The 65th edition of the NBA All-Star is going to take place at Air Canada Center in Toronto, and the big show will start on Friday night. We will take a look at how the East and West teams will look like, and the Rising Stars Challenge is also drawing attention around the globe.
Kobe Bryant will appear in his last All-Star game ever, and the Lakers’ guard led all of the contestants with around 2 million votes. It will be his 18th and final appearance at the midseason spectacle.
The reigning MVP of the league, Stephen Curry, was behind Bryant in voting. Kawhi Leonard will get his first career All-Star start, and he’ll play along the Thunder duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the starting five.
LeBron James and Paul George will start in the frontcourt for the Eastern stars, together with Carmelo Anthony from New York Knicks. Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry will play at the guard positions, and this is a first starting nod for Toronto’ point guard in his career. He overcame vote deficit to beat Kyrie Irving to book his place in the starting lineup. Lowry will play with his teammate DeRozan in front of their home fans.
Western Conference All-Stars:
Starters:
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Reserves:
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson, Golden State
Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Eastern Conference All-Stars
Starters:
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Reserves:
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
The All-Star Rising Stars Challenge will be a match between the best young players in the NBA from the US and the rest of the World. Last year’s rookie of the season, Andrew Wiggins, will play against his teammate from Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns, who won two straight Western Rookie of the Month awards this season. Kristaps Porzingis, who also won two straight Eastern Rookie of the Month awards, will lead the World Team.
U.S. Team:
Jordan Clarkson, L.A. Lakers
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz
Zach LaVine, Minnesota Timberwolves
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
D’Angelo Russell, L.A. Lakers
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
World Team:
Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets
Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Trey Lyles, Utah Jazz
Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets
Raul Neto, Utah Jazz
Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
