The 2023 NBA All-Star Game, in which the top players from the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NBA duke each other out on the court, was held on Feb. 19 as Team Lebron and Team Giannis battled it out at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City for the 30th Anniversary of the All-Star Game. 

The exhibition game with certified legends and fan favorites took each other on in a friendly competition of basketball. Here’s who made the cut, and who sat the battle out. 

First up, there are the Western Conference All-Stars, led by team captain Lebron James with the most votes out of all players on West teams. Starters from the West alongside James included Luka Doncic, Lauri Markkanen, Ja Morant and Nikola Jokic. Reserves included Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr, Damian Lillard and Domantas Sabonis. 

Two players originally selected were Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson, but both sat the game out due to injury, with Fox and Edwards serving as replacements, while Morant replaced Curry in the starting lineup. 

Notable snubs include Anthony Davis, who was on a roll when uninjured, and Devin Booker, who averaged 27.1 points per game but has also been out due to injury. Team Lebron was coached by Mike Malone of the Nuggets. 

Now, for the East All-Stars, the player with the most overall votes was Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he was named as a team captain. Starters from the Eastern Conference alongside Antetokounmpo included Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum. The reserves included Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown, DeMar DeRozan, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle and Pascal Siakam. 

Also originally included in the starters was Kevin Durant who, like Curry and Williamson in the West, missed the game due to injury. He was replaced by Siakam on the team, with Tatum replacing him in the starting lineup. 

Notable snubs include Jalen Brunson, who has been putting up numbers for the Knicks, and , Jimmy Butler, who is regarded by some as the star player of the Heat, James Harden, the current assist leader in the NBA but has been struggling in recent years, and Trae Young, whose current season has been a letdown but is still playing well. Team Giannis will be coached by Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics. 

Unlike previous years, the NBA All-Star Draft occurred right before the actual game. Therefore, the players didn’t know who they would be playing with until that night. James and Antetokounmpo took turns picking from the All-Star player pool to build their teams and the high-scoring basketball game was played shortly after. In the end, Team Giannis stood victorious defeating Team Lebron, 184-175, with Tatum being crowned as the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP following his 55-point performance.

SHARE

Facebook

Twitter

Email

Tumblr

Print