NBA All-Star Game 2022: LeBron James, Kevin Durant to Face Off as Captains Again; Starter Pool Announced

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant would be the captains again of the two teams in this year's All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio, the NBA announced on Thursday night.

James is captaining for the fifth consecutive year and has now made 18 All-Star teams, tying Kobe Bryant for second place all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).

His counterpart Durant has been a captain for a second straight year, but he will miss this year's NBA All-Star Game due to a knee injury, just like last year, when he missed the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta because of a left hamstring strain.

LeBron James to Handle Western Conference Players, Kevin Durant for Eastern Conference

LeBron James was selected as captain for the Western Conference, while Kevin Durant was picked as captain for the Eastern Conference. They earned the positions by finishing with more fan votes than anyone in their respective conferences.

The majority of the East has a lot of All-Star potential. It was Joel Embiid's and DeMar DeRozan's fifth, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is in his sixth.

The group's newbie, Trae Young, is making his second appearance as a starter. Stephen Curry is playing in his eighth All-Star Game, and Nikola Jokic is playing in his fourth.

Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins headline the remaining starters as the lone first-time All-Stars. The group's biggest surprise is Wiggins.

While he made an impressive performance in his second full season with the Warriors, he was not expected to earn a starting nod despite his strong vote total from fans. However, it looks that he was able to get through with the help of enough media and player voters.

Wiggins finished sixth in media voting and fifth among players. But at 18.1 points per game, he is the All-Star Game's lowest-scoring starter.

The starters were determined by a vote divided amongst fans (50 percent), media (25 percent), and players (25 percent. On Thursday, those starters were announced on TNT with an assist from Ernst and Young's accounting firm.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Others React to News About 2022 NBA All-Star Game

After the first 10 participants of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game were announced, feelings of gratitude and pride flowed fast via social media as soon as the players heard the news.

Despite the fact that it's LeBron James' 18th All-Star game appearance and fifth team leadership, the four-time NBA champion and MVP was still humbled by the honor. James quoted a tweet from Sports Center, mentioning his mother.

"Gloria's son! God's plan!" James wrote in his tweet.

According to Board Room, Durant, who will join "The King" as a second-year team captain, is already looking forward to answering questions about his "general manager skills" when it comes to drafting his squad this year.

"Last year, I thought I picked the best team in All-Star Game history, but we laid an egg when the game started, the Brooklyn Nets superstar told the Board Room.

He added: "This year if i"m the captain, it's going to be a lot better. I need to redeem myself. My GM skills are being questioned."

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant soaked in the news on starting his first All-Star Game with his family and added heartfelt thanks to his fans and supporters for good measure.

Before Thursday's win over the Lakers, Sixers center Joel Embiid announced his intention to win All-Star MVP honors for the sixth time in a row.

On the other hand, Andrew Wiggins was overjoyed to learn that he had been picked as an All-Star starter as well. While being greeted by numerous franchise members and staff, the previous No. 1 choice cheerfully confessed, "I thought I was dreaming for a second."

With the starters now announced, fans can now look ahead to February 3, when the reserves will be named. On February 10, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will draft their teams, and the 2022 NBA All-Star Game itself will take place on February 20.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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