California. The NBA’s first-ever World team for the All-Star Game is already shaping up as a formidable group, and the fate of LeBron James’ record streak of All-Star starts will now be decided by coaches — or possibly Commissioner Adam Silver.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama were among those announced Monday as starters — a looser designation this year — for next month’s All-Star Game at the Los Angeles Clippers’ arena in Inglewood, California. They are expected to anchor the World team, which will face two US squads under a revamped format.
The NBA named 10 starters, five from each conference. Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Boston’s Jaylen Brown are projected to join the US teams in a three-team, round-robin tournament on Feb. 15. Games will be 12-minute mini-contests, with the top two teams advancing to a 12-minute championship game.
“It’s still as special as the first one,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Growing up watching All-Star games and dreaming of being there — it’s always an honor.”
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Starters were selected through a weighted formula: 50% fan voting, 25% from a panel of broadcasters and reporters, and 25% from NBA players. Doncic led fan voting with about 3.4 million votes, followed by Antetokounmpo at roughly 3.2 million. Wembanyama won a tiebreaker with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for the final Western Conference starting spot based on fan support.
The US vs. World concept, long discussed, was finalized this season as the league continues to seek ways to reenergize the event. The format arrives in an Olympic year, with All-Star coverage airing on NBC platforms.
James, meanwhile, was not named a starter for the first time in 22 seasons. He could still be selected as a reserve by coaches or added later as an injury replacement.
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