NBA announces 2024 All-Star starters: Giannis, LeBron named captains

Today, the NBA announced thestarters for the 2024 All-Star Game in Indianapolis.The players were selected via threevoting categories: 50% fan vote, 25% player vote and 25% mediavote.

Leading the Eastern ConferenceAll-Stars is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Draftedas the No. 15 pick in 2013 out of Greece,Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.3 PPG, 11.7 RPGand 6.2 APG this season, and he will make his eighth All-Starappearance this year.

Joining Antetokounmpo in theEast frontcourt are Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid andBoston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum. Embiid, the league’s reigningMVP, will make his seventh All-Star appearance while averaging 36.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG and 5.9 APGfor the 76ers this season. Tatum, drafted as the No. 3 pick in 2017out of Duke, is averaging 27.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 4.4 APG for theleague-best Celtics in his fifth All-Star selection.

In the East backcourt, IndianaPacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will start in front of his homecrowd in just his second All-Star appearance (and first timestarting). Drafted as the No. 12 pick in 2020 out of IowaState, Haliburton isaveraging 23.6 PPG, 12.6 APG and 4.1 RPG for the Pacers, who are inthe thick of the East’s playoff race.

Partnering up with Haliburton inthe backcourt is Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, appearing inhis eighth All-Star game and his first as a starter. The Bucks’prized acquisition gets his chance to start in the East despite arelatively down year by his standards. Lillard is currentlyaveraging 25.3 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4.3 RPG, making the Bucks the onlyteam in the NBA to have two All-Star starters.

Over in the Western Conference,Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is once again at the helm.Set to make his record-breaking 20th All-Star appearance, James hasbeen an starter for all of them – a streak that began in 2005 injust his sophomore season. He is currently averaging 24.8 PPG, 7.4APG and 7.2 RPG for the struggling Lakers this season.

Joining James in the Westfrontcourt are Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns and Nikola Jokic ofthe defending-champion Denver Nuggets. Durant, who’s making his14th All-Star selection, will now be one of 11 players in leaguehistory to be an All-Star 14 or more times. He’s currentlyaveraging 29.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 5.7 APG for the resurgent Suns thisseason. Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP, will make his sixth All-Starappearance while averaging 26.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 9.1 APG for theNuggets this season.

In the West backcourt are DallasMavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard ShaiGilgeous-Alexander. Doncic is set to appear in his fifth All-Stargame, and he is averaging 33.6 PPG, 9.3 APG and 8.5 RPG for theMavericks this season. Gilgeous-Alexander, in just his secondAll-Star selection and first as a starter, is averaging 31.1 PPG,6.4 APG and 5.6 RPG. He has been the main cog for a young Thunderteam that has exceeded expectations and sit atop the WesternConference standings.

The All-Star reserves are set tobe announced on Feb. 1 and they will be chosen by the NBA coachesin their respective conferences. They will vote two guards, threefrontcourt players and two wildcards (any position). If a selectedplayer is unable to participate due to injury or another reason,NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will do the honors of selecting hisreplacement (from the same conference).

This year’s All-Star Game isalso notably changing back to the traditional East-West format,moving away from the captain-draft system. The previous sixiterations of the midseason festivities featuredthe leading vote-gettersfrom each conference serving as captains who got to draft theirteams, with a certain "target score" format that featured anuntimed fourth quarter in the last four All-Star Games.