LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named captains for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19 following a vote that saw Philadelphia star Joel Embiid fail to secure a starting job.
James will then join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - the man he is on course to surpass in February as the leading scorer in NBA history - for the most All-Star Game appearances, 19. The four-time NBA champion, who is holding averaging 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7 assists this season, he captained each of the six years in which he picked his team from all available players.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, will be captain for the third time in his career, following 2019 and 2020. Fan votes accounted for 50%, while those from NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 % each.
Along with James, the players selected in the Western Conference are Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, Serbian Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Slovenian Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The latter, however, sprained his ankle last night during the game against the Phoenix Suns.
The East keepers are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who both play for the Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers).
