It used to be just a dream for Brooklyn Nets superstar forward Kevin Durant, but the idea of NBA All-Star rosters being divided into teams on the day of the NBA All-Star Game itself is now about to become a reality. Durant also just want everyone to know that he planted that idea before the NBA made the change.
Team captains used to choose the players making up their respective All-Star teams via a draft ahead of gameday. The process will remain the same in the 2023 All-Star Game, but the draft will actually happen on the same day. The captains will be the top vote-getters, with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks do-it-all unicorn Giannis Antetokounmpo on pace to top the West and East polls, respectively, based on third fan return voting. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is around two million votes behind James, while Kevin Durant is just a little over a million short of the Greek Freak.
It's really just a minor change but one can imagine the huge impact the switch to a same-day draft will have e on the overall feel of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. It's probably going to generate even more excitement among fans than the matchup itself. For one, it's the perfect event for NBA players to be at their pettiest outside of social media. Should Kevin Durant eventually win captaincy, just imagine what his draft plan would look like.
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 19 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time.