Tim Bontemps, ESPN January 25, 2024, 7:26 p.m. ET
LeBron James became the first player ever named to 20 All-Star teams on Thursday night when he was named the starter for the Western Conference All-Stars as part of the league's unveiling of the 10 starters for next month's All-Star Game was selected in Indianapolis.
James, who with the selection passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star nominations in NBA history, was joined in the Western Conference starting lineup by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, the Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma, is assisting City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo led the voting, joined by Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Bucks guard Damian Lillard.
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It is the second All-Star selection and first All-Star start for both Haliburton, representing the host Pacers, and Gilgeous-Alexander.
James, who is in his 21st NBA season, continues to defy Father Time by averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists for the Los Angeles Lakers, breaking Abdul-Jabbar's All-Star mark slightly less than a year after surpassing his first seemingly unbreakable record of all time.
It is now Durant's 14th All-Star appearance; Eighth for Antetokounmpo and Lillard; seventh for Embiid; Sixth for Jokic; and fifth for Doncic and Tatum.
In fact, there was little drama in the voting in either conference. Fan voting numbers have remained virtually unchanged from week to week, with Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Tatum well ahead of the field of frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference; Haliburton rounds the field between east guards; and James, Jokic and Durant high in the Western frontcourt.
The only two spots where there was some drama were at second guard in the East, where Trae Young and Lillard have gone back and forth in fan voting in recent weeks; and among the three guard positions in the West, where Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry were close in each of the three rounds of voting.
Ultimately, however, it was Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander who were awarded the two starting spots in the West, finishing first and second in the media and player voting, respectively, edging out Curry. Lillard finished well ahead of Jalen Brunson in the fan vote, securing the starting spot alongside Haliburton in the East.
While there hasn't been much drama over who will start for either team, it will likely take until Feb. 4 to decide who will coach both teams, with the rankings that day deciding who will be on the sidelines in Indianapolis. Last year's selections – Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and Nuggets coach Michael Malone – are ineligible because coaches cannot be selected two years in a row. In the West, three teams are within one game of each other in the loss column – the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thunder and LA Clippers – while in the East the Bucks and 76ers are tied in the loss column.
The Bucks in particular would be a unique circumstance as Doc Rivers would be taking over for the released Adrian Griffin this week. It's the same scenario as in 2016, when current Clippers coach Tyronn Lue coached the All-Star Game after replacing David Blatt in another midseason coaching change.
Last season, the chosen starters were Antetokounmpo, Tatum, Durant, Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving in the Eastern Conference and James, Jokic, Doncic, Curry and Zion Williamson in the West Conference, although both Durant and Williamson missed the game due to injuries.
The game, which will be played on February 18, will see the NBA return to its traditional All-Star format after announcing earlier this year that it would do away with the captains format, in which each conference's top vote-getter selects its respective nominee chose teams, and return to East vs West.
Each conference's reserve picks, which NBA head coaches will vote on, will be announced next Thursday on TNT.