With more than half of the 2022-23 season in the books and the All-Star Game approaching, it’s time to name the starters for the league’s mid-season exhibition. Those starters were determined by a vote divided among fans (50 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25), and on Thursday, those starters were announced on TNT with an assist from the accounting firm Ernst and Young. With two guards and three front-court players coming from each conference, the following 10 players have been selected:
|
Player |
Position |
Conference |
|
*LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers |
Forward |
West |
|
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans |
Forward |
West |
|
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets |
Center |
West |
|
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks |
Guard |
West |
|
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors |
Guard |
West |
|
*Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks |
Forward |
East |
|
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics |
Forward |
East |
|
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets |
Forward |
East |
|
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets |
Guard |
East |
|
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers |
Guard |
East |
Just because players are selected by conference doesn’t mean teams are divided that way anymore. For the sixth consecutive year, the leading vote-getter in each conference will draft their teams, and for the sixth consecutive year, James is captaining one of the two teams. His counterpart will be Giannis Antetokounmpo for the third time as he was named the game’s second captain.
With the starters now announced, we can now look ahead to Feb. 2, when the reserves will be revealed. Unlike recent years, the All-Star Game Draft will be held right before the game itself on Feb. 19 at 7:30 pm ET.