The NBA announced its starting lineup for the 2025 All-Star Game on Thursday.
Though the format for the game will be a bit different this year — players will be separated into three teams (plus a fourth from the Rising Stars Challenge) — the 24 selections are still spread evenly throughout the two conferences.
Leading a stacked Western Conference group is LeBron James — who earned his 21st All-Star selection (a league record). A couple of familiar faces will join him. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant is making his 15th All-Star appearance and is a two-time All-Star game MVP. Golden State’s Stephen Curry is also included and is set to play in front of a home crowd in San Francisco. Two MVP favorites round out the Western Conference starting lineup: Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In the East, the frontcourt was easy to predict. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo led all players in fan voting and is making a ninth-straight appearance. Jayson Tatum from the defending champion Boston Celtics has become a staple on the All-Star team and already has six selections at 26 years old. In his first year in the East, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns has been named an All-Star.
Towns isn’t the only Knick to get some recognition. Jalen Brunson has been selected as an All-Star for the second straight year. Joining Brunson in the backcourt is Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. A six-time selection, Mitchell has made the All-Star team every year since 2020.
In one of the more surprising turns, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball missed the cut despite leading all Eastern Conference guards in the fan voting. The fan portion makes up 50 percent of the votes. The remaining 50 percent is split evenly between player and media votes. Ball ranked third in the player vote — behind the two eventual starters — and seventh by the media. Ball will have to wait until Jan. 30 when the coaches select the reserves to see if will make his second career All-Star team.
In the Western Conference, James and Durant finished 4th and 5th in the media vote but still managed to be named starters. The 2nd and 3rd place vote-getters — Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis — are both excepted to be named reserves.
The respect across the league and by the fans earned the veteran pair another starting nod. James and Durant placed 2nd and 3rd in the fan vote and tied for 2nd in votes cast by their fellow NBA players.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 16 taking place at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA.