2020 NBA All-Star Game starters announced: LeBron James, Giannis named captains
Christmas Day in the NBA is not just a day for the league to take over the sports calendar and showcase its best teams and players in a number of prime-time games. It’s also the start of voting for the All-Star Game, and now, nearly a month later, the polls are closed, votes have been tallied and we know the 10 starters for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
Just as a reminder, fan voting accounts for only 50 percent of the final voting tally. Coaches and players also send in votes of their own, and those account for 25 percent each. Also, because the league doesn’t do the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format anymore, the teams are picked by captains. The two players with the highest number of fan votes win that honor, and this time around it was Milwaukee Bucks superstar, and reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Now, here are the 10 starters (while the game isn’t played in a East vs. West format, the players are still selected via conferences to keep representation equal):
Eastern Conference
POSITION | PLAYER | TEAM |
---|---|---|
Frontcourt | Giannis Antetokounmpo* | Milwaukee Bucks |
Frontcourt | Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors |
Frontcourt | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers |
Backcourt | Kemba Walker | Boston Celtics |
Backcourt | Trae Young | Atlanta Hawks |
*Captain
Western Conference
POSITION | PLAYER | TEAM |
---|---|---|
Frontcourt | LeBron James* | Los Angeles Lakers |
Frontcourt | Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers |
Frontcourt | Kawhi Leonard | Los Angeles Clippers |
Backcourt | Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks |
Backcourt | James Harden | Houston Rockets |
*Captain
The next step to complete the All-Star rosters will be the selection of the reserves. All of those picks are made by coaches, who will choose seven players — three frontcourt, two guards, two wild cards — from each conference. Those results will be announced next week on Jan. 30.