All-Star Friday is all about introducing the league's newest faces. Saturday belongs to the specialists. But Sunday? On Sunday, the NBA's biggest stars can shine their brightest on the biggest stage the regular season has to offer. This season we are returning to the classic All-Star Game format. No more Elam ending. No more captain drafts. Just the basic East-West format that the league has used for most of its history. Of course, after six years of designs, this change will now be felt more clearly than ever before. For the first time since 2017, conference pride is on the line.
So what do you need to know about the 2024 All-Star Game and how can you tune in? Here you'll find all the basics, from displaying information to storylines to our picks for the game.
How to watch: NBA All-Star Game 2024
Date: Sunday, February 18 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse-Indianapolis
TV and live stream: TNT and TNT app
opportunities: West-140 | East +118 | O/U: 356.5
Storylines
East: It wouldn't be entirely fair to call this a changing of the guard in the East. Regulars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum are still here, and Joel Embiid would be if he were healthy. However, this is one of the youngest and least experienced All-Star groups any conference has ever produced. There are four first-time All-Stars this year and all four are from the East: Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes.
Damian Lillard is the only Eastern Conference All-Star in his 30s, and if we get down to it, he's at least a new face in the East, having spent his entire career in Portland before this season. Tyrese Haliburton and Bam Adebayo are both first-time starters. Given the youth playing here, we will likely see a repeat of this group of players in the East in the coming years. A few faces will change here and there, but this appears to be the start of an era for the Eastern Conference.
West: If the squad in the East is based on youth, then the squad in the West is built on experience. Stephen Curry will appear in his 10th All-Star Game on Sunday, more than any other player from the East but fewer than two of his teammates from the West. Kevin Durant is taking the floor in an All-Star Game for the 14th time, a number that would be remarkably impressive without his fellow forward. When we tip off on Sunday, LeBron James will officially become the first player to appear in 20 All-Star Games, a record that may never be broken.
James will be 40 next season. Durant has had injury problems in recent years. Even Curry is starting to age, no matter what his numbers suggest. The Western Conference roster is an opportunity to celebrate the defining players of this era in NBA history. James, Curry and Durant are all closer to their final All-Star game than their first, and the return to conference play has allowed the three to play on the same All-Star team for the first time. It may be an exhibition game, but the chance to see three legends of their stature in one uniform is extremely rare and should be cherished.
Full rosters
Now that we've discussed the format and storylines that will define the 2024 All-Star Game, it's time to talk about the most important part: the players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the Eastern Conference captain while LeBron James will anchor the Western Conference ship. The players making up the All-Star Game, including injured stars and their replacements, are as follows:
East: Antetokounmpo (captain), Joel Embiid (injured, will not play), Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes (injury sub), Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle (injured, will not play), Trae Young (injury substitution)
West: James (captain), Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns
Doc Rivers will coach the Eastern Conference along with his team, and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and his team will do the same for the West. Of the All-Stars mentioned, Banchero, Maxey, Brunson and Barnes are newcomers.
forecast
There is no responsible way to actually make a selection for an exhibition game. However, if you're one of those players, it's worth noting that the Western Conference is the three-point favorite. Given that the non-competitive nature of most All-Star games makes every one of them a 50-50 situation, the only sensible thing to do would be to grab those three points and hope for the best. That's why we take the east in this case. The choice: East +3