With the Warriors winning three of their last four games, LeBron and Durant are back on the same-named team. The move is not without controversy as both athletes have met with criticism in recent months for wearing different uniforms during games
The “NBA All Star starters” is the starting lineup for the NBA All Star Game. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been named captains again this year.
27 January 2022
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ESPN’s Tim Bontemps
The NBA revealed on Thursday night the starters for its annual midseason showcase, which will be staged Feb. 20 in Cleveland, with LeBron James and Kevin Durant once again serving as captains of the two teams.
James, who has been a captain in each of the NBA’s five years of using the current method to choose teams, and Durant, who is a captain for the second year in a row, won the title by receiving more fan votes than anyone else in their respective conferences.
James now has 18 All-Star appearances, tied with Kobe Bryant for second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
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In the backcourt, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, as well as reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, will join James as starters from the Western Conference.
Durant, a 12-time All-Star, is joined in the backcourt by Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, and in the frontcourt by Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks big Giannis Antetokounmpo. Durant’s participation in the game remains in doubt as he recovers from a damaged knee ligament.
Even though he’s averaging 18.1 points per game, Wiggins’ selection as a starter came as a surprise.
The starting were chosen 50 percent by fan voting, 25 percent by a media panel, and 25 percent by existing players.
Wiggins won the third West frontcourt position over teammate Draymond Green. Wiggins garnered less votes from the players and the media, but he came in third with fans, while Green came in sixth. As a consequence, Wiggins received a weighted score of 4.25 points, whereas Green received a score of 4.75.
Finding out he was an All-Star starter was “mind blowing,” Wiggins remarked. “I was having a pregame snooze when my girlfriend and kid woke me up and said, ‘You’re a starting, you’re a starter.’ For a brief moment, I believed I was dreaming. What the hell was going on, I thought. It was a pleasant surprise to find that I had made the All-Star team, and I am grateful.
“I’ve put in a lot of time and effort, and I’ve found a home here. I’m hoping to keep it continuing and this isn’t the end.”
Wiggins is the seventh first-time All-Star to be selected a starter in his eighth or later season, according to Elias Sports Bureau statistics (Bob Boozer in his eighth season in 1967-68; Kyle Lowry in his ninth season in 2014-15). He is the 40th different No. 1 overall choice in the modern era (since 1966) to make an All-Star team in his career, but the first to do it in his eighth or later season.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his delight at Wiggins’ achievement.
“Seeing what Wiggs has done since he arrived here a couple of years ago is one of the finest experiences,” Kerr said. “The road he’s walked has been tough at times, and I couldn’t be happier for him to see how hard he’s worked and to see all of his hard work rewarded.”
Curry, an eight-time All-Star, has helped Golden State return to the top tier of the Western Conference after two injury-plagued years cut short the Warriors’ five-year run to the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Morant earns his first All-Star appearance as Memphis, one of the league’s most entertaining teams, climbs to third place in the Western Conference.
Blessed & Thankful 🙏🏽 My Fans, I Appreciate You. 🖤
To Memphis, Murray State, Da Gang, and the Organization, We Couldn’t Have Done It Without You.
TM, to MBNO. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.
I adore you all.
January 28, 2022 — Ja Morant (@JaMorant)
Jokic, who is appearing in his fourth straight All-Star Game, has followed up his MVP performance last season by averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game for the Nuggets this season, keeping the team afloat despite the absence of Jamal Murray for the entire season and Michael Porter Jr. for all but a few games.
DeRozan, who joined the Bulls as a free agent this summer after spending the previous two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, has been instrumental in the team’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, earning MVP consideration for his clutch play while averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. It’s his sixth All-Star appearance.
While the squad was on its way to San Antonio for a game Friday night, Bulls teammate Zach LaVine — who placed just behind Young in the East backcourt voting — revealed his starting nod.
On our team aircraft, Zach shared the news of DeMar’s All-Star selection. pic.twitter.com/AFcW9ShWrm
January 28, 2022 — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls)
“In this league, we don’t get any younger,” DeRozan remarked afterwards. “So all I had to do was conquer everything. Coming back into a fresh environment, with everything that is going on with the club, it makes it all the more special to be voted in as a starter, not just as an All-Star. It’s simply one of those times when I’m not sure what to call it or even give it a name, but it feels nice.”
Young was named to his second All-Star squad, averaging 27.7 points and 9.3 assists while shooting 45.3 percent overall and 38 percent from 3-point range, both career highs.
While the 76ers have been missing All-Star guard Ben Simmons for the most of the season, Embiid has more than made up for it, averaging career highs in points (29) and assists (4.3) per game, as well as a 38 percent 3-point shooting, to keep the team in the East playoff hunt. And, despite a slew of injuries and COVID-19 absences, Antetokounmpo has been the reigning champion Bucks’ lone constant this season, averaging 28.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and a career-high 6.0 assists per game.
The All-Star reserves, chosen by the coaches in both conferences, will be announced on TNT next Thursday. Following that, James and Durant will choose their own teams, a procedure that the NBA first used in 2018.
Jamal Collier of ESPN contributed to this article.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been named captains again for the NBA All-Star Game. The two players are also the first to be selected as captain since Kobe Bryant in 2007, and only the third time overall since 1996. Reference: lebron james accomplishments.
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