LeBron Drafts Kyrie To Be Starting Point Guard In NBA All-Star Game
The rosters for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles were revealed last night after team captains, LeBron James (Eastern Conference) and Stephen Curry (Western Conference,) picked their squads like they were in the schoolyard all over again.
Team captains convened via conference call with league officials to officially draft their respective teams.
James held the No. 1 overall pick after being named the All-Star Game’s leading vote-getter, so he got things started off by probably taking Kevin Durant, right?
Curry said that, if LeBron doesn’t take him first, Curry will pick Durant for his All-Star team.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) January 19, 2018
But the most surprising pick by Team LeBron, was former teammate and current Boston Celtics’ point guard Kyrie Irving. Things must be cool between the two, because why else would James draft him to be his team’s starting PG?
Irving’s fellow Boston teammate, Al Horford, was drafted by Team Curry to come off the bench in relief for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
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Following the first round, the picks alternated between the two captains for the rest of the first round until the eight remaining starters were selected.
Team LeBron
Starter: Kyrie Irving, G, Boston Celtics
Starter: Kevin Durant, F, Golden State Warriors
Starter: LeBron James, F, Cleveland Cavaliers
Starter: Anthony Davis, F, New Orleans Pelicans
Starter: DeMarcus Cousins, C, New Orleans Pelicans
Reserve: Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Reserve: Bradley Beal, G, Washington Wizards
Reserve: John Wall, G, Washington Wizards
Reserve: Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana Pacers
Reserve: LaMarcus Aldridge, F, San Antonio Spurs
Reserve: Kevin Love, F, Cleveland Cavaliers
Reserve: Kristaps Porzingis, F, New York Knicks
Team Steph
Starter: Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors
Starter: James Harden, G, Houston Rockets
Starter: DeMar DeRozan, G, Toronto Raptors
Starter: Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks
Starter: Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
Reserve: Kyle Lowry, G, Toronto Raptors
Reserve: Damian Lillard, G, Portland Trail Blazers
Reserve: Jimmy Butler, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
Reserve: Klay Thompson, G, Golden State Warriors
Reserve: Draymond Green, F, Golden State Warriors
Reserve: Al Horford, C, Boston Celtics
Reserve: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Following the draft, James and Curry reflected on the process:
"It definitely should have been televised." @KingJames (#TeamLeBron) & @StephenCurry30 (#TeamStephen) react to @TurnerSportsEJ asking about who they took when and why. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/BligFCXmEt
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 26, 2018
Team chemistry was a common theme throughout the All-Star draft.
Each captain drafted “tag-team tandems” or players who currently play together, like Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins of the New Orleans Pelicans or DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. Or players who used to be teammates somewhere down the line, like Durant, Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo.
Kyrie was asked about being able to play with LeBron and Kevin Love during All-Star weekend. He answered, “When you’re on a championship team, it’s a bond that can’t be broken ... We created history.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 26, 2018
The 2018 NBA All-Star Game will tip off Sunday, February 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET live from Staples Center.
— By John ‘The Dude’ Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com