Kevin Durant is back this season – and back on top of the All-Star list.
On Thursday, the NBA announced holders of the 2021 All-Star game, a one-day event in Atlanta on March 7. The event may look a little different because of the pandemic, but one thing hasn’t changed:
Fans want to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
They obtained the most fan votes at each conference and it will be the captains who will choose their All-Star teams, following the playground-style sketch that the NBA has been using in recent years. First, the pair will choose the players from the group of players listed below and then choose their reserves (which will be announced next Thursday and selected by the coaches).
Here are the 2021 All-Star Game starters, as voted by fans (50%), media (25%) and players (25%):
Western Conference
• Stephen Curry (warriors)
• Luka Dončić (Mavericks)
• LeBron James (Lakers)
• Nikola Jokić (Nuggets)
• Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
Eastern Conference
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
• Bradley Beal (assistants)
• Kevin Durant (Nets)
• Joel Embiid (76ers)
• Kyrie Irving (networks)
Here are some notes about the selections:
• The “snubbed” controversy revolves around Damian Lillard.
The twisted part of the vote (which counts for half) had Lillard as the third guard, out of the two holders behind Curry and Doncic. Both the media and the players had Lillard ahead of Doncic (both Dan Feldman and I had Lillard as the starter, as discussed in this week’s PBT Podcast). This left Lillard and Doncic tied for points, but the vote of the tiebreakers, so Doncic will start.
Lillard is a lock to make the team as a reserve. This will not satisfy angry Blazers fans, who thought there would not even be a debate.
• On the east attack court, Boston’s Jayson Tatum was fourth in the vote, followed by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo (both from Miami).
• Among the Eastern guards, James Harden (Nets) was third, followed by Zach LaVine (Bulls) and Jaylen Brown (Celtics, the media placed him in second place and a starter in front of Irving).
• In the west attack zone, Anthony Davis (Lakers) was fourth, but he is unlikely to play because he is recovering from his leg injury. Paul George was fifth in the vote and Zion Williamson the sixth.
• This is LeBron’s 17th participation in the All-Star, the third most ever (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 19 matches, Kobe Bryant 18). LeBron was also captain every year when teams were chosen in this style of choosing their team.
• The All-Star Day in Atlanta will feature a skills competition and three points before the game, with a dunk competition at halftime. The game will have the Elam Ending used last year, where a final scoring goal is set instead of a fourth timed period.