The 2021 NBA All-Star Game was originally canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league changed course and decided to hold an overnight event in Atlanta on March 7 – despite the objections of several players who will be involved and the mayor of City.
We won’t know all the teams until next week, but on Thursday night we learn the beginners. Here is a look at the 10 players who were chosen by a combination of voting from fans, media and other players. LeBron James and Kevin Durant were named captains because they were the main vote takers at each conference.
As soon as reservations are announced on February 23, LeBron and Durant will meet again on March 4 to carry out the annual All-Star Draft. Again, the real teams will not be divided by conference lines. Instead, LeBron and Durant will choose their teams’ style of play.
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
This year there was a bit of drama in determining the beginners of the Western Conference. By adding the votes of all groups, each player ends up with a weighted score and, this year, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard ended in a draw. Doncic ended up staying in the starting spot because he won the tiebreaker, which is based on the vote of the fans.
In addition to the game itself, the league is including Saturday night’s All-Star events in one day. The Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest will take place before the game, while the Dunk Contest will be held at halftime. In addition, the league announced that it will honor Kobe Bryant during the All-Star Game, once again incorporating his jersey number – 24 – in determining the final score.