New record in LeBron James' suitcases.
This Thursday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers player learned of his 20th selection as a starter for the prestigious NBA All Star Game, a gala match bringing together the best elements of the North American basketball league.
On February 18 in Indianapolis, the 39-year-old superstar will erase from the shelves the 19 selections of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another legend in basketball history.
LeBron James has been named captain of the Western Conference, which he will try to lead to success against the Eastern Conference for the return of the historic format after six years of mixed teams between the two conferences.
At his side, and this is no surprise, the Frenchman Victor Wembanyama has not yet appeared.
It is certain that the 20-year-old prodigy will have his place in the All Star Game in the coming years as a starter.
But, for his first NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs pivot is a little short.
8th in the fan vote rankings, “Wemby” was too far behind the other stars of the League.
However, his individual performances still offer him a chance to participate in this meeting, by being selected among the seven replacements in the Western Conference.
The latter will be chosen by the coaches of the 30 teams and will be revealed on February 1st.
The Western Conference #NBAAllStar Starters!@KingJames (Captain)@luka7doncic@KDTrey5@shaiglalex
Nikola Jokic pic.twitter.com/BPTheHaXuA
— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2024
Inside, the Western Conference will be represented by the American Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), the Serbian Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) and, therefore, LeBron James.
At the back, place the Slovenian Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) and, little surprise, the Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Beaten by Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) in the fan vote, he was established by the players and the media, whose votes count as much as those of the fans.
In the Eastern Conference, the expected starters are there.
The captain will be the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), selected for the 8th time.
He will be surrounded by the reigning MVP, the Cameroonian Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), the Americans Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), the only local of the stage, and his teammate Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks) .
The Eastern Conference #NBAAllStar Starters!@Giannis_An34 (Captain)@JoelEmbiid @TyHaliburton22@Dame_Lillard@jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/hEAxGmqozl
— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2024
The full schedule for the 2024 All Star Game will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Beyond the Sunday night game, Indianapolis will host an entire gala weekend, from the meeting between “Rising Stars” on Friday evening to the famous dunk and 3-point shooting contests on Saturday evening.
Victor Wembanyama will be present for at least one evening as he will take part in the “skills challenge”, a skill and agility competition.
He should also participate in “Rising Stars” on Friday evening.