The NBA All Star game will take place February 14th, Valentines day, and will feature the league’s biggest and most popular stars. The starting 5 for each conference was announced Thursday night, and revealed who would take the court in Toronto.
In the Western Conference Golden State’s Steph Curry and OKC’s Russell Westbrook make up the backcourt; Kobe Bryant (the top vote-getter), Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant represent the frontcourt. Zaza Pachulia just missed out on starting for the West, strangely enough. He placed fourth in voting for the West’s frontcourt voting, ahead of players like Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green, who many felt is the biggest snub of this year’s All Star teams. Draymond is averaging a near triple double, 14.5 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, and 7.4 assists per game, and has proven he’s one of the league’s best defenders. Green’s mother had this to say about her son not appearing in the ASG:
Draymond himself said he wasn’t upset about missing out on the All Star game, in an appearance on Bleacher Report’s Uninterrupted.
Anthony Davis will now have to be named the NBA’s MVP or make the All-NBA team to receive a $23 million bonus as he wasn’t voted in to the All Star game, as part of his contract.
In the Eastern Conference, Toronto’s very own Kyle Lowry (who received a late push from Drake on Twitter to get him into the starting 5), and Miami’s Dwyane Wade got the most votes for the backcourt. The frontcourt is made up of LeBron James, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony, all Small Forwards.
Carmelo barely got in, beating Chicago’s Pau Gasol out by 337 votes for the final spot, and assuring his 9th All Star selection in his career. Another Knick, rookie Kristaps Porzingis, received a significant amount of votes, but didn’t make the starting lineup. KP got more votes than Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, James Harden, and Hassan Whiteside
The 2003 draft class is represented well in the East, with three players from that class starting.
The 2016 All Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 14 in Air Canada Center in Toronto, Canada.