The NBA announced the starters for this year’s All-Star Game on Thursday, but fans noticed something strange about the list.
During a special that aired on TNT, the captains and the starters for both the Western and the Eastern Conference All-Star teams were revealed. LeBron James (West) and Kevin Durant (East) were named the two captains. The other four starters for the West were Steph Curry, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic, and Andrew Wiggins. The other four starters for the East were DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Trae Young, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press pointed out an interesting quirk about the list of starters, one that many fans also noticed: neither the No. 1 seed in the West nor the No. 1 seed in the East had a single All-Star starter.
The No. 1 seed in the West is the Phoenix Suns, who had multiple deserving candidates like Devin Booker and Chris Paul. The No. 1 seed in the East is the Miami Heat, who also had a couple strong contenders in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. All four players could still potentially make the All-Star Game as reserves though.
Though fans are only responsible for 50 percent of the vote when it comes to selecting All-Star starters, it is still largely a popularity contest. For example, Young is starting for the East despite the Hawks being the 12th seed in the conference. At least this player did not somehow earn a starting spot.
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