LeBron goes No. 1 in All-Star draft, and Barkley goes for worldwide aptitude together with his squad

LeBron James obtained drafted No. 1 — once more.

And whereas the NBA considers in the future having a U.S. vs. the World format for its midseason showcase, there can be a style of what that may very well be at this yr’s All-Star Recreation as effectively.

James, the participant with essentially the most All-Star appearances in NBA historical past, was chosen No. 1 general for the Feb. 16 competitors in San Francisco. The All-Star draft was held on TNT, with analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley selecting the groups.

“Outdated and legendary,” O’Neal mentioned. “I’ll go along with LeBron Eduardo James.”

James’ precise center identify is Raymone, however O’Neal has a behavior of constructing up center names for individuals. Both manner, the 21-time All-Star was the No. 1 decide, similar to he was when he entered the NBA in 2003.

And for this All-Star Recreation — or video games, as would be the case — the NBA made up a brand new format. Decided to attempt to make the occasion extra aggressive, the NBA turned the All-Star Recreation right into a event: The 24 All-Stars have been drafted onto one in all three eight-man rosters.

Barkley went with gamers that every one have worldwide ties: Nikola Jokic of Serbia, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, Victor Wembanyama of France, Pascal Siakam of Cameroon, Alperen Sengun of Turkey, Karl-Anthony Cities (whose mom is Dominican) and Donovan Mitchell (whose mom is Panamanian).

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned final month that the league has considered a U.S. vs. the World sport — however famous it could be difficult to make the roster choice honest. If it was the normal format, with 12-man rosters, it could be simpler for worldwide gamers to be declared All-Stars. About 70% of the gamers within the NBA are American; about 30% are worldwide.

“It could be, to me, a bit of little bit of an old school idea the place we are available as Individuals and say, ‘We’ll tackle the world.’ I’m undecided how effectively that might be obtained by our worldwide gamers,” Silver mentioned. “We’re experimenting with a brand new format this yr. I haven’t given up on All-Star nonetheless being aggressive, entertaining video games for the followers. That’s actually not what we have been (final) yr.”

Final yr’s sport was the highest-scoring in All-Star historical past, a 211-186 ultimate that was mainly all 3-pointers and dunks.

This yr’s All-Star can be a four-team event: the winner of the Rising Stars competitors for first- and second-year gamers on Feb. 14 would be the fourth staff within the All-Star occasion. There can be two semifinal video games, then the winners will play for the All-Star championship — and the primary staff to 40 factors in these video games win.

The profitable Rising Stars staff that advances to the All-Star Recreation can be referred to as Crew Candace, for Candace Parker. The others can be Crew Shaq, Crew Kenny and Crew Charles.

The next is a breakdown of the rosters, with the participant’s general decide spot in parentheses:

Crew Shaq

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (1); Stephen Curry, Golden State (5); Anthony Davis, Dallas (9); Jayson Tatum, Boston (10); Kevin Durant, Phoenix (14); Damian Lillard, Milwaukee (18); James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers (19); Jaylen Brown, Boston (24).

Crew Kenny

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota (2); Jalen Brunson, New York (6); Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis (7); Jalen Williams, Oklahoma Metropolis (11); Darius Garland, Cleveland (15); Evan Mobley, Cleveland (16); Cade Cunningham, Detroit (20); Tyler Herro, Miami (23).

Crew Charles

Nikola Jokic, Denver (3); Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee (4); Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma Metropolis (8); Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio (12); Pascal Siakam, Indiana (13); Alperen Sengun, Houston (17); Karl-Anthony Cities, New York (21); Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland (22).

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