After much back-and-forth over televising or not televising the pecking order of this year's revamped format of the All-Star Game, the two leading vote-getters had their selections after a conference call today prior to the league's slate of games.
These are the teams for this 2018 NBA All-Star Game
As drafted by #NBAAllStar team captains #LeBronJames and #StephenCurry….
The 2018 @NBAAllStar Rosters! pic.twitter.com/TbZtvitP4f
— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2018
LeBron James (EAST):
Starters: Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Kyrie Irving
Bench: Bradley Beal, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis, John Wall
Stephen Curry (WEST):
Starters: James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
Bench: Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Al Horford
The league looked to make this a televised event from the get-go, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, as yet another way to draw interest to TNT and NBA TV, two channels which they've directly attached to under the Turner umbrella.
The NBA Draft draws a decent amount of viewers, even if it is shortly after the NBA Finals, and the hoopla surrounding All-Star selections and snubs was one the league could benefit from to have yet an extra event to look forward to.
These are the same reasons the Celebrity Game, the Dunk Contest, and Three-Point Shootout were incorporated into what's now known as All-Star Weekend — transforming a one-night even into a weekend-long celebration.
Unfortunately, due to conflicting interests, the players weren't willing to go through making this spectacle public, despite some being eager to see it go live on their TV screen.
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