NBA
The tip-off of the traditional All-Star Game of the National Basketball Association (NBA) will take place without LeBron James this year for the first time in 21 years. When choosing starters, the 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar did not make it into the top five of the Western Conference. The record scorer could still be invited to the spectacle of the best players of the season on February 15th in Los Angeles if the coaches nominate him as a reserve.
James was a fixture in the top five in his respective conference for 21 years, but this year he only received the eighth most votes in the fan vote. At the upcoming “home game” in Los Angeles, of all places, the veteran has to take a back seat for the first time since his first season in 2003. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at the home of the LA Clippers, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, a suburb of the Californian metropolis.
James’ teammates, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), received the most votes in the Western Conference. The Slovenian Doncic led the voting with just over 3.4 million votes.
Second overall in favor of fans was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received just under 200,000 fewer votes and is now the player with the longest streak with ten starts in a row. The Greek from the Milwaukee Bucks forms the top five in the Eastern Conference together with Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) as well as Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers).
Alternatives Format
However, the respective starters will not be on the floor for the same team. The tournament will be held in an alternative format this year. Instead of an East versus West game, this year there will be two U.S. teams and one international team competing in a mini-tournament. The two best teams after a kind of preliminary round then play to determine the final winner.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons extended their lead in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham’s team prevailed in a close top game against the Boston Celtics with 104:103. Despite the loss, Boston remains second behind the sovereign leaders in the East. In the West, defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed their top position with a confident 136:104 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
