The NBA All-Star Game of 2023 will take place on Sunday night in Salt Lake City and feature the top players in the league. This year's NBA All-Star Game will differ slightly from the previous 73 iterations. One hour prior to tip-off, captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will choose their lineup. That said, let's look at our bold predictions for Team LeBron and Team Giannis ahead of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

Start time is 8:30 pm ET after the 7:30 pm All-Star Draft. Yet, this is not the first time LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo have faced off. When the format changed from East vs. West in 2017–18, LeBron served as a team captain. He has, in fact, been a captain in each of the previous five seasons. In 2019 and 2020, Antetokounmpo held the position of captain. On both occasions, he fell to Team LeBron. James has actually won every All-Star Game he has captained. How long will the streak last, though?

Now, let's look at our bold predictions for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

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4. LeBron James reunites with Kyrie Irving

We have absolutely no doubt that LeBron James will draft Kyrie Irving to join his All-Star team. It would be a terrific reunion, if a little predictable. Remember that LeBron and Kyrie won together as part of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship squad. Many expected them to reunite in Los Angeles after Irving's trade demand from the Brooklyn Nets a couple of weeks ago. Alas, that didn't happen. Irving went to the Dallas Mavericks as LeBron's Lakers retooled in other ways. For this game, however, we'll see them back on one team.

Aside from Irving, James will also draft a lot of guys known for their bravado and athleticism. We have LeBron drafting Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Ja Morant among the available starters. He would then round out Team LeBron's frontline with Bam Adebayo, Jaren Jackson, Jr., and Julius Randle. Meanwhile, 3-Point Contest champion Damian Lillard, Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, and De’Aaron Fox should complete their backcourt.

3. Team Giannis becomes Team International

On the other end of the floor, Giannis Antetokounmpo will assemble what we term as “Team International.” Antetokounmpo's first pick should be none other than leading MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. His second pick should be another big man, Joel Embiid. The Greek Freak, the Joker, and Embiid would combine to form arguably the most fearsome frontcourt on the planet. This would also starve Team LeBron of any legitimate centers in their starting lineup. Antetokounmpo, Jokic, and Embiid are also three of the most versatile players in the league. Frankly speaking, they'll be very tough to stop.

As big as Team Giannis' frontline is, their starting backcourt will also be quite huge with Lauri Markkanen and Luka Doncic expected to be picked. And then coming off the bench we have Domantas Sabonis and Pascal Siakam as the bigs. This is where Team Giannis will have true backcourt depth thanks to Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Tyrese Haliburton.

This means that Team Giannis will represent eight different countries. These are Greece, Serbia, France, Finland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Canada, and the United States.

2. Team Giannis finally wins the NBA All-Star Game

The size of Team Giannis will tide them through. Antetokounmpo, Jokic, and Embiid would be such an imposing tour de force. Ditto with Lauri and Luka in the backcourt. What Team Giannis may lack in outright athleticism and explosiveness, they'll make up for in size, length, and playmaking.

Off the bench, it would also be easy to imagine guys like SGA, the Ant-Man, and Haliburton running rings around their opponents. If the starters will overwhelm with size, the supporting case will outrun with speed.

Antetokounmpo will also play with a ton of motivation. Again, he has never won against LeBron as a captain. It would be pretty awesome to finally do it here.

1. Nikola Jokic wins NBA All-Star Game MVP

In a game with so many stars, we think it might be one of the most unexpected who'll get the shiniest hardware. Yes, LeBron James will have a ton of highlights. Ditto with Giannis Antetokounmpo. It would also be fun to see a duel between Mavs teammates Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. And then we have incredibly explosive guys like Tatum, Mitchell, Morant, SGA, and Edwards. It'll be YouTube and IG Reels heaven.

As good as they will be, though, it's hard to imagine Nikola Jokic missing out on the All-Star Game MVP conversation. Remember that he's averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game this season. He'll play alongside the most talented and explosive guys on the planet. Jokic may not score more than 20 points in this game, but we have him putting up close to if not an actual triple-double. As such, he'll lead Team Giannis to victory and win his first All-Star Game MVP trophy.