On February 19, at the Utah Jazz’s home in Salt Lake City, the NBA unveiled the complete roster of participants in the 2023 All-Star Game. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the teams’ leaders, were previously identified as the players who would play in the early quintets together.
The players who will be in the starting five are: Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, plus Antetokounmpo of the Bucks , for the Eastern conference; and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, will accompany LeBron for the Western conference.
LeBron was chosen captain for six consecutive editions and has never lost an All-Star Game in that capacity. Giannis Antetokounmpo beat Kevin Durant, who has been the captain for the past two seasons.
The names of the ten starters came from a calculation that takes into account NBA fan voting (50% of the total), the league’s player choices (25%) and the opinions of the media ( 25%).
All-Star Game Reserves
The selection of the 14 reserves for the All-Star Game of the NBA was the work of the 30 coaches of the League.
In the East, Joel Embiid (Philadellhia 76ers), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) and Julius Randle ( New York Knicks).
For the Western conference will be Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz) and Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings).
What is new in the formation of the teams is that the captains will choose the players just before the start of the game, regardless of the conference they represent. The starting quintets are chosen first and then they go to the reserves.
Mike Malone (Denver Nuggets) will coach Team LeBron while Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics) will coach Team Antetokounmpo.
