The 2021 NBA All-Star Game will be played Sunday in Atlanta. But because of COVID-19, a weekend’s worth of events will be compressed into a single night — the skills challenge and 3-point contest will take place pregame, while the dunk contest will act as the halftime show.
All-Star voting began on Jan. 28, and All-Star starters — determined through fan voting (which accounts for 50% of the vote), media voting (25%) and player voting (25%) — were announced Jan. 18 on TNT. The reserves — which are voted on by the NBA’s coaches — were announced Tuesday on TNT.
After its thrilling debut in last season’s All-Star Game in Chicago, the “Elam Ending” will return. So will captains, with the Brooklyn Nets‘ Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers‘ LeBron James — the top fan vote-getters in their respective conferences — making their selections Thursday for the showdown at State Farm Arena.
Here is everything you need to know, including the pick-by-pick breakdown.
MORE: Pick the winners! Play ESPN’s All-Star Challenge
The NBA All-Star draft is complete
LeBron James and Kevin Durant assembled their superstar rosters. Here’s the pick-by-pick breakdown:
Team LeBron
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Captain: LeBron James, Lakers
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Pick 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
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Pick 2: Stephen Curry, Warriors
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Pick 3: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
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Pick 4: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
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Pick 5: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
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Pick 6: Ben Simmons, 76ers
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Pick 7: Chris Paul, Suns
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Pick 8: Jaylen Brown, Celtics
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Pick 9: Paul George, Clippers
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Pick 10: Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
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Pick 11: Rudy Gobert, Jazz
Team Durant
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Captain: Kevin Durant, Nets (injured, will not play)
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Pick 1: Kyrie Irving, Nets
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Pick 2: Joel Embiid, 76ers
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Pick 3: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
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Pick 4: Bradley Beal, Wizards
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Pick 5: Jayson Tatum, Celtics
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Pick 6: James Harden, Nets
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Pick 7: Devin Booker, Suns
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Pick 8: Zion Williamson, Pelicans
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Pick 9: Zach LaVine, Bulls
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Pick 10: Julius Randle, Knicks
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Pick 11: Nikola Vucevic, Magic
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Pick 12: Donovan Mitchell, Jazz
No love for the Jazz?
The Utah Jazz have the NBA’s best record at 27-9. They have one of the most potent duos in the league in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. And they were the last picks in the draft? LeBron and KD have some explaining to do:
LeBron said there is no Utah Jazz slander 😅 #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/3pYICBbj8d
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2021
Which team has the edge?
Both rosters are loaded, but which team should be considered the favorite heading into Sunday? ESPN Stats & Information breaks down the star power on both squads:
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Team Durant has the edge in points. Team LeBron has the edge in assists, field goal percentage and dunks.
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Collectively, Team LeBron has won eight MVPs (four from James and two each from Curry and Antetokounmpo). With Durant out, Harden is the only player on Team Durant with an MVP award.
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Team LeBron and Team Durant each have five of the top 10 scorers in the NBA this season. Team LeBron also has 26 total first-team All-NBA selections. Team Durant (minus Durant) has eight.
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Team LeBron has combined for 29 triple-doubles this season (six different players have had multiple triple-doubles). Team Durant has combined for 10 triple-doubles this season (the only player with multiple triple-doubles is Harden, who has eight of the 10).
All-Star event rosters
Dunk contest
3-point contest
Skills contest
With the dunk contest set for halftime of Sunday’s All-Star Game this season, we asked our group of NBA insiders to vote on the most iconic dunker for each franchise. Let the debate begin.
Unfortunately, there are only 24 All-Star spots. The Undefeated presents its annual squad of deserving players who didn’t make the cut.