NBA Announces All-Star Starts; The USA vs. World format is now on its way

The first world team for NBA The All-Star Game is already loaded. And fate LeBron JamesA record streak of All-Star selections will now be decided by the coaches, or maybe even commissioner Adam Silver.

Milwaukee‘s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ololama City‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver‘s Nikola Jokicthe Los Angeles Lakers‘ Luka Dončić and Saint Anthony‘s Victor Vembanyama were among those announced Monday as starters — an incorrect term this year — for next month’s All-Star Game at LA Clippers‘ home arena in Inglewood, California. They likely go to the World Team, which will battle two teams of American players as part of another new format for a midseason showcase.

The NBA announced 10 starters, five from each conference. Golden State‘s Stephen Curry, New York‘s Jalen Brunson, Detroit‘s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia‘s Tyrese McKay and Boston‘s Jailen Brown all will likely be headed for the U.S. teams, who will play in a three-team, round-robin tournament on February 15 — all 12-minute mini-games, with the top two teams advancing to the 12-minute championship game.

“Honestly, it’s still as special as the first one,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the All-Star nod. “I grew up watching All-Star games as a kid, dreaming of playing in them. To be able to play in them will always feel the same way. All the players that I looked up to, that I imitated my game, played in those games, played on that stage. And for me to be able to, it’s a blessing and an honor.”

The rookies are selected based on a weighted formula, with fan voting accounting for 50% of player rankings, votes from a 100-member panel of broadcasters and reporters accounting for 25%, and voting from NBA players themselves accounting for the remaining 25%.

The USA vs. World concept was talked about for years before it finally became a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Association announced the long-awaited plan earlier this season, after once again trying to find the latest way to spark renewed interest in the game.

It seemed like the right time to try a game with national pride at stake, given that it will happen this year around the middle of the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. NBA All-Star events, like the USA Olympics, will all be broadcast on NBC’s family of networks.

What is the format?

There will be three teams of at least eight players. Games will last one standard NBA quarter or 12 minutes.

Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winner of that game will play Team C in Game 2. The loser of Game 1 will play Team C in Game 3.

The teams with the best two records will play in the championship game. If all three teams are 1-1, the point difference would be a tiebreaker.

Where things stand

The league usually has 10 starters selected by a weighted formula vote, then 14 reserves by the coaches, and that is the case this year.

It’s just different.

In a standard All-Star Game — two teams, 12 players per side — the old voting formula works perfectly. But these are three teams, with eight players per side. This means that at least 15 players will “start” the All-Star game.

Therefore, some players who were not announced as starters on Monday are guaranteed to start on February 15th.

And it’s possible that some rosters could have more than eight players, if the NBA needs to keep adding to get to 16 on the US side or eight on the world side.

Lebron status

James, for the first time in 22 years, was not in the group selected as a starter.

His record streak of 20 consecutive All-Star appearances — not a selection, that streak continued — ended last season when he withdrew from the second format of the mini-tournament citing foot and ankle injuries. He could still make it as a reserve, and those 14 spots will be decided by the NBA Head Coaches Poll.

He could also get a call-up as an injury replacement if needed, and Silver picks those players when needed.

James is in his record 23rd season. His streak of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended in December, and he’s already missed 17 games — meaning he’ll likely have to play in every Lakers game the rest of the season to win most postseason honors, like All-NBA honors. James was an All-NBA selection in 21 of his first 22 seasons, including a second-team selection last season.

Associated Press reports.

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