The 2019 NBA All-Star Game is less than a month away, and the starters for this year's installment on Feb. 17 in Charlotte were revealed on Thursday.
LeBron James is the captain on one side along with Kevin Durant, Paul George, Stephen Curry and James Harden to make up the Western Conference voting. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the captain on the other side with Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker comprising the Eastern Conference voting.
James led the voting with 4,620,809 tallies, while Antetokounmpo wasn't too far behind with 4,375,747 votes to finish in second place. They will pick their teams from the pool of All-Stars, regardless of conference affiliation.
NBA Western Conference All-Star starters
- LeBron James (captain)
- Kevin Durant
- Paul George
- Stephen Curry
- James Harden
NBA Eastern Conference All-Star starters
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain)
- Kawhi Leonard
- Joel Embiid
- Kyrie Irving
- Kemba Walker
The fan voting was certainly interesting when it comes to the guard position in both conferences. In the East, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade finished with 2,208,598 votes in the backcourt, while Derrick Rose registered 3,376,277 votes in the Western Conference.
One of the bigger surprises is that Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Doncic wasn't named as a starter despite garnering the second-most votes in the Western Conference frontcourt. The final guard spot in the East wasn't a formality with Victor Oladipo and Bradley Beal being options, but Walker earned his second consecutive trip to the All-Star Game and will be a starter for the first time.