LeBron James' record-tying 19th selection headlines 2023 NBA All-Star Game starters
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' record-tying 19th selection to the NBA All-Star Game headlined Thursday's announcement of the starters for the exhibition in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.
James will represent the Western Conference as a captain when rosters are chosen prior to the game. Fan voting determines the captain from each conference, and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 6,761,032 votes narrowly edged Brooklyn Nets counterpart Kevin Durant’s 6,525,199 votes in the East.
The 38-year-old James has started every All-Star Game since 2005 and served as a captain every season since the NBA implemented the draft format in 2018. His 18th selection last season set the record for most consecutive appearances and tied Kobe Bryant for the second-most distinctions in league history. James' 19th bid ties him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who appeared in every All-Star Game from 1970-89 with the exception of 1978, when he broke his right hand punching Milwaukee's Kent Benson two minutes into the season.
Fans, who began voting on Dec. 20, accounted for 50% of the final vote for All-Star starters, choosing three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference. Media and players equally split the remaining 50% of the tally. All votes were due before midnight on Saturday. Your starters for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Utah:
(Here's how Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill and Dan Devine voted.)
Western Conference
F: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (captain)
Statistics: 29.9 PPG (50/30/77), 8.5 RPG, 7.0 APG
Selection: 19th (ties NBA record)
Fan voting: 7,418,116 (first)
Media voting: 95 (second)
Player voting: 193 (second)
F: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Statistics: 26.0 PPG (61/37/71), 7.0 RPG, 4.6 APG
Selection: Second
Fan voting: 4,217,393 (fourth)
Media voting: 29 (fourth)
Player voting: 80 (third)
C: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Statistics: 25.1 PPG (63/37/82), 11.0 RPG, 9.9 APG
Selection: Fifth
Fan voting: 5,418,036 (second)
Media voting: 99 (first)
Player voting: 220 (first)
G: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Statistics: 29.3 PPG (49/42/92), 6.2 APG, 6.2 RPG
Selection: Ninth
Fan voting: 5,826,248 (first)
Media voting: 53 (second)
Player voting: 118 (second)
G: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Statistics: 33.8 PPG (50/35/73), 9.1 RPG, 8.6 APG
Selection: Fourth
Fan voting: 5,566,875 (second)
Media voting: 98 (first)
Player voting: 149 (first)
Eastern Conference
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (captain)
Statistics: 31.0 PPG (53/26/65), 12.0 RPG, 5.3 APG
Selection: Seventh
Fan voting: 6,761,032 (first)
Media voting: 80 (second)
Player voting: 220 (first)
F: Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Statistics: 29.7 PPG (56/38/93), 6.7 RPG, 5.3 APG
Selection: 13th
Fan voting: 6,525,199 (second)
Media voting: 67 (fourth)
Player voting: 172 (second)
F: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Statistics: 31.0 PPG (47/35/87), 8.6 RPG, 4.4 APG
Selection: Fourth
Fan voting: 5,221,720 (third)
Media voting: 82 (first)
Player voting: 139 (fourth)
G: Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
Statistics: 26.8 PPG (49/37/90), 5.1 RPG, 5.2 APG
Selection: Eighth
Fan voting: 4,467,232 (first)
Media voting: 14 (fourth)
Player voting: 128 (first)
G: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Statistics: 28.3 PPG (48/40/87), 4.8 APG, 4.0 RPG
Selection: Fourth
Fan voting: 4,440,133 (second)
Media voting: 95 (first)
Player voting: 117 (second)
NBA commissioner Adam Silver will determine any injury replacements, if necessary. He has traditionally selected the player from the same conference and positional group who finished next-highest in the voting.
Williamson strained his right hamstring on Jan. 2 and is scheduled to be reevaluated this week. A reevaluation of the right MCL sprain Durant suffered on Jan. 8 is reportedly scheduled for the first week of February.
Coaches will determine the seven All-Star reserves from each conference, and those selections will be announced on Feb. 2. The league moved the draft this year to be held directly ahead of the game in a playground-style format. The captains will select first from the eight remaining starters in either conference, and then round out the two 12-man rosters by choosing from the 14 reserves. James Harden was the final player picked in last year's All-Star draft.
– – – – – – –
Ben Rohrbach is a senior NBA writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach