The 2023 All-Star Games are a few days away, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all set to select their roster. Lately, there have been several changes made to the traditional routines of putting the All-Star rosters together. A few years ago, the format of the game was revamped where both teams were given target scores and the first to reach it wins.
This was mainly for the game alone. However, this year, team captains are only allowed to select their roster on the day of the game. As of now, the ASG Starters and reserves have only been announced along with the captains. LeBron James was the highest-voted player in the West which officially inducted him into his 19th All-Star Game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the highest-voted athlete in the East after recording a monstrous first half of a season. Along with them, eight other players were selected as starters, including Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, and many more. Unfortunately, Joel Embiid was snubbed.
Curry will mostly miss the All-Star Game due to injury. Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson are the other two players who fall under the same category. Now onto the rest of the players, team captains will be allowed to select them on the day of the game.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are permitted to only pick reserves first
The NBA recently announced that they will be allowing the team captains to select their roster in reverse order. They will choose their reserves first and then pick their starters from the player pool. The league claims that it does not want to follow through with another “last picked” situation.
Here are the reserves for the 2022-23 NBA All-Star Game:
Eastern Conference Reserves:
- Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
- Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
- Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Julius Randle (New York Knicks)
- Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
Western Conference Reserves:
- Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
- Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)
- Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)
This might be done in reference to what happened last season. James Harden fell victim to being picked last. LeBron James and KD were both captains and neither player chose Harden. KD’s strained relationship became the reason why he did not select the Beard from the player pool. James happened to play along almost.
