacement.
