playAndrew Wiggins among players to be named to West All-Star starters (2:21)
The players to be named to the NBA Western Conference All-Star starting XI are Andrew Wiggins. The song is called "2:21."
7:26 PM ET
The NBA on Thursday night announced the starting lineups for the upcoming All-Star Game, and it was revealed that the captains would be the same as last year.
James, who has been a captain in each of the five years the NBA has used this system to pick its teams, and Durant, who is one for a second straight year, earned the honor by finishing with more fan votes than anyone in their respective conferences.
James has 18 All-Star teams, tying Kobe Bryant for second place on the all-time list.
Stephen Curry of the Warriors, Ja Morant of the Grizzles, and Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors are in the backcourt with James.
In the backcourt are Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan, while in the frontcourt are Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After two injury-plagued years interrupted the Warriors' string of five straight NBA Finals trips, Curry has helped lead Golden State back to the upper tier of the Western Conference. Morant makes his first All-Star appearance as Memphis, one of the most entertaining teams in the league, has pushed itself into third in the West.
Blessed & Thankful 🙏🏽 My Fans, I Appreciate You. 🖤To Memphis, Murray State, Da Gang, Organization, Couldn't Do It Without Y'all. 🐻🐎To MBNO, ™️ . We Got More Work To Do.
Love Yall 🤞🏽
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 28, 2022
Jokic, playing in his fourth straight All-Star Game, has followed up winning last year's Most Valuable Player award by averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 rebound and 7.6 assists per game for Denver this season, keeping the Nuggets afloat while missing Michael Porter Jr for the entire season thus far. The 19-year-old will make his first All-Star appearance, as he is shooting 40% from 3-point range.
In his first season with the Bulls, DeRozan has played a huge role in the team's resurgence towards the top of the Eastern Conference. Young made his second All-Star team after he averaged 28.7 points and 9.3 assists while posting career-best shooting percentages of 45.3 overall and 38 from 3-point range.
The 76ers have been without All-Star guard Ben Simmons for most of the season, but that hasn't stopped him from averaging career-highs in points (29) and assists (4.3) per game, as well as 3-point percentage (38) to keep them in the middle of Antetokounmpo has been the only constant for the defending champion Bucks this season, despite a constant stream of injuries and COVID-19 absences, and has averaged 28.6 points, 11.2 rebound and a career-high 6.0 assists per game.
The All-Star reserves, which will be selected by the coaches in both conferences, will be revealed next Thursday. The league first instituted the format of the teams in the summer of 2018.
