Today, the NBA announced the starters for the 2024 All-Star Game in Indianapolis. The players were selected via three voting categories: 50% fan vote, 25% player vote and 25% media vote.
Leading the Eastern Conference All-Stars is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Drafted as the No. 15 pick in 2013 out of Greece, Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 6.2 APG this season, and he will make his eighth All-Star appearance this year.
Joining Antetokounmpo in the East frontcourt are Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum. Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP, will make his seventh All-Star appearance while averaging 36.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG and 5.9 APG for the 76ers this season. Tatum, drafted as the No. 3 pick in 2017 out of Duke, is averaging 27.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 4.4 APG for the league-best Celtics in his fifth All-Star selection.
In the East backcourt, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will start in front of his home crowd in just his second All-Star appearance (and first time starting). Drafted as the No. 12 pick in 2020 out of Iowa State, Haliburton is averaging 23.6 PPG, 12.6 APG and 4.1 RPG for the Pacers, who are in the thick of the East’s playoff race.
Partnering up with Haliburton in the backcourt is Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, appearing in his eighth All-Star game and his first as a starter. The Bucks’ prized acquisition gets his chance to start in the East despite a relatively down year by his standards. Lillard is currently averaging 25.3 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4.3 RPG, making the Bucks the only team in the NBA to have two All-Star starters.
Over in the Western Conference, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is once again at the helm. Set to make his record-breaking 20th All-Star appearance, James has been an starter for all of them – a streak that began in 2005 in just his sophomore season. He is currently averaging 24.8 PPG, 7.4 APG and 7.2 RPG for the struggling Lakers this season.
Joining James in the West frontcourt are Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns and Nikola Jokic of the defending-champion Denver Nuggets. Durant, who’s making his 14th All-Star selection, will now be one of 11 players in league history to be an All-Star 14 or more times. He’s currently averaging 29.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 5.7 APG for the resurgent Suns this season. Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP, will make his sixth All-Star appearance while averaging 26.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 9.1 APG for the Nuggets this season.
In the West backcourt are Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Doncic is set to appear in his fifth All-Star game, and he is averaging 33.6 PPG, 9.3 APG and 8.5 RPG for the Mavericks this season. Gilgeous-Alexander, in just his second All-Star selection and first as a starter, is averaging 31.1 PPG, 6.4 APG and 5.6 RPG. He has been the main cog for a young Thunder team that has exceeded expectations and sit atop the Western Conference standings.
The All-Star reserves are set to be announced on Feb. 1 and they will be chosen by the NBA coaches in their respective conferences. They will vote two guards, three frontcourt players and two wildcards (any position). If a selected player is unable to participate due to injury or another reason, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will do the honors of selecting his replacement (from the same conference).
This year’s All-Star Game is also notably changing back to the traditional East-West format, moving away from the captain-draft system. The previous six iterations of the midseason festivities featured the leading vote-getters from each conference serving as captains who got to draft their teams, with a certain "target score" format that featured an untimed fourth quarter in the last four All-Star Games.