King James Returns to Cleveland with Team LeBron for 71st NBA All-Star Game

By Frank W. Gillespie | Posted 2 years ago

The last time Cleveland played host to the NBA All-Star Game a Lakers’ rookie named Kobe Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest. A lot has changed since 1997, most notably the format of the All-Star game itself. In 2018, the NBA shifted away from the traditional East vs. West structure, and started rolling out a draft system. 

 

Under this approach, the player who receives the most All-Star votes in each conference is elevated to team captain. The leading vote-getter overall is awarded the first pick in the draft, and conference affiliation is irrelevant during this selection process. 

 

LeBron James has been a team captain every year that this method has been used, and he’s undefeated. Team LeBron (-5.5) is currently favored over Team Durant, and appears well-positioned to walk out of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with a 5-0 record on Feb. 20. The stars are quite literally aligning for the Ohio native. 

 

King James is playing with a stacked deck. Team LeBron stockpiled former and reigning league MVPs by drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020), Stephen Curry (2015, 2016), and Nikola Jokic (2021). James is no stranger to the Maurice Podoloff Trophy either, having won the Kia MVP award himself four times (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013). 

 

New Philadelphia 76er James Harden would have been a part of this elite LeBron squad as well (MVP 2018), but he’s sitting out due to a hamstring injury. This comes after Kevin Durant snubbed his twice ex-teammate Harden on the penultimate pick of the All-Star Game draft, choosing Rudy Gobert instead. Durant cited his team’s need for size and interior defense, while LeBron hid his laughter behind his clipboard. Harden was the last pick in the draft, and would ultimately play for neither team this year. 

 

The only former MVP on Team Durant is KD himself, who will not be playing in Cleveland this coming Sunday. Durant is recovering from a knee injury, so Celtic Jayson Tatum is replacing KD in the starting lineup. Tatum starts alongside two former rookies of the year in Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins, spitfire guard Trae Young, and Philly’s MVP-caliber big man, Joel Embiid. Here’s a look at the full NBA ASG rosters: 

 

Team LeBron Starters

*LeBron James, Forward, Los Angeles Lakers

 18-time All-Star, 3-time All-Star MVP, 4-time Kia MVP

*Giannis Antetokounmpo, Forward, Milwaukee Bucks

 6-time All-Star, 2021 All-Star MVP, 2-time Kia MVP

*Stephen Curry, Guard, Golden State Warriors

 8-time All-Star, 2-time Kia MVP

*Demar Derozan, Guard-Forward, Chicago Bulls

5-time All-Star

*Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets

4-time All-Star, 2021 Kia MVP

Team LeBron Reserves

*Luka Doncic, Forward-Guard, Dallas Mavericks

3-time All-Star, 2019 Kia Rookie of the Year

*Donovan Mitchell, Guard, Utah Jazz

3-time All-Star

*Chris Paul, Guard, Phoenix Suns

12-time All-Star, 2013 All-Star MVP

*Jimmy Butler, Forward, Miami Heat

6-time All-Star, 2015 Kia Most Improved Player

*Fred VanVleet, Guard, Toronto Raptors

1st All-Star Appearance

*Darius Garland, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers

1st All-Star Appearance

*Jarrett Allen, Center, Cleveland Cavaliers

1st All-Star Appearance (replaces injured James Harden)

**Team LeBron Head Coach: Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns

Team Durant Starters

*Joel Embiid, Center-Forward, Philadelphia 76ers

5-time All-Star

*Jayson Tatum, Forward-Guard, Boston Celtics

3-time All-Star (replaced Kevin Durant in starting lineup)

*Trae Young, Guard, Atlanta Hawks

2-time All-Star

*Ja Morant, Guard, Memphis Grizzlies

1st All-Star Appearance, 2020 Kia Rookie of the Year

*Andrew Wiggins, Forward, Golden State Warriors

1st All-Star Appearance, 2015 Kia Rookie of the Year

Team Durant Reserves

*Devin Booker, Guard, Phoenix Suns

3-time All-Star

*Rudy Gobert, Center, Utah Jazz

3-time All-Star, 3-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year

*Khris Middleton, Forward, Milwaukee Bucks

3-time All-Star

*Karl-Anthony Towns, Center-Forward, Minnesota Timberwolves

3-time All-Star, 2016 Kia Rookie of the Year

*Zach LaVine, Guard-Forward, Chicago Bulls

2-time All-Star

*LaMelo Ball, Guard, Charlotte Hornets

1st All-Star Appearance (replaces Kevin Durant), 2021 Kia ROY

*Dejounte Murray, Guard, San Antonio Spurs

1st All-Star Appearance (replaces injured Draymond Green)

**Team Durant Head Coach: Eric Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Team LeBron defeated Team Durant last time around, 170-150. Although the teams look a little different this year overall, there are several core similarities with the James Gang. For starters, there’s the monstrous,6-foot-11 force of nature known as “The Greek Freak.” Giannis scored 35 points in the 2021 NBA All-Star game for Team LeBron, snatching MVP honors in the process. The remaining “usual suspects” include Curry, Jokic, Doncic, and Paul. Durant was absent from that game due to injury as well. 

 

King James is on track to become the All-Star MVP once again, this time in his old stomping grounds. If LeBron pulls it off, he will join Kobe and Bob Pettit (Milwaukee/ St. Louis Hawks) as the only players ever to collect the award four times. This is part of the reason that the All-Star game MVP award is now called the Kobe Bryant Trophy. 

 

 

For LeBron to win the Kobe Bryant Trophy, as an Angeleno visiting his hometown of Cleveland, as he ties Kobe & Pettit’s ASG MVP record…in the same building where Kobe won the Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie in 1997…Well, you can’t draw it up much better than that. Prediction: Team LeBron 167, Team Durant 161. LeBron James MVP. 

 

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