AP – The NBA All-Star Game is on February 19. And nobody will know the All-Star rosters until that night. Not even the players themselves.
The team captains – probably LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and either Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant – will make their picks in a live, televised pregame segment shortly before the game begins in Salt Lake City.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced the format change on early on Monday.
This will be the sixth time that the league has used the format where captains choose their teams, but in each of the first five instances the rosters were selected days before the game.
The captains and starters will be announced today.
James has been a captain in each of the first five years and, based on the results of voting released by the league late last week, is virtually certain to be one again this year. The leading vote-getter from both the Eastern and Western Conference earns the right to be a captain.
Durant was the early leader among East players, then fell slightly behind Antetokounmpo in the most recent balloting.
James’ teams are 5-0 in All-Star games when he is a captain.
Durant has been a captain as the East’s voting leader in each of the past two years.
Antetokounmpo was in the previous two years, 2019 and 2020.
The top three frontcourt players and top two guards in each conference will be chosen as starters, with the leading overall vote-getters from each conference serving as captains and choosing their teams.
Fan voting counts for 50 per cent of the starters balloting, a media ballot counts for 25 per cent and the ballots turned in by NBA players for the other 25 per cent.
Reserves – chosen by NBA coaches, seven players from each conference – will be revealed on February 2.
