LeBron James got drafted No. 1 — again.
And while the NBA considers one day having a U.S. vs. the World format for its midseason showcase, there will be a taste of what that could be at this year’s All-Star Game as well.
James, the player with the most All-Star appearances in NBA history, was selected No. 1 overall for the Feb. 16 competition in San Francisco. The All-Star draft was held on TNT, with analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley picking the teams.
“Old and legendary,” O’Neal said. “I’m going to go with LeBron Eduardo James.”
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James’ actual middle name is Raymone, but O’Neal has a habit of making up middle names for people. Either way, the 21-time All-Star was the No. 1 pick, just like he was when he entered the NBA in 2003.
And for this All-Star Game — or games, as will be the case — the NBA made up a new format. Determined to try to make the event more competitive, the NBA turned the All-Star Game into a tournament: The 24 All-Stars were drafted onto one of three eight-man rosters.
Barkley went with players that all have international ties: Nikola Jokic of Serbia, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, Victor Wembanyama of France, Pascal Siakam of Cameroon, Alperen Sengun of Turkey, Karl-Anthony Towns (whose mother is Dominican) and Donovan Mitchell (whose mother is Panamanian).
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the league has thought about a U.S. vs. the World game — but noted it would be complicated to make the roster selection fair. If it was the traditional format, with 12-man rosters, it would be easier for international players to be declared All-Stars. About 70% of the players in the NBA are American; about 30% are international.
“It may be, to me, a little bit of an old-fashioned concept where we come in as Americans and say, ‘We’ll take on the world.’ I’m not sure how well that would be received by our international players,” Silver said. “We’re experimenting with a new format this year. I haven’t given up on All-Star still being competitive, entertaining games for the fans. That’s certainly not what we were (last) year.”
Last year’s game was the highest-scoring in All-Star history, a 211-186 final that was basically all 3-pointers and dunks.
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This year’s All-Star will be a four-team tournament: the winner of the Rising Stars competition for first- and second-year players on Feb. 14 will be the fourth team in the All-Star event. There will be two semifinal games, then the winners will play for the All-Star championship — and the first team to 40 points in those games win.
[Related: The biggest NBA All-Star snubs, including Devin Booker and Tyrese Maxey]
The winning Rising Stars team that advances to the All-Star Game will be called Team Candace, for Candace Parker. The others will be Team Shaq, Team Kenny and Team Charles.
The following is a breakdown of the rosters, with the player’s overall pick spot in parentheses:
Team Shaq
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (1); Stephen Curry, Golden State (5); Anthony Davis, Dallas (9); Jayson Tatum, Boston (10); Kevin Durant, Phoenix (14); Damian Lillard, Milwaukee (18); James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers (19); Jaylen Brown, Boston (24).
Team Kenny
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota (2); Jalen Brunson, New York (6); Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis (7); Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City (11); Darius Garland, Cleveland (15); Evan Mobley, Cleveland (16); Cade Cunningham, Detroit (20); Tyler Herro, Miami (23).
Team Charles
Nikola Jokic, Denver (3); Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee (4); Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City (8); Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio (12); Pascal Siakam, Indiana (13); Alperen Sengun, Houston (17); Karl-Anthony Towns, New York (21); Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland (22).
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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