Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The NBA All-Star Game is less than a week away, which means it’s time to brush up on this year’s rosters. Every year, fans complain that the NBA All-Star Game is nothing more than a popularity contest thanks to the emphasis placed on the fan vote. While that may be true, the game still does feature the league’s top talent, making for enjoyably high-scoring and high-octane affairs (something the NFL’s Pro Bowl would know nothing about). Embrace the spectacle and have fun watching the league’s best players whip passes around the court, drain ludicrously deep threes, and throw down monster dunks.
This year features an especially juicy matchup that may threaten 2015’s All-Star Game scoring record of 321 total points. Just in case you forgot, here are this year’s rosters.
Eastern Conference
Starters: Kyrie Irving, DeMar Derozan, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokunmpo, Jimmy Butler
Reserves: John Wall, Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Paul George, Kevin Love, Paul Millsap
Of the starters, only Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo is making his All-Star Game debut. The 22-year-old is averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game. James unsurprisingly leads the conference with 13 All-Star appearances. Of the reserves, this year marks the first time that Charlotte Hornets guard Walker has been named an All-Star. Walker is averaging 22.3 points, 5.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Western Conference
Starters: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis
Reserves: Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Draymond Green
Among the starters, Leonard is actually the least experienced at the All-Star level with this being just his second appearance. As for the bench, this marks the first All-Star nod for both Utah Jazz forward Hayward and Los Angeles Clippers big man Jordan. Perhaps most shocking, however, is that Westbrook is not starting despite averaging a triple-double (31.2 points, 10.2 assists, 10.5 rebounds per game) through the first half of the season.
The NBA All-Star Game will kick off on Sunday, February 19 at 8:00 P.M.
