LeBron James is extending his All-Star records.
The NBA on Thursday revealed the starters — some of them, anyway — for the revamped All-Star Game, and there wasn’t much in the way of surprises. James is officially an All-Star for the 21st year.
The other starters:
- The New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell as the Eastern Conference guards.
- The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns as the East frontcourt players.
- The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and NBA leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Western Conference guards.
- The Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant and Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic as the West frontcourt players alongside James.
The starters were picked through a system of weighted balloting: 50% fan voting, 25% media and 25% current players.
There are 14 more All-Stars yet to be announced, and they’ll be chosen in a vote of the league’s coaches. That list will be revealed on Jan. 30, and the All-Star Game — now games, really — happens on Feb. 16 in San Francisco.
Among the candidates for those reserve spots: San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, reigning All-Star Game MVP Damian Lillard of the Bucks, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Atlanta’s Trae Young and Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball — who led East guard fan voting.
At least 15 players will “start” at the All-Star Game this season. It’s the first year of a new format, with three games. The 24 All-Stars will be drafted into three teams of eight players apiece by TNT personalities and former NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.
The three teams will be entered into a four-team tournament, with the remaining squad made up of rookies and second-year players from the Rising Stars event on All-Star Friday. There are two semifinal games, with the winners meeting in a championship game. The games should go quickly; the first team to reach 40 points wins.
The last two All-Star Games rewrote the offensive record book. The Celtics’ Tatum set an individual record with 55 points in 2023, and last year’s final score was 211-186 — the highest-scoring ASG ever.
James is now in line to become the third player to appear in the All-Star Game after turning 40. The others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did so at 40 and 41, and Dirk Nowitzki, whose All-Star finale came when he was 40.
James — a pick for 21 straight years — has two more All-Star selections than anyone else in NBA history (Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time pick) and is three years clear of anyone else for the longest streak of consecutive selections. Kobe Bryant was picked for 18 consecutive All-Star Games, the second-longest such streak.
James is also set to start for the 21st consecutive year. The second-longest streak of All-Star starts is 13, by the Celtics’ Bob Cousy.