Joel Embiid overlooked as LeBron, Giannis headline NBA All-Star Game starters
Los Angeles Lakers celebrity LeBron James and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain the NBA All-Star Game groups subsequent month after ultimate voting that noticed Philadelphia star Joel Embiid fail to earn a beginning spot.
James will tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — the person he’s on observe to overhaul because the NBA’s all-time main scorer — for many All-Star Game appearances with 19.
The four-time NBA champion, who’s averaging 29.9 factors, 8.5 rebounds and seven.0 assists this season, has now served as a captain — as the highest vote-getter from his convention — in every of the six years that the league has used the format of captains choosing their groups from amongst all of the obtainable gamers.
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Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, will likely be a captain for the third time in his profession, having led a workforce in 2019 and 2020.
Joining James amongst starters chosen from the Western Conference are New Orleans Pelicans ahead Zion Williamson, Denver Nuggets middle Nikola Jokic, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.
The different starters from the East are Brooklyn Nets ahead Kevin Durant and teammate Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics ahead Jayson Tatum and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Fan voting accounted for 50 % of the voting, with voting amongst NBA gamers and a media panel every accounting for 25 % of the vote.
Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP, will likely be taking part in in a fifth straight All-Star Game. He’s averaging 25.1 factors, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists for Denver, who lead the Western Conference.
Williamson is averaging 26 factors, seven rebounds and 4.6 assists for New Orleans, however he’s been sidelined by a hamstring damage since January 2.
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Durant earned a thirteenth straight All-Star nod, however it’s not clear if he’ll be obtainable for the sport in Salt Lake City on February 19. He hasn’t performed since spraining a knee ligament on January 8 and will miss the midseason exhibition for a 3rd straight yr.
Irving, in the meantime, has made an eighth All-Star workforce whereas Tatum will play in his fourth — his first as an elected starter.
Mitchell may even be making his first begin, and it’ll come within the house of the Utah Jazz workforce that traded him to Cleveland in September.
The All-Star reserves, who’re chosen by NBA coaches, will likely be introduced subsequent week and the captains will choose their groups shortly earlier than the sport begins.
That’s a change from latest years, when the draft was performed just about within the lead-up to All-Star Weekend.
Joining Embiid among the many marquee names who missed out on beginning berths had been Memphis’ Ja Morant, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Philadelphia’s James Harden and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis — though any of them might but be chosen as reserves.
