Multiple Authors
NEW YORK — For a 22nd straight year, LeBron James is an All-Star.
The NBA announced its reserves for the Feb. 15 midseason showcase Sunday night on NBC, before James and his Los Angeles Lakers faced the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Voting was conducted by the league’s coaches over the past week.
James was the last player announced, as the league’s oldest player extended his record for both overall and consecutive selections by another season. James did not play in last season’s All-Star event because of injury.
James was joined on the court Sunday at Madison Square Garden by three other All-Stars: starters Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, and fellow reserve selection Karl-Anthony Towns.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Those named alongside James were led by Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, whose 16th All-Star selection is fourth most all-time — breaking a tie with Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett and placing him behind only the late Kobe Bryant (18), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and James.
Joining James and Durant as Western Conference reserve selections included a trio of first-time participants — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija — plus Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (fourth) and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (fifth).
In the Eastern Conference, Towns — making his sixth All-Star team — was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (seventh selection), Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (fourth), Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (second) and a trio of first-time picks: Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Miami Heat guard Norman Powell and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson.
Under the NBA’s latest format change for the event — U.S. vs. The World — the 24 All-Star participants will be broken into three 8-man rosters — two featuring Americans, with the third made up of international players. They will each play two games, with the two teams with the best record — or the two with the best point differential if they all go 1-1 — facing each other in the championship game.
The All-Star Game will take place at the LA Clippers’ arena in Inglewood, California. The Clippers were notably absent from Sunday’s announcement; despite going 16-4 over their last 20 games to partially erase a brutal start to the season, the team didn’t see any of its players named to this year’s event.
Either Clippers star Kawhi Leonard — who since Dec. 20 has led the league in scoring and steals — or Rockets center Alperen Sengun are likely the best candidates to replace Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is expected to miss the game with a calf injury. NBA commissioner Adam Silver would pick a replacement for Antetokounmpo, and any additional players should someone need to be replaced because of injury.
Other players chosen last month as starters: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.
Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff will coach one of the All-Star teams. Either San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson or Denver’s David Adelman will coach another — that will be decided by results of games on Sunday — and the NBA has not revealed how the coach of the third team will be decided.
Bickerstaff earned his nod because the Pistons lead the Eastern Conference. Johnson or Adelman will go by having the best record in the Western Conference among eligible coaches; Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault coaches the team with the West’s best record, but he cannot coach the All-Star Game this year because he coached at the event last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
