The NBA 2025 All Star starters were released February 6, featuring the top players from both conferences.
The starters in the Western Conference feature Lebron James, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant.
Durant was selected to his 15th all-star game, joining James as the only other active player to appear in more than 15 games.
James, who has already set the record for most all-star game selections with (21), finished second in voting for the Western Conference frontcourt behind Jokic and finished fourth overall.
Steph Curry was selected to his 11th all-star game, tying James Harden for fourth among active players in all-star appearances.
Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, was named to his 6th straight All Star game. Jokic is contending for his fourth MVP with Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who is making his third consecutive all-star appearance and second straight as a starter.
In the eastern conference, the east is headlined by stars Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antekokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson.
Tatum will play his 6th all-star game, Brunson will play his second, and Giannis leads the east with his 9th all-star selection.
Both Karl Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell will round out the East starters, with them both making their 5th all-star selection.
On January 30th the all-stars reserves were announced. The reserves were led by six players making their all-star debuts, three from the west and three from the east. Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro were first time all stars from the east, and Victor Wembanyama, Alperern Sengun, and Jalen Williams were first time all stars from the west.
The West continued its trend of all-star experience, with Anthony Davis being selected to his 10th all-star game and veteran James Harden being selected to his 11th. Anthony Edwards was selected to his third game, and Jaren Jackson Jr to his second respectively.
In the east, Lilard will be playing his 9th all-star game, followed by Brown (4), Siakam (3), and Garland (2).
The All Star starters were selected based on a combination of fan vote, player vote, and media vote. The all-star reserves were selected by the coaches, who voted on players but were not allowed to vote for players on their team.
The selection process and new game format were both heavily criticized. Many fans believed east guards Lamelo Ball and Trae Young were snubbed from the All Star game.
Ball finished first in the fan voting for Eastern guards, but didn’t make the all-star game because he finished third in the players vote and seventh in the media vote. Ball is currently averaging 28 points per game, good for fourth in the NBA.
Trae Young leads the league in assists per game with 11.4, but did not make the all-star game originally. H was recently added to the roster in place of Giannis Antekokounmpo.
“The fact Trae didn’t make it is insane,” Newtown sophomore Sam Kirshner said.
Another potential snub is Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis is averaging 21 points per game on 60% shooting and is leading the league in rebounds per game, with 14.3.
“Sabonis definitely should have made it (the all-star game),” Newtown resident Jorell Michaels said.
The NBA is revealing a different all-star game this season. For the first time, the game will feature four teams and three games. “I hate it; I absolutely hate it,” NBA superstar Kevin Durant said. The four teams will play two semifinal games before the winners will go on to play in the championship. Three of the teams were drafted by TNT’s inside the NBA commentators Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'neal, and Kenny Smith. The fourth team will be the NBA’s rising stars team. Other NBA stars had a more positive view on the new format. "At the end of the day, it's going to come down to whether the players want to go at it, and I would love to see that… Love to be a part of that, for sure, and hopefully it happens," NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous Alexander said.
Barkley drafted Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Karl Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Team Shaq drafted Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown.
Team Kenny finished the draft by drafting Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr, Jalen Williams, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro.
The NBA all-star game will be held Sunday February 16th, at 8pm eastern time.
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