NBA announces the starters for the 2019 All-Star Game

Jan 25 2019, 8:57 am

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard has finished second in voting among Eastern Conference forwards, meaning he will be a starter at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte on February 17.

It’s the third All-Star selection for Leonard, who was also voted into the 2016 and 2017 games when he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs.

Currently ranked fifth in NBA scoring, Leonard is averaging a career-high 27.6 points and 7.9 rebounds through 36 games. He has led the Raptors in scoring on 31 occasions, and ranks second on the team with 11 double-doubles.

Leonard is the sixth player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection, joining Vince Carter (5 times), Chris Bosh (5), DeMar DeRozan (4), Kyle Lowry (4), and Antonio Davis (1).

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Raptors players Lowry and Pascal Siakam are candidates to be named as reserves, which will be decided by a vote of NBA head coaches and announced on January 31.

LeBron James (4,620,809 fan votes) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (4,375,747) led their respective conferences in voting, and will serve as team captains. For the second year in a row, teams will be decided by a fantasy draft, which will be televised on February 7.

This is the 15th time LeBron has been named an All-Star starter, tying Kobe Bryant for the most in NBA history. The record for overall All-Star appearances is 19, held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Fans accounted for 50 per cent of the vote to determine the All-Star Game starters, while current players and a media panel accounted for 25 per cent each.

Here are the 2019 NBA All-Star starters:

Eastern Conference

  • Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
  • Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
  • Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
  • Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

Western Conference

  • Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
  • James Harden (Houston Rockets)
  • Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
  • Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
  • LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
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