NBA All-Star Weekend in LA – Where the Stars Come Out

Sam Thapa, J1 Staff Writer

The NBA All- Star Weekend is one of the most exciting times of the year if you are an NBA fan.

The NBA All- Star weekend is on February 18th, and features two team captains, Lebron James and Stephen Curry. They picked teams this year from the all-star player list. James had the first pick, and Curry had the second pick in the January 25th selection show. The game will be held in the Staples Center in LA.

Lebron who is the captain of Team Lebron picked his starting five. His first pick was Durant. Lebron took Kevin Durant from the Golden State Warriors with his first pick. To join him in his starting five Lebron followed that up by selecting :Anthony Davis from the New Orlean Pelicans, Kyrie Irving from the Boston Celtics, and Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, His reserve selections were Lamarcus Aldridge from the San Antonio Spurs, Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, Goran Dragic from the Miami Heat, Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons, Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers, Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and finally Kemba Walker from the Charlotte Hornets.  

Curry who is the team captain for Team Curry picked his starting five. His first pick was Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by Demar Derozan from the Toronto Raptors, Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers,  and James Harden from the Houston Rockets. The reserves are Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Draymond Green from the Golden State Warriors, Al Horford from the Boston Celtics, Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors, Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors, and finally Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Just like in other years, this year has some changes due to injuries to players who were supposed to play. John Wall, a point guard from the Washington Wizards, underwent arthroscopic debridement on his left knee and will not be able to play. Andre Drummond, a center for the Detroit Pistons, has taken Walls’ place for the All-Star weekend.  

On Curry’s team there was a devastating injury to  power forward for the New Orlean Pelicans. Demarcus Cousins ruptured his achilles and will undergo surgery to repair it.   He will remain out for the season. Paul George, an Oklahoma City Thunder small forward, will be taking Cousins spot for the All-Star game. George will also start for team Curry.

Another recent injury took out the New York Knicks power forward. Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. Kemba Walker, a point guard for the Charlotte Hornets, will be taking his spot for Team Lebron. Another injury the league  announced is that Kevin Love will not play in the All-Star game due to breaking his hand. Love will be out for at least six weeks. Goran Dragic, a Miami Heat point guard, will be taking his place for the All-Star game. It will be his first ever All-Star game.

While injuries are inevitable, the season-ending ones could have a serious impact on the league. On the All-Star front,  many players will be participating for the first time including Oladipo, Dragic, Beal, and Towns.