NBA All-Star Draft: Who's Playing in Team LeBron and Team Durant?

The NBA All-Star Game is set to tip-off on February 20. Team LeBron and Team Durant have drafted their teams for the game Tuesday night on the NBA All-Star Draft on TNT.

The Team Captains chose players from the starters and reserves lineups voted by the fans, the media, and players and coaches.

Team LeBron

LeBron has been captain of an All-Star team for four consecutive years and won all the games. He chose NBA Champion and reigning NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as his first pick. He then picked Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors, DeMar DeRozan of Chicago Bulls, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

As for his reserves: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors), and James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers) made the cut.

Suns coach Monty Williams will lead Team LeBron, with the team playing for its chosen charity: Kent State "I Promise Scholars Program."

Team Durant

Team Durant All-Star roster starters comprise Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), and Andrew Wiggins (GSW).

Durant's reserves include Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), and Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz).

Team Durant will be led by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team currently holds the top seed in the Eastern Conference. "Greater Cleveland Food Bank" will be the beneficiary of Team Durant's efforts.

Both Durant and James were named captains of their respective conference teams, who were selected by fan vote, though Durant's MCL injury prompted him to be replaced as a starter by Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

Hornets' LaMelo Ball was then chosen as an injury replacement and reserve player for Durant.

The only Western Conference player to miss the game was Draymond Green, who was replaced by Spurs guard Dejounte Murray.

The 2022 All-Star game will take place on Sunday, February 20, in Cleveland, Ohio, and will wrap up a three-day weekend.

LeBron's Starting Roster Nearly Same as Last Year

With his first two picks, LeBron didn't get too creative. He did the same thing last year, selecting Antetokounmpo with the first overall pick and Steph Curry with the second. For the second straight year, he landed Nikola Jokic with his last pick in the first round.

Overall, James' starting lineup will be 80% the same as last season. The only difference is that DeMar DeRozan will take the position of Luka Doncic, who will remain on James' bench this year. Chris Paul has also rejoined the team.

The previous year's game saw Team LeBron dominate Team Durant 170-150, so it is hard to blame James for sticking with the similar squad as last year. James is 4-0 in All-Star games as a captain, thus he has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to assembling All-Star rosters.

Durant Refused to Draft Former Teammate Harden

The most amusing aspect of the entire draft was how clear it was that Durant did not want to draft James Harden, his now-twice former teammate.

The draft took place just hours after the Nets made a blockbuster trade, sending Harden to the 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, among others. The deal ended Simmons' and Philadelphia's tumultuous divorce and also helped a reportedly frustrated Harden get out of Brooklyn.

So even though Harden was available and Durant was being pushed by the TNT analysts and James, the team captain passed up every opportunity to pick Harden, which led to some funny moments on the TNT broadcast. James had to cover his face with a clipboard at one point.

Durant chose Gobert with two players remaining on the board, claiming that he needed "size." As a result, Harden was automatically assigned to James' team as the draft's final selection.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: The Full 2022 NBA All-Star Draft Show - from NBA