The 2021-2022 season is quickly approaching its end, and the NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner. That means the time to select starters has arrived. They are selected by considering a few different factors, including fan votes (50%), player votes (25%) and media votes (25%). The starters are the stars of the midseason exhibition, and the NBA recently announced the players fulfilling the role.
How does the draft work?
Did you know that the NBA All-Star Game was first held in 1951? It has always been played in midseason and pits some of the best players in the game against each other. Notable All-Stars have included Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.
The draft begins with the captains. They are responsible for selecting other players who have been voted into the All-Star game. The captain with the largest number of votes gets to pick first, with the other captain picking after. They each pick one player at a time.
2022 NBA All-Star starters
On January 27th, the All-Star starters were named on TNT sports television with help from Ernst and Young, an accounting firm. Three front-court players and two guards were selected from each of the conferences.
The East conference boasts Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan, Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, who also serves as the team’s captain.
The West conference features Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James as the team’s captain.
Note that while the players are chosen by conference, the teams can be a mixture. Continuing with a process that begun five years ago, the players with the most votes in each conference draft their teams. James is also playing his 18th season starting for the All-Star game, while his counterpart Durant will miss the game for the second consecutive year due to injury.
Past All-Star experience
Morant and Wiggins are the only starters new to the All-Star game. Both the East and West conference boast members with past seasons under their belts. Aside from James’ 18th pick, other notable returning players include Young, who is back for a second time, DeRozan and Embiid, who are both back for a fifth time, and Curry, who is set to play his eighth season.
A surprise starter
While most of the players on the list were expected, there is one exception. Wiggins is new to the industry. He is currently in the middle of his second season with the Golden State Warriors. While his performance has been good, few expected him to be tapped due to a relatively low media and player vote. It seems that the players and media, in addition to a strong fan vote, supported him just enough to qualify. Wiggins is the starter with the lowest score among the other players.
What do you think about the All-Star starters and reserve players?
