The Picks Are In

March 5, 2021

By: Carlos Alvarez

QUOTE OF THE DAY

LeBron James

“There’s no slander to the Utah Jazz, but you guys gotta understand… In video games growing up, we never played with Utah.”

Best record in the NBA.

Last two picks in the All-Star draft.

Letter Rip!

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NBA

All-Star Draft: The Picks Are In

LeBron James & Kevin Durant Select Teams for 2021 NBA All-Star Game

 

The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is finally here. Due to COVID-19, the weekend’s events will be packed into a single show on Sunday night. All-Star voting took place over the last month with final rosters announced last week. This year, the “Elam Ending” returns, as well as the All-Star draft with teams selected not by conference, but by captains.

 

LeBron James and Kevin Durant were the top vote-getters this year — Durant won’t play due to an ongoing injury — and they made their selections last night. A few surprises caught our eye in the pick process, like both Utah Jazz players being selected dead last. Both LeBron (West) and Durant (East) picked a squad made up of 66% from their respective conferences (8 of 12). Here’s the pick-by-pick breakdown:

 

Team LeBron

Pick 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

Pick 2: Stephen Curry (Warriors)

Pick 3: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)

Pick 4: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

Pick 5: Damian Lillard (Blazers)

Pick 6: Ben Simmons (76ers)

Pick 7: Chris Paul (Suns)

Pick 8: Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

Pick 9: Paul George (Clippers)

Pick 10: Domantas Sabonis (Pacers)

Pick 11: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)

 

Team Durant

Pick 1: Kyrie Irving (Nets)

Pick 2: Joel Embiid (76ers)

Pick 3: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)

Pick 4: Bradley Beal (Wizards)

Pick 5: Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Pick 6: James Harden (Nets)

Pick 7: Devin Booker (Suns)

Pick 8: Zion Williamson (Pelicans)

Pick 9: Zach LaVine (Bulls)

Pick 10: Julius Randle (Knicks)

Pick 11: Nikola Vucevic (Magic)

Pick 12: Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)

 

NBA All-Star Schedule (Sunday on TNT)

Coverage Begins (5:00 pm ET)

Skills Challenge (6:30 pm ET)

3-Point Contest (7:00 pm ET)

All-Star Game (8:00 pm ET)

Slam Dunk Contest (Halftime)

 

What used to be a full weekend’s worth of events is now a six-hour show. Efficient. We’re here for it, and we’ll have all the highlights from the game, skills challenge, 3-point and dunk contests on Monday morning.

 

Additional Storylines

Watch: Full Video of the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft (10 Minutes)

FTW: LeBron Explains Why Jazz Players Were Last Picked in All-Star Draft

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NFL