This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UIC chapter.
NBA All-Star Week is approaching and this year’s NBA All-Star week will be held in Chicago. The All-Star game will be played Sunday, February 16th at 7:00 p.m. central time. The game will feature the All-Star players selected from the East and West Divisions. The captains this year will once again be Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers. The following list contains the starters and reserves from each division.
Keith Allison
East All-Star Starters:
Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks (captain)
Joel Embid from Philadelphia 76ers
Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker from the Boston Celtics
Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks
East All-Star Reserves:
Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat
Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers
Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors
Khris Middleton from the Milwaukee Bucks
Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers
Jayon Tatum from the Boston Celtics
Bam Adebayo from the Miami Heat
Tim Shelby
West All-Star Starters:
Lebron James from the Los Angeles Lakers (captain)
Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks
James Harden from the Houston Rockets
Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers
Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers
West All-Star Reserves:
Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets
Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers
Dovovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz
Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder
Bradon Ingram from the New Orlean Pelicans
Russell Westbrook from the Houston Rockets
As seen by this list, no players from the Chicago Bulls were selected to the All-Star game despite many people making the case that Bull’s guard Zach LaVine played like an All-Star all season. Many also hoped LaVine would participate in this year’s All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, but it was confirmed via the team’s Twitter and Instagram accounts he will participate in the 3-point contest instead. The other contestants for the All-Star 3-point contest are: Damian Lillard, Buddy Hield, Trae Young, Joe Harris, Duncan Robinson, Devonte’ Graham, and Davis Bertans. Meanwhile, the four participants for the slam dunk contest are: Aaron Gordon, Dwight Howard, Pat Connaugton, and Derrick Jones Jr.
Additionally, Antetokounmpo’s team will all wear the #24 in honor of Kobe Bryant and James’ team will all wear #2 in honor of Gigi Bryant. While the rules took many people by surprise because of their complexity, it is the thought that matters. The new rules could also prove to make the game more competitive for the players and more exciting for the fans.
Certainly, the event will be beneficial for the city of Chicago as it will host a variety of celebrities and bring in a wave of tourists. The city will also receive a lot of media attention leading up to the All-Star Game and if you’re in town, you can go to Navy Pier to watch First Take in person on February 13th and 14th.
