The NBA has had captains draft the All-Star teams every year since 2018, but in the past the actual drafting took place a week or two before the actual event. That all changed this time around, as the league moved the All-Star Draft to minutes before tip-off in true playground style.
This year's captains are LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received the most fan votes in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. James, by virtue of having the most overall fan votes, got the first pick among the starters, while Antetokounmpo had the first pick of the reserves.
But in order to avoid the embarrassment of someone being the last pick, the league flipped the order and had them pick reserves first. As a result, Antetokounmpo had the first pick of the night, and in a surprise move took Damian Lillard instead of his teammate Jrue Holiday. James, meanwhile, went with fellow Klutch client Anthony Edwards. When it was time for the starters, James made Joel Embiid his first selection, while Antetokounmpo went for Jayson Tatum.
Here's a look at the draft results and the full rosters for each team:
Team LeBron roster
| Player | Team | Overall Pick |
|---|---|---|
LeBron James (starter) | Captain | |
Anthony Edwards | 2nd | |
4th | ||
6th | ||
8th | ||
10th | ||
12th | ||
14th | ||
Joel Embiid (starter) | 15th | |
Kyrie Irving (starter) | 17th | |
Luka Doncic (starter) | Dallas Mavericks | 19th |
Nikola Jokic (starter) | 20th |
Team Giannis roster
| Player | Team | Overall Pick |
|---|---|---|
Giannis Antetokounmpo (starter) | Captain | |
Damian Lillard | 1st | |
Jrue Holiday | Milwaukee Bucks | 3rd |
5th | ||
7th | ||
9th | ||
11th | ||
Sacramento Kings | 13th | |
Jayson Tatum (starter) | Boston Celtics | 16th |
Ja Morant (starter) | Memphis Grizzlies | 18th |
Donovan Mitchell (starter) | 20th | |
Lauri Markkanen (starter) | 22nd |
This is the third time since the implementation of the captains format that we've had Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis, which is the most common matchup. Team LeBron is 2-0 in their previous meetings.
