Team LeBron got the first pick, and he chose Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. Giannis then selected Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
LeBron and Giannis then chose their fellow starters.
Afterward, each team selected its reserve players. The starters were chosen by the league naming five starters from each conference—Eastern and Western—by total votes. Then the reserves were announced. LeBron and Giannis were not obligated to draft players from their own conference, but both starting five players fell along conference affiliations. Here are the two rosters after Thursday’s draft on TNT:
Team Giannis Starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Captain)
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Trae Turner, Atlanta Hawks
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Kyle Lowery, Toronto Raptors
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Team LeBron Starters
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (Captain)
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
- Starter
Here are key dates for NBA All-Star Weekend 2020 in Chicago:
All-Star starters announced: Jan. 23All-Star reserves announced: Jan. 30All-Star Draft: Feb. 6Rising Stars Challenge and Celebrity Game: Feb. 143-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest: Feb. 15NBA All-Star Game: Feb. 16
This year’s NBA All-Star Game will have a different, unique format. The score will start at 0-0 during each of the first three quarters. The winner of each quarter will be given $100,000 to donate to a Chicago-based charity that was chosen by the team captain.
Team LeBron will play for Chicago Scholars, which is a charity that benefits first-generation children going off to college.
Team Giannis will play for After School Matters, which allows children to participate in after-school activities.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the score will start with the cumulative score from the first three periods. For the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off, and a final score must be reached. That score will be the leading score going into the fourth quarter—plus 24. For example, if the team leading going into the fourth quarter has 150 points, then the score that must be reached to win would be 174 by either team. The 24 is to honor former NBA star Kobe Bryant, who was killed in helicopter crash last month.
The overall game winner will be awarded an additional $200,000 for their charity.
Chicago last held the All-Star Game in 1988 at Chicago Stadium, which was one of the most notorious All-Star weekends in league history.
Larry Bird won the the 3-point shootout in dramatic fashion, hoisting the No.1 finger in the air as he launched the final red, white and blue basketball and walking away as the ball swooshed through the net for the long-range title.
Then, hometown favorite Michael Jordan won the Slam Dunk competition with his “fly from the free-throw line” dunk to beat Dominique Wilkins. Jordan went on to win the NBA All-Star Game’s MVP that same year on his home court.
